There are some truly wonderful virtual reality (VR) animated shorts available, usually with interactive elements to further immerse players in the narrative. Today, New Zealand-based CONICAL that its animated movie The Green Fairy is ready for release, arriving for multiple VR headsets next month.
The Green Fairy is a whimsical adventure, taking viewers on a 10-minute journey. The tale revolves around the Green Fairy, who needs to find a new place to live as she’s been driven from her home by green goblins known as Fairy Catchers. Leaving her forest she travels to the ‘Big Little City’ and makes a home inside one of the city’s traffic lights. She learns that her unique green glow makes her different and struggles to fit in, yet that’s also what makes her special, possibly bringing balance to the struggle between fairies and goblins.
She won’t be alone with The Green Fairy featuring a female-led cast with red and yellow fairies. All created using the latest motion capture techniques blending full-body movements performed by actors in New Zealand at the AUT Mocap Studio Lab. And they’ll be voiced by actors who’ve worked with Disney and Nickelodeon, and voiced videogame characters seen in Castlevania and Final Fantasy VII.
The short film was originally prototyped back in 2016 where it premiered at Westfield Malls around New Zealand. CONICAL then received investment from the New Zealand Film Commission as well as an Epic MegaGrant to fully develop the project.
“The future of CONICAL and The Green Fairy franchise is experiencing an exciting and innovative leap of progression – our vision along with support by key global industry partners, the like of Epic Games is to disrupt the family entertainment market through Immersive Entertainment. In future iterations we plan to introduce Artificial Intelligence for next-gen storytelling to promote a fully interactive Green Fairy experience,” said Alejandro Davila, Founder and Creative Producer, CONICAL, in a statement. “CONICAL is a powerhouse of passionate storytellers, game developers and animators who collectively strive to expand the success of their IP to bring engaging and interactive experiences for the future enjoyment of audiences around the world.”
CONICAL will launch The Green Fairy on International Fairy Day (the 24th June) for free, supporting Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift and SteamVR headsets. For further updates on the latest VR animated movies, keep reading VRFocus.
There are some wonderful virtual reality (VR) animations available, providing short interactive experiences for all ages. With the Tribeca Film Festival returning in June, one project set to premiere is interactive VR mystery Madrid Noir, with creators No Ghost and Atlas V publically launching the short during the summer for Oculus Quest owners.
The 45-minute animated caper takes place across two acts, where a young woman called Lola returns to Madrid in the 1930s, to the apartment of her estranged uncle who was recently declared dead. Presented in a theatre production style, Madrid Noir sees her unexpectedly thrown back into the past to relive a summer she spent with him as a child, ultimately leading her to uncover a long-buried secret.
Madrid Noir is a VR spinoff of a 2018 title created by the same director, James Castillo. “I went into Madrid Noir with the idea to create a film that wasn’t just for kids or VR fans, and engaging enough for grown-ups,” Castillo told Variety. “Very often, VR content works as exhibitions or as realistic documentaries, or even games, and while these are all great, I was more interested in making a narrative-driven film that belongs to the VR space, but is accessible and taps into different aspects, since I’m a fan of storytelling.”
Like other VR shorts of this type, Madrid Noir’s immersive elements will be narrative-led. So rather than having gameplay moments like puzzles to solve, you’ll simply get light interactions that’ll involve you in, and move the story along at a set pace.
Being in the hands of Atlas V, Madrid Noir will be joining an illustrious group of VR films. The French company has helped create the Rosario Dawson narrated Battlescar, the Colin Farrell narrated Gloomy Eyes, and the cosmic Spheres.
Created using Unreal Engine, Madrid Noir will be released for the Oculus Quest platform in summer 2021. For further updates on the VR animation as well as the other immersive experiences coming to Tribeca, keep reading VRFocus.
Baobab Studios has become one of the premier creators of animated content for virtual reality (VR) headsets, from 2017’s Invasion! to the more recent Baba Yaga. Its next project is Namoo, a poetic tale due for release this year and now there’s a trailer to give you a teasing glimpse.
Namoo is being directed and written by Erick Oh (Heart, How to Eat Your Apple), with the word meaning “tree” in Korean. This is the central theme for the project, taking you on an emotional journey that follows the defining moments of one man’s life. Inspired by the life of Erick’s grandfather, from a seed the tree grows and eventually fully matures collecting significant objects that represent both good and bad memories within its branches.
