You NEED to Watch these AI Animated Films!

We just hosted the world's first AI animation competition and we had over 700 entries into the contest. Now, I

want to give a special shout out to Promise Studios and Luma Labs for coming together to help us host this incredible competition. As you can imagine, it was

competition. As you can imagine, it was pretty challenging to narrow down so many incredible submissions. But in this video, we are going to take a look at

our finalists and have our judges vote on their favorite. So, without further ado, let's go ahead and meet the incredible judges for this competition.

Hi, I'm Rob Minkoff, uh a a filmmaker, animator, uh sometime writer, and producer. Uh, and I think what makes a

producer. Uh, and I think what makes a great AI film is when the AI doesn't get in the way. Uh, AI, I think, is a tremendously powerful tool getting more

powerful every day. Um, but but ultimately what it's about is it's a way for storytellers to tell their stories and to tell them in a compelling way.

Hi, I'm Lesie Silverman. I'm the head of new tech at UTA and I'm excited to take a look at some of these incredible films today. I

think what makes a great AI film is what makes a great film, which is what tugs on your heartstring. Dave Clark, um, co-founder of Promise and Chief Creative Officer. Um,

yeah, I think the thing we're excited about is looking at different types of filmmakers that want to use AI to tell animation stories in different ways, telling different kinds of narratives

and different styles. And I think what makes a great film in general is just the story, the characters, the the work, but then also since we're using a really cool new technology, I want to see how

the technology was used to enhance the storytelling and, you know, create unique visions and unique views and unique styles. To uh I am the head of

unique styles. To uh I am the head of design at Luma. I lead the design and the product side of things there. Uh for

me like yeah kind of I think what Rob said uh what makes a good AI animated film is what makes a good animated film uh it has to connect. Uh but then

echoing Dave it is going to be super interesting to see can besides just mimicking the past what new stuff does AI unlock in storytelling stylization

uh effects what whatnot. So super

excited to look at all these movies. Hi

I'm Albert. I'm creative director at Storybook Studios and one of the instructors of the Curious Refuge AI animation course. And what I'm looking

animation course. And what I'm looking forward to in these AI animations is um two things basically. One, that they're entertaining, that I want to see more of them. Ideally, maybe something that's u

them. Ideally, maybe something that's u even a little bit funny, and uh that it's technically proficient, that I can um try to tell that the creator um actually got the results that they were

looking for and are able to piece together a coherent work. Uh, my name is Shelby and I'm the co-founder of Curious Refuge. Caleb and I will be one vote on

Refuge. Caleb and I will be one vote on this, so I'll let him go right after.

Um, but I am really looking for a project that has memorable characters that really stand out. I want to look for in in an animated film, I want there

to be, especially using AI, consistency when it comes to like tone and um aesthetic. And so I think a lot of these

aesthetic. And so I think a lot of these films did a great job at that. And um

another thing is that's important is sound and voice. The ability to direct and control like the characters and their voice and their tone is important.

So I'll be listening for sound and um emotionally resonant uh yeah characters.

Hi, I am Ryan McNeely. I am uh the head of animation at Agbo Studios. Um what makes a good AI film to

Studios. Um what makes a good AI film to me? Um, I think a lot of times, even

me? Um, I think a lot of times, even myself, we get caught up in the like what's not working about AI, like the weird inconsistencies and things like

that. And I think what makes a good film

that. And I think what makes a good film and what is so hard with AI and which I really respect with all the filmmakers here, uh, is pushing through story and

emotion to the point where you forget about all that stuff and you're just caught up in the story and you're experiencing it. Um, I was really

experiencing it. Um, I was really impressed with some of the the people that uh uh uh some of the people's films here today. They were they were really

today. They were they were really amazing. Okay, now that we've met our

amazing. Okay, now that we've met our judges, it's time to take a look at our very first project. Please enjoy A

Million Trillion Pathways by Roki.

[Music] Tell me about this spaceman.

I've told you what I know, Mitra. He

fished me out of the water and then I was with you. What did he look like?

I was busy drowning. He was kind of arrogant. Kept asking me what I

arrogant. Kept asking me what I remembered. And what do you remember?

remembered. And what do you remember?

Getting wet. We have to go save Marco.

