‘Star Wars: Visions’ Accused of Copying Fight Choreography From Popular Fan Film
A filmmaker is accusing Disney and animation studio 88 Pictures of copying a fight scene from his fan-made Star Wars film for an episode of Star Wars: Visions. Lorenz Hideyoshi, a filmmaker and stunt performer, shared a video on Instagram comparing his 2019 fan film Dark Jedi: A Star Wars Story to the Season 2 episode “The Bandits of Golak,” which was released in 2023.
In the post, Hideyoshi wrote, “Above is from my #starwars fan film ‘Dark Jedi’ (2019). Below is from ‘Star Wars Visions’ – S2, EP7 (2023)…I mean they already had a different weapons setup, but still managed to brute force (push) my choreo onto that action. Didn’t even change the camera angles.”
He added, “Why Disney? Is it because we made a non-profit tribute fan film of one of your IPs and now you feel justified in stealing from this pool of creative output? Maybe either a) pay your animators more or b) hire an action designer.”
While Dark Jedi was live-action, Hideyoshi claims the animated fight from Visions mirrors his choreography and camera choices almost exactly.
The episode was directed by Ishan Shukla, who is set to direct Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1, releasing in 2027. 88 Pictures, the Indian studio that animated the episode, is known for films like Spirited: Untamed and Netflix’s The Bad Guys: Breaking In.
Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology series on Disney+, allowing different studios to create original Star Wars stories.
The first volume in 2021 was produced entirely by Japanese studios, while the second volume in 2023 brought in studios worldwide, including 88 Pictures. Creators have creative freedom with guidance from Lucasfilm executives. The series has been critically praised, with a third volume releasing in October this year.
This controversy raises questions about originality in animation and the use of fan-created material. Hideyoshi’s post highlights the fine line between inspiration and plagiarism, especially when professional studios adapt ideas that closely mirror independent creators’ work.
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