The launch of the teaser trailer coincides with Namoo’s premiere during the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier programme this week. So you can watch Namoo now if you like alongside all the other VR content by purchasing the Explorer Pass for $25 USD. Or you can always wait for the official release which takes place this year on Oculus Quest.
For that entry price you can also enjoy works including Tinker, a live performance piece about Alzheimer’s disease by director Lou Ward. Prison X, Chapter 1: The Devil and The Sun, stepping into Bolivia’s infamous San Sebastian Prison or even an AR project called Fortune!
Created using Oculus’ real-time VR animation tool Quill, from what’s been shown so far Namoo looks very different from the rest of Baobab Studios’ work. Recent pieces like Baba Yaga, Bonfire and Crow: The Legend have included ever-increasing amounts of interaction to connect you with the story. Namoo seems like a more traditional animated experience.
It’s highly likely that the last piece of virtual reality (VR) content you dived into was a videogame, whether that’s thrashing around in some rhythm-action title or fighting through hordes of enemies saving the day. Look a little deeper and there’s plenty of alternative content to enjoy, and VRFocus recommends exploring some of the excellent animated titles that are available.
Animated VR not to miss
When it comes to animation in VR most will fall into one of two categories; short films or interactive pieces. Narrative is art the heart of either of these two but the former takes a more traditional viewing approach, wrapping you in a virtual world where the story plays out. The latter, on the other hand, actively encourages your involvement.
This interactivity can range massively from simple elements to move the story like turning a page to fully-blown control where decisions will offer alternative endings. These tend to blur the lines between what’s considered a animation and an actual videogame.
So what should you be spending your hard-earnedmoney and valuable time on? Well, VRFocus has a few suggestions…
Battlescar
Released only a few short days ago for Oculus Quest and Rift – a Steam version is coming – Battlescar is a 30-minute film based in New York City’s emerging punk subculture during the late 1970’s.
A glorious mix of visuals and audio, the VR short is split across three chapters following Lupe, a young Puerto Rican American teenager who leaves home and meets Debbie in a juvenile detention centre. Together they decide to form their own punk band whilst trying to navigate and survive the mean city streets.
Narrated by actress Rosario Dawson in English and rock singer/actress Jehnny Beth in French, it doesn’t pull any punches, switching between first and third-person viewpoints whilst throwing in tunes from the era by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Death and Lydia Lunch. Exploring a range of topics such as identity and mental health, Battlescar is pure punk animation, short, sharp and in your face.
Baba Yaga
From prolific animation house Baobab Studios, Baba Yaga is an interactive experience exclusive to Oculus Quest, inspired by the Eastern European legend.
Another 30-min experience, rather than simply viewing Baba Yaga you’re cast as Sacha, who alongside her younger sister Magda are the daughters of the village chief. When your mother becomes gravely ill you and your sister enter Baba Yaga’s enchanted forest to seek the cure.
Voiced by an all-star cast including Kate Winslet, Daisy Ridley, Glenn Closeand Jennifer Hudson, Baba Yaga provides plenty of interactive elements along the way. Thus encouraging you back to take another peek at this wonderfully engaging experience.
A beautiful synergy of music and visual design, Paper Birds tells the story of young musician Toto (played by Jojo Rabbit star Archie Yates) as he searches for his lost sister.
As an Oculus Quest title Paper Birds is one of a select few on the platform which utilises the headset’s hand tracking functionality, so you don’t need the controllers to interact with this magical world. Paper Birds might only have very light interactivity in comparison to others on this list yet it still provides an enchanting experience. Plus, the second (concluding) part will arrive later in 2021.
The Line
There’s a reason ARVORE’s The Line has won numerous awards and that’s thanks to its heartwarming narrative, visual layout and interactive elements; almost like you’re playing with a train set.
Compatible with multiple headsets including Oculus Quest, Rift and HTC Vive, The Line is a love story of two miniature dolls, Pedro and Rosa, set within a scale model of 1940s São Paulo. The characters follow tracks which wind through the environment and at certain points you have to push a button or spin a lever to help the tale proceed. If you’re using an Oculus Quest you can swap to hand tracking.
Clocking in at under 20 minutes The Line is a very sweet VR title that pulls on the heart strings. It showcases how these two mediums can work so perfectly together, great for introducing newcomers to the technology.
Gloomy Eyes
Now back to some pure animation with Gloomy Eyes, written and directed by Fernando Maldonado and Jorge Tereso and co-written by Santiago Amigorena, published by ARTE.
Inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Gloomy Eyes is a three-part poetic love story between a zombie boy and a human girl in a town devoid of sunlight. There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of prime voice actors willing to work on VR projects, with Gloomy Eyes’ English version narrated by Hollywood actor Colin Farrell.
The entire short just looks stunning, being a joy to watch from start to finish. Much like The Line, thanks to the miniature worlds and characters it’s all too easy to get drawn in, peering deep into this imaginative fantasy world.
Spice and Wolf VR (1 & 2)
Time for two titles from further afield, Japanese creator Spicy Tails’ Spice and Wolf VR series. Based-on Isuna Hasekura’s original novel and brought to life thanks to crowd-funding campaigns, both of these provide a nice intro into VR anime.
Spice and Wolf VR is the story of travelling merchant Kraft Lawrence who meets a 600-year old wolf-deity named Holo on his travels. The sequel then sees them both settling down, welcoming their daughter Myuri into the world.
The main draw here is the finely detailed animation which looks stunning in VR, just be aware that it is all in Japanese with English subtitles and they’re quite expensive in comparison to other on this list. If you do love Japanese anime they’re well worth a look, plus they both have light interactive elements which add further depth.
ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos
The one title on the list which really skirts the line between animation and videogame, ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is Japanese anime with a massive amount of replayability.
ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is by far the grandest title on this list, a visual novel with hours and hours of content depending on how far you wish to delve. It’s kind of like watching a comic book rather than a film, so all the characters jump between frames and you can set the dialogue to autoplay or select through when you choose to. You also have the choice of English voice over if subtitles aren’t your thing.
Set 200 years from now, the Earth has been decimated by giant alien beings called Meteora with mankind now living underground. You’re part of an elite squad who pilot giant mechs called Makhia to defend what’s left of mankind. These encounters are where most of the interactivity takes place, where you can activate shields and fire railguns. These sequences tend to be where the storyline splits, revealing more of the narrative should you return. ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is big, bold, and the most definitive VR visual novel from Japan yet.
Agence
Described by creators Transitional Forms and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as a ‘dynamic film’, Agence is possibly the most unusual of all these here as it marries a basic story with AI to provide a piece of content with endless possibilities.
Each time you step into Agence it’ll be different, viewing a digital realm where five ‘Agents’ run around a small world. But Agence employs two thought processes for the Agents which can be switched on and off. A gameplay AI which follows certain patterns or Reinforcement Learning AI which Transitional Forms has built over years, where the Agents will interact in unknown ways.
You can also affect the world by picking the Agents up or planting a flower for them to investigate. Each run-through will only last about 5 minutes but captivating enough to keep returning and experimenting with their existence.
There are plenty of other excellent VR animated titles out there, all of which VRFocus encourages you to see.
Back in 2017 French studio AtlasV – the team behind Spheres and Gloomy Eyes – revealed that one of its upcoming projects was a virtual reality (VR) short called Battlescar. Today, the team has announced that Battlescar is ready for release, set to arrive next week.
A 30 minute VR movie narrated by Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian,Trance, Sin City) the story is set in New York City during 1978, following Lupe, a young Puerto Rican American teenager who meets Debbie in a juvenile detention center.
“Debbie exposes Lupe to the underground scene of the 1970’s Lower East side,” explains the synopsis. “Despite their total lack of musical abilities, the two runaways decide to form their own punk music band, moved by the powerful lyrics written by Lupe.”
An homage to the underground scene, taking viewers through NYC’s gritty crime and drug filled streets, Battlescar featuring artists from the era including Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Death and Lydia Lunch. The project was created by Martín Allais and Nico Casavecchia, written by Nico Casavecchia, and produced by Atlas V in co-production with Arte, Albyon and 1STAveMachine.
There’s been a lot of good animation recently for VR fans, with 3DAR and Baobab Studios’ Paper Birds recently released as well as Spice and Wolf VR 2 by Spicy Tails. Whilst there’s Baobab Studios’ Baba Yaga and Namoo to look forward to.
Battlescar is coming to the Oculus platform first, hitting Oculus Quest and Rift on 14th January 2021. A Steam version is then slated to arrive by the end of the month. A 360° version will be available via Youtube as well. Check out the new trailer below, and for further updates keep reading VRFocus.
At the beginning of the month celebrated virtual reality (VR) animation studio Baobab Studios announced its next project, bringing the legend of Baba Yaga to life. Today, the team has announced that Daisy Ridley (Star Wars, Murder on the Orient Express) has been cast in the lead role of Magda.
