Web Animation Watch: Sunburn, Anime Penguin, SOS and more
Welcome back web wanderers. Looking for the best in online animation? Then wander no more, as AFA's Web Animation Watch will round up the latest and the greatest for you. You're welcome. This week, we've got new instalments of favourite series, plus new original animation from a frequent WAW star, an eye-catching new music video and more!
If you've made something- be it a web short, web series episode, student film, music video or something else- you think would be a good fit for a future column, or if you've just found something cool, please drop us a line.
SOS (Simon's Cat Origins Story Part 3)
It's time for the third (and sadly, final) part of the Simon's Cat origin mini-series, featuring baby Simon's Cat. In this last instalment, the fun-sized kittie causes full-size chaos. But it all ends with one of the most heartwarming moments in the shorts so far. Hopefully, if we all ask nicely enough, we can get regular flashbacks to Simon's Cat's kitten-years. Pretty Please?
Anime Penguin: Red Snow
This is described as the first fully original series from Mashed, who normally deal in mash-ups and parodies of popular video games, movies and TV shows. Having said that, this is still in the vein of that work- its an anime-style dark reimagining of iconic stop-motion series Pingu. It sees an unnamed penguin wandering the frozen wilds samurai-style following the murder of his family. The phrase NOOT-NOOT will never be the same again. Bonus points for a neat Father Ted reference.
Pokémon: Twilight Wings | Episode 7 | Sky
The final episode is here for Twilight Wings, the impressive Pokemon limited series made to tie in with the new Pokemon: Sword and Shield game. Now that all seven episodes are available, we guess you can CATCH 'EM ALL!! See what we did there??
Red Fin
There's a small amount of untranslated dialogue- more accurately, it's subtitled, but only in French- but you don't need to understand it to get what's going on. Translated or not, Celia Campos's short in undoubtedly effective in drawing attention to the practice of shark fishing in the South China Sea. Be warned this has some disturbing imagery and scenes of violence against animals.
The Holiday Heist | The Stockholms Episode 3
The Stockholms is a blackly comic twist on the domestic sitcom formula, where the 'family' is a hostage-taker and the hostages he has bonded with (and for some reason, Chris Pine), and in this third episode, it takes on that sitcom tradition- the Christmas episode. For more on this new series from Explosm Entertainment (the twisted minds behind Cyanide & Happiness) and Octopie, read our interview with creator Mike Salcedo.
The Living Tombstone | Sunburn
★ PICK OF THE WEEK ★ What if Akira was remade by the team behind Steven Universe? That could have been the inspiration behind this wonderful music video for the track Sunburn by The Living Tombstone. Animators Studio Meala have produced something that combines an anime influence (with Katsuhiro Otomo's sci-fi classic an obvious touchstone) with a more western twist to produce something rather beautiful.