No.

What? Why?

Because no matter the outcome, the Wald will still be here. People will live by hatred and fear. They'll break down and die, and they'll all be

replaced. Two hours ago, I was throwing

replaced. Two hours ago, I was throwing myself off a bridge. But even I have a better outlook than you do. I need your help.

My decision is final.

[Music] Then why did you help me?

Because I know Ru Jin Honto and his two children and I will prevent their ascendancy with every fiber of my being.

Then let me help you. Help me save Marco.

You are a child, [ __ ] You're not ready to wield the blades. When the time came for you to

blades. When the time came for you to save your brother, you cowered in a corner. You are not

corner. You are not ready. Please

ready. Please [Music] [Music] leave. Fine, I'll do it alone.

leave. Fine, I'll do it alone.

me. Me.

[Applause] down. Down.

down. Down.

[Music] [Music] Who the hell are you?

Relax. I mean you no harm. That makes

one of us. Why are you here, old man? No

doubt for the same reason as you. I am a friend. You have my word.

friend. You have my word.

Tan, calm down. He's cool. My name is Mizu. Tell us what you know, and we'll

Mizu. Tell us what you know, and we'll do the same. I know you are part of Mako's crew. You've been hacking Tokyo

Mako's crew. You've been hacking Tokyo with some success for years. If you are looking forward for Mako, I can tell you she's alive.

How? Your turn. Mako would have left us something. It'll be here and we'll find

something. It'll be here and we'll find it. A message.

it. A message.

Instructions.

You should know that Hutch is also alive, but I'm afraid just gone.

Hey, I think I found something. Hello,

Misoay. If you're seeing this, then you're probably wondering about your little friend, Mako. I can't vouch for her integrity at this point, but I can assure you she's still in one piece.

That's Zena Nihanto. [ __ ] If you want her to stay mostly intact, I suggest you bring me the sword.

Heat. Heat.

[Music]

So, this one I'm I watch very little anime, so I don't know much about the style conventions or anything like this.

Um, it blew me away. technically like I would not necessarily have recognized it as AI aside from slight inconsistencies between shots. So, that part is

between shots. So, that part is outstanding. Story-wise, um it's clearly

outstanding. Story-wise, um it's clearly going to be continued in some way. So, I

I do kind of miss a full narrative, but um it's one of the coolest looking AI projects I've seen. Yeah, I just thought

that film was incredible. Uh such a great animation style. Like technically,

uh I think this is this is one of my favorites. It it just has like a

favorites. It it just has like a cohesion. Um my my son watched this with

cohesion. Um my my son watched this with me. He's 11. Obsessed with anime. He was

me. He's 11. Obsessed with anime. He was

He was super on board for this. Um this

one. Really liked it. Uh I I did I wanted more of an ending. I felt like uh a little bit like wanting more. Um but

besides that, I thought I thought this piece was great. For me, the thing that stood out for this one is how every set or scene is like etched in my memory

because the establishing shots and the contextualization of that set is like so well done. Everything from the house to

well done. Everything from the house to when they go underground to like the meadow, it's all immaculately done.

Yeah, that was actually the thing that uh impressed me even from the very first shot. I I thought uh it really set the

shot. I I thought uh it really set the this the the tone and the mood and you know it really felt like the art direction was was uh at a higher level

than than so many other things that I've seen. I think we all felt it it was sort

seen. I think we all felt it it was sort of like oh this is a great scene from a larger work and and I would totally be interested in watching the whole thing if they if they do complete it. Okay,

that's a pretty strong submission right out the bat. Now, let's move on to our second film, Cursed Cat by Marcus

Lochin. When my great aunt Helga died,

Lochin. When my great aunt Helga died, she left me three things. A rusted key, a dusty library, and her cat. His name

was Klouse. They said he was just a cat.

But on the first night, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "I I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or

in a very niche German fairy tale, but something about it felt real.

Claus believed I was the one to break his curse, but he wasn't telling me everything.

Of course, there's a catch.

He wasn't just trying to lift a curse.

He was trying to go home.

[Music] Clouse was gone. The portal closed. And

I might have inherited a tiny part of the curse.

[Music] Oh no.

