Otaking's 'TIE Fighter' Is The Star Wars Anime Tie-in We Deserve

The Force is strong with this year. While sci-fi afficiandos and movie-goers patiently wait on further news and publicity concerning the seventh Star Wars film slated for release this December, Paul "Otaking" Johnson's fan-made short TIE Fighter only proves that the franchise's future continues to resonate long after the films.

The short follows a troupe of rebel X-Wings embroiled in a deseperate fight against a fleet of Star Destroyers and their host of TIE Fighters. Accompanied by Zakir Rahman's inspired heavy metal soundtrack riffing off of the musical troupes of early 90's anime, TIE Fighter is an impressive fan-short that takes as much inspiration from Lucas' iconic space-opera as it does from the works of anime titans such as Yoshiyuki Tomino (Mobile Suit Gundam) and Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato). And to top it off, not only is it painstakingly well-animated, it's canonically accurate as well! Now that's what I call dedication

'The Horse Raised By Spheres' is a Rabbit-Hole of Madness

It's not easy being a horse.

Two weeks ago, animator David O'Reilly posted the URL "THEHORSERAISEDBYSPHERES.COM" via his twitter feed. Seemingly in conjunction with a premiere event for this year's Sundance film festival, the address is an interactive text-based web portal to the titular short of a sentient talking horse haunted by his inability to make friends with the other "normal" talking horses grazing on the other side of a field. 

The portal also extends to five other previously unreleased shorts, each one more curiously unsettling than the last. Gaze into the deep, click past the break, and dive into the ineffable abyss that is "The Horse Raised by Spheres".

Catfish Deluxe Releases Final 'Sidera' Short

Last month, France-based production house Catfish Deluxe released the first of four shorts they created Julien Neel's Lou! Journal infime. Titled Sidera, the shorts recounted the intergalactic voyages of a scantily-clad defender of justice launches herself from the boils of her gigantic space-whale headlong into the grips of danger and intrigue. Catfish has finally gotten around to releasing the final climactic clip from the movie, though two and three are suspiciously absent. Guess we'll have to see the actual movie to check those out!

I absolutely loved the original short and this one is no different; A brightly colored confluence of muscular visor-wielding centaurs, holographic dobermans and monolithic space women. It's like Jem and the Holograms by way of He-Man pitted in a fist-fight against Kill La Kill in a battle for the title of supreme absurdity. So long Sidera, hope to see you again someday!

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis channels the anarchic satirical wit of Hunter S. Thompson and existential terror of Franz Kafka's titular novel to create a psychedelic cocktail of dark musings and lucid imagery. The short is an brilliant advertisement for Good Books, a book-seller whose proceeds go one-hundred percent to support communities in need through Oxfam International projects.

I think they absolutely nailed Thompson's paranoia-drenched prose and talent for off-the-wall analogies. Go check them out next time you're looking for something new to read, it's for a good cause!

Stop Motion Usagi Yojimbo Is The Fan Tribute Stan Sakai Deserves

While not directly related to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this fan tribute couldn't be more timely with Michael Bay's big screen adaptation. As a kid, I first learned of the Usagi Yojimbo comics through the animated series, in which the turtles travel through dimensions and meet Usagi. It was a rad concept then, and still an equally rad concept now, but also a concept that I'm glad Michael Bay never touched with his newest film.

The Last Request is a fan tribute to Stan Sakai's original character, and while there aren't massive explosions and Megan Fox cameos, Lintika Films holds the feel fans of Usagi Yojimbo have come to expect. The above short, originally created as a proof of concept for Sakai has since been approved for a full length film.

With about 90% of the film completed the small team at Lintika Films has their work cut out for them, with a DVD release planned after the film's completion. It's not everyday a comic book creator gives their thumbs up for a fan project, especially for a character as iconic as Usagi, but it's alway pleasant to see the acknowledgement from the creator. If you'd like to learn more on the full length film you can check out their Facebook over here.

No Two Stars Are Alike In "One Of A Kind"

One Of A Kind is a visually stunning, transcendental short about the existence of the world and it's many interesting characters and eras, as portrayed via an ever changing dinner party cast. Fantastically narrated by Jim Carter, we're made to realize that this animated short isn't about any one character, but about the concept of individuality that every human possesses, and how no two people/creatures are alike.

