A Great Storm Washes Away Remains of a Fire in a Meditative Short Film by the Pixar Effects Team


“Automaton” by Krzysztof Rost and the effects team at Pixar Animation Studios is a truly meditative, experimental short CGI animated film that imagines a great fire tornado fully destroying a flat plain. Afterward, a great storm moves in overhead to wash away the massive amount of destruction and makes way for life to begin again.

A poetic interlude between a reality and an abstraction, this experimental short was produced by artists from Pixar’s Effects team, working in collaboration to create a startlingly original piece of filmmaking.

This incredibly imaginative short first premiered at the SIGGRAPH 2020 Computer Animation Festival.

A poetic tale of a dust devil and a field of grass moves in the wind. Lightning interrupts a balletic interlude.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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