[Music] This is honestly one of my favorite visual films. Like visually, I think it was so unique and interesting. I wanted to just

keep watching to see this character um in this world. This cat was interesting.

I I really loved this film. I loved the different voices. Um yeah, I I think

different voices. Um yeah, I I think they knocked it out of the park to be honest. So, this one was really fun to

honest. So, this one was really fun to watch stylistically different, really unique, lost me in the end a little bit

plotwise. Um but really interesting, fun

plotwise. Um but really interesting, fun protagonist and loved the cat. a style

for me just that the style it was so I I don't know like kind of like Shelby I just wanted to keep watching it it's not even some grand world building but the whatever little happened with style I

was mesmerized I was like okay not that's it the end oh so yeah for some reason it made me think of the master and margarita and made me want to see

that story done in this style next up we have graveyard by Danny Singh [Applause] [Music] [Music]

[Music] Oh my speech.

[Music] Omega [Music] show.

[Music] foreign speech.

More decoy.

[Music] [Music] [Music] Fore! Foreign! Foreign!

Fore! Foreign! Foreign!

[Music] on the [Music] hill. Omega

hill. Omega Yeah, I I was really uh taken by the style of this film. Um, again, it was an anime kind of treatment, but there was obviously it would diverged into a

variety of different kind of uh moods and and styles and tones, and even the way that the characters were rendered, there were different versions of those characters, but I thought all of them

were incredibly successful. Um, and I and again, I thought it was beautiful to look at. Um, so it was uh it was very

look at. Um, so it was uh it was very exciting. Um, Graveyard was interesting

exciting. Um, Graveyard was interesting in some of these films. Uh some of these films did this thing where they would kind of like create two

animation styles or two animation worlds and bounce between them, which is something that you kind of don't see um very often in animation. And I thought that was like uh an interesting

approach. Um I did like that this story

approach. Um I did like that this story had like a clear narrative. Um we went somewhere, we learned something. Uh I I really liked it. What I really loved

about this is that um a lot of AI users generally try to tell a way bigger story than they can in a short time using AI.

This one promises a much larger world, maybe a series of some kind, but still manages to tell a full narrative in under five minutes. So, I was transported into this world and came

back and felt, you know, fulfilled like I just experienced something. Yeah. And

I was just going to say for me I thought uh there was definitely some visually stunning uh moments in this film. Um I

felt like the technology is in a place where stylistically they could have been a little bit more consistent. Um so that for me is kind of what you know if I had to choose another anime that was in the in the group of films I chose another one over it just because of the

consistency and and the tech knowing where the technology is. Obviously being

part of an AI studio I I felt like there were some things they could have tweaked. I think the one thing about AI

tweaked. I think the one thing about AI is it gets us to weird faster. And I

don't think I've ever seen any animation where so many different styles are merged together. Um it was a little

merged together. Um it was a little crazy for me to follow, but also fun.

Yeah, I think the narrative was solid even though it did have a lot of different uh styles throughout. Um, but

I really enjoyed this film and I wasn't exactly sure where it was going, but it was cool to see him kind of take his power back at the end. Um, I think it was really good, but the style transitioning was a little bit hard for

me throughout the film. I wanted to see one the whole time. If you enjoy romcoms, you're going to love this next film. Please enjoy Imaginary Love by

film. Please enjoy Imaginary Love by

Maya Cohen.

[Music]

Wow.

[Music]

I absolutely love this one because it's such a a cute story. It has a lot of the elements that I'm looking for in a in a good short where the style is

consistent. It's it's original. Like

consistent. It's it's original. Like

these characters are are original. Um,

and it surprised me technically because I was thinking, okay, to tell a good narrative, um, you're going to have to use some of those new lip-s sync tools and have good dialogue. And that's

completely skipped. And the creator of this managed to have such control over the narrative despite only using physicality, which is a very difficult

thing to do with AI. You don't have that much control. So they took what they got

much control. So they took what they got and managed to just pack in humor, romance, and sadness into just a couple minutes without even showing a person

speaking in any way or any character for that matter. I'm curious what y'all

that matter. I'm curious what y'all think is happening at the end. It just

for me it kind of just ended and I was like, "Okay, there was supposed to be maybe an imaginary person with them at the end drinking the wine, but I I'm cur I'm curious. I wanted to see more. Um it

I'm curious. I wanted to see more. Um it

didn't feel totally complete to me. Um,

but I really loved and I thought it was super cute and such a fun style. I

really applaud the consistency in this one and I think the characters um made it easier to thread that needle.