And holy crap, that establishing shot with those beautiful, expressionist environments made my jaw drop. This is one of those shorts that feels like a perfect blend of music, art and narrative- So much so that the creators made it look somewhat effortless. Kudos to the folks at Trunk Animation, including director Rok Predin, this is one of the best executed animated shorts I've seen in a long time.

All Hell Breaks Loose In "Make It Sound Fat"

Tempted by the siren call of a mysterious box of donuts, a musician and island dweller finds himself transported to a strange, heavenly cloud realm. His musical inclinations and overwhelming curiosity ultimately end up cranking open a pandora's box of chaos on the inhabitants, until the actual master of that realm intervenes.

Created in a CG format, I definitely got some hints of McBess with the way they stylized the characters in this world, especially the blank eyed master and the noodly arms on all the characters. Make It Sound fat was created by a total of seven artists as a graduation film from the Bellecour 3D Program. It kind of felt like a modern and twisted version of Fantasia, in the best way possible of course.

"Wild & Wooly" Is A Colorful Romp

Wild & Wooly is an awesome little piece of motion design/animation from the likes of the Argentinian creative collective 2veinte. Featuring an ever evolving set of characters in the middle of a walk to no particular location, it's an ongoing process until a strange encounter with death puts an end to this strange stroll.

This is a nice example of straight ahead animation, which allows for some really fluid animations and cool transitions. Quite a fun watch.

Monkey Vs Crane In "Higher Sky"

Eric Cheng created this sequence for Higher Sky at the University of Southern California, and it's an amazing little martial arts sequence between a crane and a monkey who happen to run into each other at a waterfall. The fluidity of the animation, as well as the fantastic job that Cheng did at building up the confrontation is definitely worth pointing out.

Perfectly fitting with his personality, the monkey ensues in some truly antagonistic behavior to provoke the crane while it attempts to play it's wind flute. Considering his choice of weapon, it definitely draws some parallels with the legend of Sun Wukong, the monkey king. Check out Cheng's excellent animation reel after the break.

"Socialist Circle" - An Abstract Wonderland

Socialist Circle was best described by the user that sent it in as a 'retinal romp,' and I couldn't agree more as I couldn't make much sense of what was going on throughout it. There's a lot of visual metaphors to pick through here, and it's all left quite open to interpretation. Animator Pansak Bas's other work is similarly abstract, specializing in quirky animated loops and cycles with loose social commentary throughout. Best approach: Turn off your brain and let all the visuals sink in.

"Running" - Getting Nowhere Fast

You can attempt to run from many things in life: Conflict, people, challenges, but there's one thing you can never outrun...Aging. Such is the premise for Running, a really slick short by Konstantin Gdalevish starring a young man trying to do just that when an illusion of his older self appears.

Created at a relatively new school called the Holon Institue of Technology (HIT) as a graduation film, the aesthetics of this animated short feel like a really cool blend of Drive and Hotline Miami. The choice of centering him during the sidescrolling elements is a cool choice, driving home the fact that he's not getting anywhere.  

"Orca" - A Dark Shadow Of Indifference

Inspired and disturbed by the Blackfish documentary, a feature about the plight of killer whales in captivity, Shuli Tager of the Belazel academy was inspired to create Orca. The animated short isn't lengthy but the message is quite damning, casting shame on the indifference that pervades societies in light of issues and injustices that loom right in front of them.

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. -Teddy Roosevelt

"Bark" - Through The Eyes Of The Hunter

Creepy is the best way to sum up Bark, an unsettling stylized short created by Lucien Antigny at EMCA in France. Narrating the daily life of a hunter as he goes about his daily duties, it becomes painfully obvious that something is terribly amiss in his life. His sanity? Physical health? We're left guessing throughout the duration of Bark.

As the head of the household, he seems intent on maintaining that familial bond alive at all costs. As the short progresses the sound of buzzing mosquitoes becomes ever more prevalent, but we're left wondering- What is the source? Despite the presence of some French dialogue throughout, it's a pretty easy narrative to follow with one hell of a revelation towards the end.

