It’s been over two years since the last report on David Abramowitz’s steampunk animation War of the Worlds: Goliath. There’s still no known release date, but at least a new trailer found its way into the net.

Synopsis:

In 1900, the Earth was attacked by ruthless invaders from the planet Mars. The Martian’s 80 ft tall, heat-ray spewing, Tripod battle machines laid waste to the planet, but the invaders ultimately fell prey to Earth’s tiny bacteria.

Fourteen years later, Man has rebuilt his shattered world, in large part by utilizing captured Martian technology. Equipped with giant, steam-powered Tripod battle machines, the international rapid reaction force, A.R.E.S., is Mankind’s first line of defense against the return of the rapacious Martian invaders. Based in a massive fortress complex at the south end of Manhattan Island, the young warriors of A.R.E.S. train under the leadership of Secretary of War, Theodore Roosevelt, and the grim General Kushnirov.

And return the Martians do. The rematch finds the multinational squad of the A.R.E.S. battle Tripod ‘Goliath’ on the front-lines of a vicious interplanetary offensive when the Martian invaders launch their second invasion using even more advanced alien technology. In the crucible of combat, this young team helming the mighty Goliath will be tested to the limits of their endurance and courage as they fight for Mankind’s very survival under the onslaught of an implacable enemy.

[via Quiet Earth]

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Eight months after the very first teaser trailer and several festival screenings, Spanish director and creator Jesus Orellana finally released his CG short ROSA into the web. All 9:50 minutes of it, in high definition and for free on Vimeo.

And boy was this worth the wait! Despite the short running time (well, it’s a short film after all) and several clear references to Ghost in the Shell and Casshern, Orellana manages to create his own post-apocalyptic world with characters who don’t need dialogue or introductions.
I can’t wait to see the aftermath of his announcement about a live-action full-lenght feature.
Synopsis:

In the near future, humanity has disappeared leaving behind a large megalopolis devoid of natural life. From the destruction awakes ROSA, a robot part of the KERNEL project, mankind’s latest attempt on restoring earth’s ecosystem with the recovery of long-extinct plant species.
Wandering among the ruins of the lifeless city, Rosa will soon discover that she is not the only part of Kernel that has awaken.

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Now that’s what I call service! After the comment about the lack of recently released video footage in yesterday’s article about the CG short ROSA, director Jesus Orellana (who kindly said thanks on twitter) posted a new exclusive clip on the films Facebook page.

[via Rosa @ Facebook]

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A week before the free online premiere of his cyberpunk CG short ROSA Spanish director Jesus Orellana released a new poster artwork. I’d have prefered some new clips, but I guess they just want to tease us some more before November 11th.

Synopsis:

In the near future, humanity has disappeared leaving behind a large megalopolis devoid of natural life. From the destruction awakes ROSA, a robot part of the KERNEL project, mankind’s latest attempt on restoring earth’s ecosystem with the recovery of long-extinct plant species.
Wandering among the ruins of the lifeless city, Rosa will soon discover that she is not the only part of Kernel that has awaken.

[via Official Website]

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Thanks to the team of the Italian Imaginaria film festival, you can now watch the full ten minute short film Paths of Hate from Polish director Damian Nenow online for free. It’s not in HD like the stunning trailer I posted two months ago, but it’s worth a look anyway…

Synopsis:

A grey clouded sky is the setting for an ultimate combat. Two planes cut through the winter air, fly in breathtaking high-speed, reckless maneuvers above the snow- covered mountains and icy lakes. Two pilots, driven by blind fury, chase each other and thereby write cryptic messages of madness into the firmament. The eyes of the terrible rivals reflect unquestioning hate. They are ready to cross all limits of aggression. On their way into the abyss they transform into inhuman and distorted creatures, that finally become part of the history of hate.
The dimension of fighting is irrelevant, as well as the ideology behind it. It does not matter whether two people are involved or millions. What remains are only scars – bloody traces, paths of hate.

[via Catsuka]

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To promote the fact that it will be streamed for free in November, Spanish director Jesus Orellana has released a stunning final trailer for his promising CG cyberpunk short ROSA. Can’t wait to see the full film!

Synopsis:

In the near future, humanity has disappeared leaving behind a large megalopolis devoid of natural life. From the destruction awakes ROSA, a robot part of the KERNEL project, mankind’s latest attempt on restoring earth’s ecosystem with the recovery of long-extinct plant species.
Wandering among the ruins of the lifeless city, Rosa will soon discover that she is not the only part of Kernel that has awaken.

[via Twitch]

5 Comments

A few hours after my little rant on Facebook about the lack of English subtitled Japanese Blu-ray Disc releases of interesting anime series and movies, Can you Moe? reports this:
The latest work of director Makoto Shinkai (5 Centimeters Per Second, The Place Promised in Our Early Days and Voices of a Distant Star), Hoshi o Ou Kodomo: Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below will be released with English (plus Japanese and Chinese) subtitles in Japan on November 25th. A Regular and a Limited Blu-ray Disc Edition plus a noteworthy DVD version are already listed on CDJapan. The limited edition will include a special features disc and several bonus items like a film stip, a comic, an image board collection and a booklet.
Shopping
Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below)
BD Regular Edition – BD Limited Edition – DVD Edition @ Amazon.co.jp

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Very impressive trailer for the animated short Paths of Hate by Polish director Damian Nenow. This isn’t exacly new, but I just found this gem via Catsuka.

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First Trailer for South Korean anime Green Days by Han Hye-jin-I and Ahn Jae-hoon that already screened on several festivals and will officially open in theaters in June.
Talking of South Korean animation, I still haven’t watched My Beautiful Girl, Mari that’s collecting dust for over five years now…

Synopsis:

Not wanting to lose, Yi-rang orchestrates a collapse in the middle of a relay race even though she’s on the verge of giving up her dream of becoming an athlete. At the same time, Soo-min transfers in from Seoul and Cheol-soo, who dreams of becoming a scientist, come into her life. They are all immature but they are in the midst of youthful aspiration.
With this warm-hearted animation, Han Hye-jin-I and Ahn Jae-hoon encourage Yi-rang’s dreams and portray the fantasy and flutter of adolescence through encounters with good people. Set in the ’80s and ’90s, an old umbrella and a railroad crossing the downtown in the film is the stuff that reminds us of our lost past, evoking a reminiscence in the audience of that which is vanished. It is a way of evoking the real “dreams” that we have lost in this modern society where a rapid capitalization is progressing.

[via Catsuka & Han Cinema]

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Here’s a new stunning trailer for Michel Ocelots Les Contes de la Nuit (Tales of the Night) that (even) I would love to enjoy in 3D just to see how they managed to combine the “new” technology with traditional silhouette animations. The film premiered during this years Berlinale in February and will open in French theaters in July.

Synopsis:

Every night, a boy, a girl and an elderly technician meet in a closed, rather dilapidated old cinema. But the old picture palace harbours a secret. If truth be known, the cinema is a magical place where the three friends enjoy rummaging about, fantasising, dressing up and playing parts in make-believe stories which, at night, become all too real for the three friends. For this is the time when sorcerers and elves take over in the auditorium, courageous stable hands long for beautiful princesses, werewolves howl and hard-hearted ladies swish their heavy silk skirts. Here, there are cities of gold and forests that are so deep that nobody ever finds their way out again. This is a magical universe pervaded by waves of harmony, where heavenly choirs compete with the dull thud of magical drums. On nights such as these, malevolence can unleash great misfortune. But, in the end, good always triumphs.

[via Catsuka]

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