The news was revealed as part of Baobab Studios’ Work in Progress presentation at the Annecy International Animation Festival’s 2020 Online which began today.
Viewers play the main role in this reimagined tale, where their mother, the village chief, becomes deathly ill. So they’re tasked alongside their sister Magda to do what their village fears most – enter the forest where Baba Yaga dwells and get the cure. The only problem, the witch is sometimes a force for evil, sometimes a force for good, using her powers to halt the villager’s encroachment into her domain.
Viewers will have choices to make along the way, determining how the story will end and whether humanity and nature can find a balance.
Discussing the new project Ridley said in a statement.”Baobab is at the very forefront of VR and interactive animation, so it’s been exciting to work with Eric and the team to bring such a beautiful story to life. I love playing Magda, because she is brave, vulnerable and fiercely protective of her family all at the same time. The idea that the viewer will be able to genuinely interact with my character in this magical world and help steer the course of the narrative is so amazing,”
“We are so fortunate to have Daisy breathe life into the role of Magda, as her talent and energy for the project fuels us all. She has such a way of always finding the right tone and delivering the most meaningful performance for any scene. Her work is such a huge inspiration to our animators,” adds Eric Darnell, Baobab Studios’ Co-founder/CCO and director of Baba Yaga.
Currently, Baobab Studios has said Baba Yaga will launch later this year across multiple formats. Previous titles like Bonfireand Crow: The Legend have appeared on Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR headsets. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Baba Yaga, reporting back with further updates.
Baobab Studios has built quite the library of immersive experiences from sci-fi series Asteroids! and Invasion! to the colourful Crow: The Legend. Now the studio has revealed the first details for its next project, Baba Yaga, ahead of a special online festival in a couple of weeks.
The Emmy Award-winning studio will be bringing this Eastern European legend to life with inspiration from classic animation styles like 2D pop-up animation and stop-motion. Only the above poster has been revealed so far but Baobab Studios does note in a statement that “Baba Yaga blends theater, cinema, and animation into a unique experience that explores themes of empowerment and environmentalism.”
“Sometimes a force for evil, sometimes a force for good, the enigmatic witch Baba Yaga uses her powers to protect the forest from the villagers’ encroachment,” notes the synopsis. “When your mother, the village chief, falls deathly ill it is up to you and your sister Magda to do the unthinkable—enter the forest, uncover its hidden mysteries and get the cure from Baba Yaga.”
The session will feature co-founders Maureen Fan (CEO), Eric Darnell (CCO) and Larry Cutler (CTO) as well as other team members. They’ll be discussing past projects, the studio’s philosophy, their approach to interactive filmmaking and of course a sneak peek at Baba Yaga.
“While we wish we could actually be in Annecy meeting up with all our friends in the industry to celebrate the best in animation this month, we’re so happy to participate in the festival’s online programming with this first look at what we’ve been up to at Baobab with our newest film, Baba Yaga, said Darnell.
In addition to that presentation the team will also participate in a live festival Q&A festival on 23rd June at 9am PST/6pm CEST.
Wallace & Gromit are popular British claymation characters featured in award-winning stop motion animated films and TV shows. This week, Aardman Animations, W&G Ltd., and Fictioneers Ltd. announced that they’ll be bringing the series to AR for the first time with The Big Fix Up this fall.
According to a prepared statement, Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up will be a “first of its kind, story-driven” AR experience. Based on the announcement trailer, embedded above, it looks like they will be using CG animation for the characters, but will do so in a way that mimics stop motion movement. The AR experience is being developed in Unity and is a collaborative project with research support from the University of South Wales and funding from UK Research & Innovation.
“Aardman is a multi-faceted creative studio and is just as happy with classic film making as it is with new and emerging technologies,” says Merlin Crossingham, Aardman’s Creative Director of Wallace & Gromit. “Wallace and Gromit’s heart and soul is in stop motion, but they have often dabbled in the cutting-edge of tech, and this is one of those occasions. We are delighted to join forces with the amazing folk at Fictioneers to take Wallace and Gromit on a new adventure in such a groundbreaking way.”
We don’t really know much else about The Big Fix Up other than you’re basically guaranteed to walk away smiling after trying it if the series’ track record is anything to go by. To get notified when more details are available, check out The Big Fix Up’s website to register your interest.
British virtual reality (VR) developer Cooperative Innovations – the team behind Raiders of Erda – has announced the closure of a seed funding round, securing the company £500K of investment. Alongside, the funding, the studio has released a proprietary VR animation technology, Ikabod.