Rhasta Space Invaders Galore In "Deep Frequency"

A true mystery lies within the walls of a monolithic vessel found hurtling through space in Deep Frequency, a seriously awesome animated short by Angelique Paultes. In this short the tables are turned, with an alien actually letting curiosity get the best of him in this instance.

What ensues involves a very transcendental Rhasta entity, minds being blown and some truly surreal imagery set to the Reggae tinged electro sound of Lyon based artist Panda Dub. Following a revelation on this mysterious ship, the alien takes the sound conveyed to him back to his home planet to spread the love. Fantastic.

"Engrenage" - A Downward Spiral

Engrenage (Gears) offers a stylized take on the idea of ultimately losing everything due to debt, known overseas as 'the debt of paper.' Animators Léa Dorsan-Rachet, Faustine Dumontier and Florian Titone chose to portray this concept quite literally, with a seemingly happy man finding the color sucked out of his world when the weight of debt finally comes crashing down.

The film was a second year animated short created at the Georges Méliès Film School.

"Innuendo"

Innuendo is an animated graduation short about procreation and reproduction. Life itself is inherently obsessed with this ongoing cycle. Director Tim De Haan, alongside his group wanted to show that the whole planet, and not just complex organisms, participate in this sensual dance of life.

Innuendo was created by five students at the Utrecht School of Arts in the Netherlands over a span of eight months. The entire short is rife with metaphors, conveying a sense of sensuality and fertility without the need of any human imagery.

Baseball And Folk Rock Collide In "The Closer"

Inspired by his small town upbringing in Alberta, including plenty of evenings spent watching baseball games with his dad and brother, Mike Edel created The Closer as a tribute to all those memories. As well as writing a lovely little song to represent his childhood nostalgia, Edel collaborated with a group of animators to accompany this song about those fleeting baseball moments. Incredibly relaxing.

I wrote a song called The Closer. It's a story about a pitcher in a small town, a lot like the one I grew up in, who is pitching a perfect game into the 9th inning. But his mom runs onto the mound and tells him that he needs to leave the game because his dad has had a farming accident. So the coach brings in the closer with a 2-0 lead in the 9th inning. He gives up a walk. Then a single. Then a home-run. They lose the game 3-2 in the 9th.

I think that sometimes we think that these small moments in small towns don't matter, but the truth is that they do.

"Métro, Boulot, Chaos" - Chaos Reigns

In a city that works like clockwork, including it's denizens, machinery and general pace of life, even the simplest distraction can lead to absolute chaos. The appearance of a tiny bird in this city seems to bring on the mass disruption, which leads to a spectacularly destructive chain reaction.

The ultra stylized characters kind of reminded me of those hopelessly clumsy Despicable Me minions, and their behavior fit the bill as well to be honest. The short was created at French animation school 'Pole 3D,' and this is the first short we've ever featured from that institute.

Lucha Libre Madness Ensues In "Legend Of The Flying Tomato"

In the face of adversity, a young redheaded girl mockingly called 'Tomato Head' finds an unlikely source of inspiration via lucha libre in this positively kick ass short by Michael Yates, Aurry Tan and Sharon Huang (Ringling). The short is overflowing with stylish touches that we've come to expect from titles like Street Fighter IV and anime. Heck, the group even called themselves Giñu Force, a not so subtle Dragon Ball reference.

When her past comes back to haunt her mid battle, she finds strength in the one thing that held her back for years. Fantastic job to the entire team, this was quite a fun watch.

Once a victim of bullying, Frida finds a hero in the legendary luchador El Pirana. However she finds herself at her lowest once more when she's ridiculed during the biggest wrestling match of her life. Through an unexpected meeting with a mysterious taco salesman, Frida learns that she must find strength in herself to overcome her demons.

"Bothered" - An Uncomfortable Reunion

On a seemingly empty train, a random acquaintance from the past suddenly shows up and attempts to rekindle a relationship that only one of them seems to remember. It's a classic encounter of an introverted versus an extroverted personality type , with a very interesting animated representation of what anxiety feels like. Directed by Christina Skyles at BYU.

Two former classmates see each other on a train. One of them is cheerful and friendly, perhaps a bit pushy. The other has a tendency to have strange, explosive anxiety attacks that terrify the people around her. This is a story about their encounter.