'The Great Promise' Is The Story After Happily Ever After

I recently stumbled across the trailer for Eusong Lee's The Great Promise and was taken aback by the level of polish and potential behind this beautiful student project. A Cal-Arts trained animator hailing from South Korea, Lee's work up until now has been made up of collaborative short-animations that clock-in around an average of one minute.

"...from that day forward she lived happily ever after. Except for the dying at the end. And the heartbreak in between."

The Great Promise looks to be his first long-form narrative short film, however it appears that production on the film has been postponed, hopefully only temporarily.  I'm excited to witness the story of this once-distressed damsel and less-than-idyllic adventures that followed her rescue. If not, at least we have this gorgeous trailer to ponder over what might've been, or what's still to come!

Worth Checking Out - Angelarium: Book of Emanations

You might remember our interview with Peter Mohrbacher and Eli Minaya a few months back regarding their collaborative, Patreon-funded project Angelarium. Initially consisting of a series of illustrations depicting the eleven aspects of the Abrahamic Tree of Life, Angelarium is poised to encompass a wide-assorted shared story universe of graphic novels, music, t-shirts and even vinyl collectibles!

The first step to all of that is where Angelarium: Book of Emanations comes in. The first of a collection of art books compiling the project's various angelic and daemonic incarnations  into a compendium of ethereal arcane-goodness, Mohrbacher has turned to Kickstarter to help produce the first volume in this ambitious series. Pledge incentives include hard-cover editions of the book, signed canvas prints, sketchbooks and more!

One of the many tiers for the 'Book of Emanations' project.

Angelarium has been one of my favorite art projects to follow and cover in my time writing for Awesome-Robo. The depth of research, self-discovery and forethought that Mohrbacher has sunk into this series is powerfully evident throughout all his illustrations in this series. The campaign is also working in tandem with trading card publisher Albino Dragon to create a tarot series centered around the Angelarium's inhabitants. Find out more information on the book's page and check out the latest examples of the Angelarium project below the break!

Way Out

What happens when our over-dependency on virtual communication takes on a life of it's own? This is the central conceit behind Yukai Du's MA graduation film inspired by Sherry Turkle's novel, "Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other".  The short combines Du's distinctive chalk-pattern aesthetic with beautifully engrossing ambient sound design courtesy of Angus MacRae.

I can't help but reflect on my own over-reliant social media habits after watching "Way Out". The ease-of-access of modern information technology has made us lax in the categorization of that information between that which is edifying and that which is stunting. And what happens when human interactions are lost in the mix? Still, I think it's possible to navigate the ubiquity of the modern age while still bearing in mind what's really important.

Vitaliy Shushko's 'X-Story' Already Looks Incredible

I couldn't rightly tell you what X-Story is about, which is wholly owed to the fact the only information released so far about Russian-based animator Vitaly Shushko's first independent short film is the trailer above, a broad tentative '2015' release date and...the announcement that it's his first film.

Quite the climb.

Still, this teaser offers more than enough to wet our appetites before the main course drops later this year. The teaser flashes images of a young man with a robotic arm riding through the desert on a crimson hover-bike, delving into the catacombs of some ancient underground labyrinth facing off against some lumbering anonymous monstrosity. Sounds like one hell of a ride, can't wait to see it in full!

Worth Checking Out - "Apocalypse Nerd" Seeks A Cinematic Kickstart

Based off the Peter Bagge Dark Horse mini series by the same name which ran between 2005-2007, Apocalypse Nerd is probably one of the first comic book movie adaptations to seek crowdfunding, and I'm strangely compelled. Narrating the story of Perry and Gordon, who find themselves in the wilds of Scotland as a nuclear anomaly unfolds, these two aging friends must deal with their own distinct personal issues while the world around them is thrust into darkness.

The found footage trailer offers us a compelling taste of what's to come in 2014, a humorous, dark mindgame as the protagonists attempt to absorb what has unfolded about them. How will each distinctly unprepared protagonist deal with such a catastrophe? I'm curious to find out, and writer/director Tupaq Felber seems intent on channeling the same independent spirit that surrounded the comic into creating this film. Premise wise it feels like the type of movie that someone like Simon Pegg would star in, which is a good thing. We invite you to check out the Apocalypse Nerd Kickstarter, and consider pitching in a few dollars to help them reach their goal.

"Arm Of Kappa" And Other Works By Ryo Hirano

Ryo Hirano is a an up and coming independent Japanese director who captivated us with his distinct style, which mixes elements of stop motion, traditional animation and hand built sets to create his distinct aesthetic. His style channels the playful elements of children's drawings, which he draws individually on pieces of paper that are super imposed on hand layered, watercolor painted sets.

   

Storywise his shorts tend to gravitate more towards the surreal side of things, with dreamlike scenarios unfolding with little to no dialogue ever being present. He's currently hard at work on his next short film dubbed Paradise (Above), following the tale of a boy in the hunt of a lost tooth and a bear searching for his lost nose. Paradise is slated to be released sometime this year in Japan in collaboration with Foghorn studios.

Coward

Well, it seems like you no longer need to leave home to get some truly cinematic experiences, as evidenced by David Roddham's excellent 30 minute film called Coward, which was recently uploaded to Vimeo. Following a 16+ year career in special effects work on movies including Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Warhorse, it seems like David's proof of concept for making a transition into directing worked out really damn well.

The story follows two Irish cousins and their experiences in the meat grinder trenches of WWI, as well as hitting on the topic of the effects of shell-shock, a condition which hadn't been recognized as legitimate until after the conflict. Check out the movie in it's entirety above, and the making of after the break.

The Lady of Names

Upon first glance, you might think this is a dated, mediocre stop animation film. You'd be sort of right that it's dated, because it took a total of 15 years to make. If you're looking for absolute dedication and a labor of love, then look no further than Adam Ciolfi's The Lady of Names. The idea, along with writer Michael Stokes, came about in 1995, and by 1997, they were ready to secure funding. Trouble was, no one had enough faith in the film (or the unknown director) to want to contribute.

Undeterred, Ciolfi decided to continue production on the film... Essentially alone. From 1997 to 2011, he would work on the film for several hours before leaving for his full time job, and then continued production all day on the weekend. Like all personal projects, it's a little bit easier to see the flaws. This trailer didn't strike me because it looked absolutely amazing (though for a one-man job, it's pretty damn good!), but because of the hard work and dedication (some might say obsession) that one man had. For us here at Awesome-Robo, and the goals we're trying to accomplish, it's a source of inspiration.

Check out the second trailer after the break!

The Illusionist

I really wasn't aware that Sylvain Chomet, of 'The Triplets Of Belleville fame had released a new animated feature, let alone been nominated for an Academy Award for his newest work. Unfortunately the flick, called "The Illusionist" was never released in US theaters on a wide release basis..Which kind of blows my mind. The movie, which centers around a magician made obsolete by upcoming forms of entertainment is absolutely beautiful looking, with an art style that oozes charm and gorgeous, hand drawn animation.

Well thanks to our French reader Gerard W. for letting us know that this beautiful looking animated feature exists, and is available for purchase on Bluray. We'll be picking a copy up for sure. In case you haven't seen the Triplets Of Belleville either, check out the trailer after the break!