Aardman had one limitation when making its Star Wars Visions short

Though stop-motion studio Aardman was given full creative freedom to pull from the Star Wars universe for its anticipated Visions Season 2 episode, one particular motif was banned from the short.

Aardman is the animation house famous for its claymation properties, from Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep to the highly underrated Chicken Run – which is getting a sequel later this year titled Dawn of the Nugget.

Considering the studio is such a beloved fixture of so many people’s childhoods, it’s no surprise fans were excited to hear it would be teaming up with Lucasfilm to create a short for Season 2 of its anthology series Star Wars Visions. 

The whole idea behind the show is that it gives creators the freedom to go beyond Star Wars canon, while also allowing animators the chance to deliver their own interpretations of established characters and storylines. And while Aardman certainly made use of the opportunity, it was given one limitation – which actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 

Aardman had one limitation when making Star Wars Visions episode

In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, the director behind Aardman’s Star Wars Visions episode, Magdalena Osinska, said that during the development process, she and the team were told to avoid using lightsabers. 

“We were able to use everything – whatever we asked for, Lucasfilm seemed to be okay with it,” she said. “But someone at some point said that we shouldn’t be using lightsabers and, at the end of the day, that was actually quite interesting for the story, because it’s the thing you go straight into when you’re thinking about Star Wars. 

Lucasfilm

“It was a good limitation in a way, because our story is more about the relationship [between Twi’lek mother and daughter, Kalina and Anni], but also it is very Star Wars because of the pilots and the racing.” What’s more, the episode features the return of legendary rebel pilot Wedge Antilles in claymation form, voiced by the actor from the original film series, Denis Lawson. 

“Because we couldn’t have lightsabers, we tried to find as many different Star Wars references so it still feels like Star Wars,” added Osinska. “It was a constant balancing act between Aardman, this quite intimate mother-daughter relationship story, and Star Wars, so we tried to pack it with nods to the franchise… I wanted the fans to find something in each shot.”

And it’s safe to say the team achieved this goal, with the 10-minute episode, titled ‘I Am Your Mother’, featuring a treasure trove of Easter eggs that will delight both Star Wars and Aardman fans. 

Star Wars Visions Seasons 1 & 2 are available to stream on Disney+ now. You can check out our other Star Wars coverage here.