Um, so I felt like I was watching something really seamless as opposed to something that was sewn together. Our

next project is called Late by Hal Wattmo.

[Music] Hello. Hi, it's me. What's going on? Are

Hello. Hi, it's me. What's going on? Are

you okay? Yeah. I'm really sorry. I'm

going to be late again. You promised me.

I know. I know. I know. I know. I'm

really sorry. But but I I'll make it up to you. But I was thinking I could take

to you. But I was thinking I could take you to that place. Uh, you know, the one with the flowers.

Hello. I'm sorry. I know how you feel. I

was once married, believe it or not. All

right. Good for you. She was a dancer and she was beautiful. Fascinating.

Anyway, I was a painter, you see.

and we used to live in this tiny apartment downtown. I thought I was

apartment downtown. I thought I was going to change the world with a paintbrush, chasing some

masterpiece that I could never grasp.

Look, I don't want to be rude here, but used to danced in this little theater in town, and then every night she'd come

home to me. And even though she was tired, she had dance for me again. No

music, just her, the sound of her breath and the creek of those floorboards.

She didn't want much just for me to watch her. But I never

watch her. But I never did. I was too wrapped up in my own head

did. I was too wrapped up in my own head chasing some idea trying to find the missing piece. And she was just another

piece. And she was just another distraction.

I was convinced that when I finally painted that perfect picture, then she would

understand. But I just couldn't do it.

understand. But I just couldn't do it.

Let me guess, she divorced you. It was

her birthday. She asked me for just one thing. To come to that little theater in

thing. To come to that little theater in town and watch her dance.

So there I am sitting in the theater in the dark. But all I can think about is

dark. But all I can think about is getting back home. Getting back to my painting, to my masterpiece.

Please tell me you didn't leave. No. The

spotlight snapped on. Then there she was, my dad, sir.

I could feel all the eyes around me drinking in the beauty of her form. And

then she started to dance. And for the first time I

dance. And for the first time I watched every movement a revelation, every step a quiet,

effortless perfection. And I finally got it.

perfection. And I finally got it.

And it was beautiful. The curtain closed, the crowd

beautiful. The curtain closed, the crowd exploded, everybody's cheering, but all I could hear was the beating of my

heart. I ran backstage and I wanted to

heart. I ran backstage and I wanted to tell her everything, tell her how I felt. I flew her down the hallway and I

felt. I flew her down the hallway and I burst into her room and I found her

gone. Never to return.

gone. Never to return.

I'm I'm so sorry. On the

desk was just a single note. It said, "I danced for you every night."

I thought I was going to do something great, but the only real reason that I

am here was just to witness all of the beauty of the person I loved.

I cannot thank you enough.

I have to go home before it's too late.

[Music] This one worked for me. I just thought the story was fantastic. I thought the

message was excellent and it just worked. I think they nailed it. Yeah, I

worked. I think they nailed it. Yeah, I

love some of the stylistic choices. Um,

this didn't get a vote for me, but I I did appreciate uh the story. I love how they did some of the graphic novel comic book style panels. Um, I thought those were interesting. And then I thought the

were interesting. And then I thought the consistency consistency of the style was cool. Yeah, it was a beautiful story.

cool. Yeah, it was a beautiful story.

Very heartwarming. I love that it was um, you know, this this wise man sharing his life experience that helped transforms this other guy's story. And

uh, I think I think it the narrative was really strong. Um, and I enjoyed it a

really strong. Um, and I enjoyed it a lot. We only have a few films left.

lot. We only have a few films left.

Please enjoy Play by Dorothy Pang.

[Music] You're on mute.

[Music]

I miss when life is like play play.

[Music] Oh my god.

[Music] Is this thing on?

[Applause] When did we stop playing?

[Applause] [Music]

He ain't heard us in years, kid. Might

be time to move on. No, I know he still wants this. He just forgot how to play.

wants this. He just forgot how to play.

Sketcher says he wants to be completed.

