Watch: Astonishing CG Animated Sci-Fi Short Film ‘The Cloud Racer’

Watch: Astonishing CG Animated Sci-Fi Short Film ‘The Cloud Racer’

by Alex Billington
August 16, 2022
Source: YouTube

“You flew fast. Mom would be proud.” You have to watch this awesome short film titled The Cloud Racer – from director Joe Sill and his production studio Impossible Objects. This CG animated sci-fi short is a proof of concept and it’s an exhilarating experience introducing us to the “next great race.” Made entirely on the Unreal engine, it’s an example of how far you can push visuals with any idea. A struggling outerling pilots his race-craft over the apocalyptic streets of future Los Angeles in a fierce aerial competition against the much better funded corporate teams, his trusted father (who also serves as his mechanic) by his side. Set in a desolate, demolished LA in 2055, the city is now known as “Ghost City”. It’s pretty much The Phantom Menace podracing scene but it also reminds of the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer as well (which I still think is underrated). With performances by Heston Horwin, Chase Cargill, Stephanie Kerbis, Trevor Stevens. This is the kind of epic CG short like Ruin that should change everything for these filmmakers. Start your engines.

Thanks to Short of the Week for featuring this. Intro from YouTube: “Set in the near future, a young man and his blue-collar mechanic father compete in a qualifier for an advanced racecraft competition, through a treacherous course against elite racers that runs through the now ‘Ghost City’ of Los Angeles.” The Cloud Racer is directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Joe Sill – see more of his work on his official website or follow him on IG @joe.sill. Sill is also a co-founder of Impossible Objects (visit their website), a creative studio in LA described as a “world-building lab built by an assembly of artists and engineers who mobilize the power of imagination through design, animation, and sheer will. Our goal is to break the constraints and limitations often associated with storytelling by giving power back to the artist.” This is produced by Joe Sill, Jerad Anderson, Matisse Tolin. With witting by Matisse Tolin, and featuring original music by Trevor Doherty. For more info on the project, head to SOTW. To discover more shorts, click here. Your thoughts?

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