Cooperative Innovations’ – Simon Barratt & Brian Marshall
The investment came from a number of sources, including angel investor Craig Fletcher, Ascension Ventures and Trend Investment Group. The company plans on expanding its employee cap whilst launching a pilot licensing programme for Ikabod. The cash will also be used to continue Cooperative Innovations’ ongoing research and development into immersive technologies, as well as its MMORPG VR experience, Raiders of Erda, plus an unannounced multiplayer VR/AR title.
“Securing this investment really allows us to scale-up the studio and continue to build on our core technologies and tools,” said CEO and co-founder Simon Barratt in a statement. “We’re passionate about immersive experiences as the future of work, life and play, and we’re excited about the opportunity to grow the team, continue our R&D, and release some of our original IP too!”
Ikabod is Cooperative Innovations’ proprietary animation technology with a wide range of use cases. Its primary role is to help developers reflect a player’s real-world physicality on to a VR avatar, so players can see their arm and body movements properly mirrored in VR.
“Ikabod came about as we needed a full IK solution that was fast enough to use on every character, while embracing easy-of-use and artistic expression. Nothing available did everything we needed, so we made it ourselves. We can’t wait to get Ikabod into the hands of more developers and creatives. Being able to now launch this pilot licensing programme, we’re able to really push the system in-the-wild, and continue to improve it into the future. We look forward to hearing from any developers interested in a demo,” CTO and co-founder Brian Marshall adds.
Cooperative Innovations is now actively seeking selected licensing partners for Ikabod. As the company continues to grow and reveal more info on its upcoming VR titles like Raiders of ErdaVRFocus will let you know.
Die Walt Disney Animation Studios arbeiten nach Cycles zukünftig an einem weiteren, aktuell noch streng geheimen VR-Kurzfilm, mit Regisseur Jeff Gipson. Dies verkündete Selbiger nach der Präsentation seines VR-Films auf dem diesjährigen Sundance Film Festival.
Disney – Weiteres VR-Filmprojekt mit Regisseur Jeff Gipson freigegeben
Der VR-Kurzfilm Cycles lädt die Zuschauer auf eine gefühlvolle Reise voll Höhen von Tiefen ein, mit einer Geschichte rund um einen entstehenden Haushalt und den damit verbundenen Aufbau einer Familie. Bisher konnte das Werk von Jeff Gipson und den Disney Animation Studios nur auf diversen Festivals betrachtet werden. Doch Schöpfer und Kritiker sind überzeugt vom Medium Virtual Reality zum Erzählen von Geschichten.
Um das Potenzial zum Storytelling weiter auszuschöpfen, soll nun ein weiterer, bisher streng geheimer VR-Kurzfilm im Hause Disney entstehen. Dies verkündete der Regisseur nach der Präsentation auf dem diesjährigen Sundance Film Festival. Auch Nicholas Russell, Mitproduzent und Leiter des Disney Development Program, meldete sich gegenüber cnet zu Wort und erklärte die Beweggründe für diese Entscheidung:
“Was Cycles deutlich zeigt, ist, dass VR etwas Interessantes ist, was das Studio weiter erforschen möchte. Die Tatsache, dass sie erneut so schnell grünes Licht gegeben haben, zeigt, dass zwar niemand wissen kann, wie es in Zukunft um Disney oder Virtual Reality steht, aber wir dieses Medium unbedingt weiter erforschen möchten.”
Der VR-Kurzfilm Cycles ist laut Angaben der Schöpfer in knapp vier Monaten Entwicklungszeit entstanden. Über das zukünftige Projekt konnten die Verantwortlichen noch nicht allzu viele veröffentlichen. Allerdings wurde bekannt gegeben, dass es ähnlich wie sein Vorgänger, eine Länge von ungefähr drei bis fünf Minuten Laufzeit erhält.
Noch interessanter ist die Ankündigung, dass Gipson und sein Team bereits bestehende Disney-Charaktere für das Projekt verwenden dürfen. Somit könnten wir möglicherweise in Zukunft auf virtuelle Tuchfühlung mit ikonischen Charakteren wie Mickey und Co. gehen. Das Studio freut sich jedenfalls sehr auf die Entwicklung des neuen VR-Kurzfilms.
Wann wir Cycles oder das geheime VR-Projekt auch in den eigenen vier Wänden ansehen können, ist derzeit noch unbekannt.