We were supposed to go pro, man. Hen, if

he dumped me, what makes you think he going to pick you up? We just need to be louder.

Leo, don't forget to play.

[Music]

Yeah, for me this this just resonated with me being obviously a a father and someone who's just constantly busy. I

watched it before I had to watch it for judging criteria and it definitely grabbed my attention. Um I thought again a consistent style but more than that the the idea of uh you know taking

taking time off to remember the small things enjoy life uh and was a message I think anyone can relate to and I thought they did a good job of of of creating that narrative. I love the edit. Uh the

that narrative. I love the edit. Uh the

editing was like so on point because that gives you this like feeling of the monotony, the drudgery, the repetition of the routine. And I think most of that is coming from the edit sequencing. And

I thought that was like really well done besides the like the look and feel of the story itself. I especially want to applaud the style of this one. It's just

such a cool idea to use AI to not make it look like uh most of the animation we see because a lot of people try to imitate 2D 3D animation styles and I mean I do too. I love that. But

this this person just went out there and said, "Hey, no, I I want it to be what is it like wool cotton ball claimation stopotion style." Um, so that especially

stopotion style." Um, so that especially caught my attention and then to build a great story around that is is of course the goal which they achieved to be

clear. Next up is a really fun adventure

clear. Next up is a really fun adventure film. Please enjoy The Incredible

film. Please enjoy The Incredible Adventures of Sylvester by Eric Kerver.

Hello there. Arms and o wide, he with

there. Arms and o wide, he with fearless, boundless pride. A master

thief, a secret spy, no foe to great, no peak to hide.

Behold the bread in every land, through time and space, through war and peace, his name will echo.

Houston, we have no problem at all.

Sylvester.

Houston, is that you? Hey, Sylvester,

wake up. We're waiting for you.

Sylvester, the meeting has started.

Harrison is furious with you. It's hard

enough dealing with him, so please. We

need you, Sylvester. I'm so sorry, Linda, but I'm really busy with all this stuff. Well, it would mean a lot if you

stuff. Well, it would mean a lot if you came.

[Music] Come on, Sylvester. Be brave.

Ah, Sylvester, at last. I've been

waiting for you. Please be careful, Sylvester. That's enough, Harrison.

Sylvester. That's enough, Harrison.

You've been stealing people's energy for too long. Look at you. You've spent your

too long. Look at you. You've spent your whole life running from reality. And you

think you can save them? Maybe I was running, but not anymore. This ends now.

Harrison, you can't fight reality.

Sylvester, stop draining people's life.

Excuse me. What did you say? What did I say? I think what he means is that

say? I think what he means is that you're asking too much of us. Everyone's

exhausted. Exhausted? Is that true? Yes.

I'm afraid it's true, sir. All right,

you win. Everyone gets a day off. I

don't want my team to think I'm some kind of a vampire.

I'm really glad you came, Sylvester.

Come on, Linda. I should be the one thanking you, but at least we have a day off. By the way, would you like to go to

off. By the way, would you like to go to the movies with me?

I love this one. I love how cheeky, how kitschy. I love everything about this.

kitschy. I love everything about this.

It's for me like a whole package. And

it's such a simple story just told so marvelously. It made me laugh so much

marvelously. It made me laugh so much while watching which is pretty hard if you have just this much amount of time and every beat you're like yeah this is funny. This is actually funny. So I

funny. This is actually funny. So I

liked it a lot. And then of course the style of it made it uh particularly thread quite literally threaded together. I really love the the design

together. I really love the the design and I think this is like something that AI is so good at and kind of opens up is

the ability to be like, hey, I want to create a short and I want it to all look like handstitch weebles or warbles or whatever those things are called. Um it

like crocheted people and you can do that and I think I think that's really really incredible when he has the sparkles and the hearts around his face.

