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Must Watch: Quirky & Funny Short Film on Robot Actress 'Gumdrop'

by Ethan Anderton
November 20, 2012
Source: WIGS

Sure we've met cute and charming robots like WALL-E, Johnny 5, and more, but now it's time to meet Gumdrop. The 27-year old Bulgarian actress has appeared in films with Fred Astaire and Charlie Chaplin, and now she's auditioning for a new film with someone called TikTok. Voiced by visual effects artist Venti Hristova (who sounds like a dead wringer for Kristen Schaal), Gumdrop is one of the most cute and endearing robots I've ever seen, and this short film from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow director Kerry Conran is totally worthy of a feature length version, diving into the life of Grumdrop. Watch it!

Here's the short film Gumdrop from WIGS, brought to our attention by reader Matt Grossbart:

WIGS, a scripted drama channel on YouTube created by Black Swan producer Jon Avnet and Albert Nobbs producer Rodrigo Garcia, premiered the short and the talent behind the effects is brilliant as well. Concept Designer Iain McCaig (The Avengers, Star Wars) designed the technology for Gumdrop with Art Director Venti Hristova (The Avengers, Iron Man 2). There's a truly great story to be told here, and it would be incredible if Conran and co-director Stephen Lawes (the creative director on RED and Real Steel) could turn this into a feature film, following the long career of Gumdrop through cinema history. Pretty cool, right?

Filed under Cool Stuff, Short Film, To Watch

From around the web:

Thexn

Hmmm, guess a cinematic journey through the life of a single robotic lady who had unknowingly touched the lives of Hollywood through the ages could be made. Could we call it Forrest Gumdrop? Joking aside, they did an outstanding job breathing a personality into a CGI character here. The voice acting is spot on and the CGI people have matched up the mannerisms perfectly to Venti Hristova's performance. Hopefully if this project moves forwards they won't make the decision to change talents behind the mic. Looking forward to further news on this project forthcoming.
brad

Cool idea! It makes you wonder if this is really going to be a reality 30-40 years from now. Can you imagine? Cinema is such a new art form and there are so many unique ways to tell a story using the tools technology gives us. with each awe- inspiring film that gets released, the true transcendent potential of the movies gets revealed, Any cool ideas about the future of Cinematic Storytelling? I personally think were getting closer to the point at which the distinction between the real and virtual world is something that will be laughed at in the future.
- Thexn
  
  Personally I believe Hollywood and the technological community are going to take it in one of two possible venues. They're either going to develop true holographic projection and begin displaying media as a fully surrounding format in which the viewer can freely move around inside an enclosed space, a la Star Trek's holodecks, and watch the "movie" unfold around them in a non-interactive media. Or they are going to finally develop full sensory VR technology and begin filming media in the format of extreme first person views where the audience will experience the film through the eyes of the main protagonist or other ancillary characters. I don't believe I'll be lucky enough to see either in the extent of my natural life, (another 40-50 years from now, if I'm lucky), but the groundwork is being laid for future generations to have a hell of a thrill-ride.
http://twitter.com/Toonfed TOONFED

I think she could play, Rosie in a new jetsons movie version.
David Banner

That was a great short followed by a lame trailer for something I wouldn't watch if you paid me. But wow, that short could turn into a cool movie '