A robot short haunts us.

August 18, 2008 11:55 AM

About 9 years ago, my brother and I saw a short animated film on the Independent Film Channel (he says). It was about floating robot-things residing in a place similar to that of the one Homer went to the time he slipped into the third dimension. Our heads are exploding, because we cannot figure out what this freaking short was named, or anything else about it.

The plot kicked off with two robot-things travelling by floating in the air, side by side as if they were in a car. BUT THERE WAS NO CAR!

Suddenly, the "driver" stops. The "passenger" asks, "Why have you stopped?"

Driver: Something is in the way.
Passenger: What is in the way?
Driver: I do not know.

There is nothing in the way of these robots, but they're acting as if there is. The passenger then asks the driver some question I don't remember, and the driver lets an overlong pause go by before answering, "Yes".

Then we meet two other robots. If I remember correctly, they were the same type of robots as the previous two. But these two are making fun of the other robots on this plane, by mocking their conversation, right down to the extended pause before the driver-robot-thing says "Yes". My brother and I got the impression that these guys were bored sentry types with a capability to make jokes and be bored (and understand anything) that the other inhabitants of this plane didn't have.

What the hell was this short? Neither my brother nor I have had any luck digging it up since we suddenly became curious about this a few years ago.

Also, by "animated", I mean that it was either animated by means of COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, or that such an effect was simulated.

posted by Coatlicue to media & arts (4 comments total)

I saw that too! I think this is it, but I can't tell for sure since I don't have sound at work, Shaft of Light.
posted by samph at 1:11 PM on August 18, 2008 [3 favorites]

Yes, Shaft of Light is the animation with "Why have you stopped?/The way is blocked." In it. That haunted me for months after I saw it the first time. Other than that though, it doesn't sound much like what the OP is describing -- well it does, but with significant differences.
posted by The Bellman at 2:46 PM on August 18, 2008

Tripping the Rift
Bolted
Metalstasis
are some animated shorts from the right timeframe that feature robots.

If it doesn't turn up here, you could try searching with IMDb's power search which lets you specify genre (animated short) and years, and you can try different keywords (eg robot) to see if anything turns up.
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:03 PM on August 18, 2008

Shaft of Light just has to be it. My brother and I were teenagers the day we saw it, running in and out of the living room and only halfway ingesting what we saw, so it's kind of amazing that any of the details in my brain are identifiable. I'm impressed anyone was able to make sense of those muddled remnants.

You guys are wonderful.
posted by Coatlicue at 4:18 PM on August 18, 2008