It's just illuminating. It's all It's so It's kitchen in a way. It's so cute and I can't help but smile. The song, the theme, the aesthetic. It was so fun for

me. Like the the kind of voice acting

me. Like the the kind of voice acting was a bit tough because it kind of took me out a lot throughout this one, but I still had a lot of fun watching it. And

I think they did a great job. Yeah. I

also like the the the you know the way the characters were conceived um in that same way that you know you sort of you're looking at a texture you're

looking at a thing that looks believable and real and it sort of uh helps that process of suspending disbelief. You you

know you know what you're looking at but you know it's also hard to imagine how it was done. So I thought that was very effective. Our second to last film is

effective. Our second to last film is called Yarn Girl by Azra Rosna Alcan. I

hope you [Music] enjoy. The winters here were sharp and

enjoy. The winters here were sharp and long with winds that howled a frozen song. We had but scraps and little more

song. We had but scraps and little more until she opened her shop's door. A girl

of yarn with eyes like thread, a knitted cap upon her [Music]

head. She asked for not. She gave with

head. She asked for not. She gave with grace.

[Music] A touch of warmth in a cold

[Music] place. A scarf, a glove, a woven

place. A scarf, a glove, a woven [Music] flame. Each gift she gave without a

flame. Each gift she gave without a name. But as the threads began to leave,

name. But as the threads began to leave, we saw them tug from her own sleeve. She

met a boy too cold to [Music] cry. And with a breath, a soft goodbye,

cry. And with a breath, a soft goodbye, she wrapped him in a final strand, a silver thread from her own

hand. By dawn, the child was safe,

hand. By dawn, the child was safe, embraced. For she had vanished, left no

embraced. For she had vanished, left no trace.

And now each year when snowflakes fall, we leave her yarn outside the hole. A gift of

hole. A gift of yarn in silence laid for the girl who gave and gently

frayed. I actually really like the the

frayed. I actually really like the the design, the character design, and the and the world design. The lighting I thought was particularly good. Um, and

it just had sort of some, you know, maybe traditional sort of old-fashioned qualities that that made it charming and uh uh sort of relatable. They actually

like the voiceover narration on this did a good job. Uh, one choose I'm assuming they use 11 Labs or something to create that voice and maybe maybe did voice to voice. I'm not sure, but I thought it I

voice. I'm not sure, but I thought it I thought it stood out. This one feels like a an European Eastern European fairy tale. like it's it's hard to tell

fairy tale. like it's it's hard to tell something so dark in a heartwarming way.

So they managed to tow that line of making it cute and then you really think about it. So um great job and um also it's

it. So um great job and um also it's difficult to to do that kind of poetic narration thing in an interesting way and and really keep u my attention personally and and this succeeded. And

that brings us to our final film. Please

enjoy You Shouldn't Be Here by Elena Savloakova.

[Music] So get this. Iberian wolves don't run in big

this. Iberian wolves don't run in big packs. Too many together, they stand

packs. Too many together, they stand out. So they stay small, a few at a

out. So they stay small, a few at a time. Just enough to move. just enough

time. Just enough to move. just enough

to vanish. There's this story about a man

vanish. There's this story about a man who saw one just past the tree line. It

wasn't running. It was

running. It was waiting. And so he

waiting. And so he followed slow, steady, just the right pace. And the wolf led

pace. And the wolf led him. It never turned to look at him, but

him. It never turned to look at him, but it knew. It knew exactly how close he

it knew. It knew exactly how close he was, how far it needed to stay. He walked for hours. The forest

stay. He walked for hours. The forest

stretched, deepened. The light changed like he had

deepened. The light changed like he had stepped into a different kind of day. The trees taller, the air

day. The trees taller, the air thick. Then he blinked and he was home.

thick. Then he blinked and he was home.

Same shoes, same clothes. But something was wrong. His

clothes. But something was wrong. His

car gone, his dog older. The street felt off. And his

older. The street felt off. And his

neighbor, the one who had been 6 months pregnant, had a 5-year-old kid. She

stared like she almost recognized him. Five years gone.

him. Five years gone.

No one believed him. They said he left, made it up, but he knows the truth. He

never stopped walking, never turned around. You know, some paths don't take

around. You know, some paths don't take you where you expect. Some don't let you come back the same. And if you follow the wrong path

same. And if you follow the wrong path for too long, you might step out of the world, you know, and into one that wasn't meant for

you. And maybe the wolves know exactly

you. And maybe the wolves know exactly where those paths are. Do

are. Do you? I really like this film a lot. I

you? I really like this film a lot. I

found I was a little bit thrown at the beginning because it was like, okay, we're I'm not sure what's going on. I

don't understand the context of this particularly, but but the the the character design and the and the lip-s sync actually, I was like, oh, wow, that's very convincing. Um, and then

again, the sort of stylistic shift and then going into that world, that fantasy world, I really thought the art direction, production design of that world was terrific. Yeah, this was just so pretty.

I was like, if I could put this short film on as an outfit, I would wear it.

Um, it was it was really lovely and I too was blown away by the lipsync. That

was by far the best execution I saw across all of these. I really I really liked this. This one was creepy. Uh, the

liked this. This one was creepy. Uh, the

woman's voice had this like that ASMR vibe to it. Uh, like she's telling you a secret the whole time. And there

was something that was like hard for me about that. I was like h like made me

about that. I was like h like made me want to crawl out of my skin. Um but I love the style. Like I really liked the the this is one of the ones that did two

two styles. Um I really liked that like

two styles. Um I really liked that like first style and kind of wanted to just stay there in that and see more of it and see how it could uh where it could

go. I love the aesthetics of the fantasy

go. I love the aesthetics of the fantasy world. It reminded me of like the book

world. It reminded me of like the book movie Annhilation. Uh but yeah, it was

movie Annhilation. Uh but yeah, it was just so mesmerizing uh and just done so right, especially with the contrast of the like very flat uh anime style in the

beginning and towards the end it's like truly a whole new world. Like quite

literally I loved it. Yeah, for me it was like ASMR the movie. Uh yeah, it had like the ASMR vibes to it. Very soothing

in the voice and the music. Um so I was I can definitely appreciate it for its uh technical ability. I think it did a great job with the transition of styles like you know as opposed to the other ones where it felt a little kind of

messy. This one felt purposeful and it

messy. This one felt purposeful and it kind of went with the vibe of the the whole entire film. Okay, now that we've taken a look at the finalist, it's time

to announce the winners. It was super hard for the judges to decide on the winners of this competition, but here

are the results. In fifth place, we have a tie between Play by Dorothy Pang, The Incredible Adventures of Sylvester by

Eric Kerman, and Yarn Girl by Ozra Rosna Alcon. In fourth place, we have

Alcon. In fourth place, we have Imaginary Love by Maya Cohen. And that

brings us to our third place winner. In

third place, winning $1,000 free enrollment in a Curious Refuge course, a shout out on our social channels, their very own chubby blob seal pillow, and an

AI filmmaking sweatshirt along with the opportunity to pitch your film to Promise Studios. We have Roki, a million

Promise Studios. We have Roki, a million trillion pathways by the Roki team. This

is one of the more impressive anime style AI projects I have ever seen. And

it's really incredible to watch this film and really forget that you're watching an AI project. And in second place, along with all of the prizes we

talked about before, along with a $2,000 cash prize and a pair of socks that hold hands, we have Graveyard by Danny Singh.

This is truly an incredible project that swings for the fences. They pulled off some very impressive video editing techniques along with curating around

some of the limitations of AI to create a very compelling film. So fantastic job on this project, Danny. And that means in first place we have Late by Hal Watt.

This is truly one of the most incredible AI projects we've ever seen. It has

everything that you'd want to see in an AI animated film from really dynamic character development to an exploration of both the styles and possibilities of

working with AI and then also working around the limitations and doing some more advanced techniques like lip sync and really motiontracking the characters. I think that how really

characters. I think that how really pushed into these tools and created something incredible. I'd like to give a

something incredible. I'd like to give a special shout out to all of the finalists for entering this competition.

There's actually been an audience voting that just ended and you can find out who won the audience favorite for this competition by visiting the page over at Curious Refuge. Again, thank you so much

Curious Refuge. Again, thank you so much to everyone who entered into this competition. It was truly an incredible

competition. It was truly an incredible experience and we only want to do more of these competitions in the future. So,

if you want to see more competitions hosted not only by Curious Refuge, but also the larger AI filmmaking community, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter

over at Curious Refuge. I want to give a special shout out to Promise Studios and Luma Labs for helping to make this event possible. On behalf of the Curious

possible. On behalf of the Curious Refuge team and the judges, thank you so much for making this an incredible event. We'll see you in the next one.

event. We'll see you in the next one.