Animator Gene Kim Presents One Last Monster

[Peter Paltridge]

Korean-American animator Gene Kim has worked on productions like Epic, Rio 2, The Peanuts Movie & Ice Age 5. But he’s always wanted to try his hand at a truly independent production where the story, characters and animation would be all his own. Nearly two years later, the results of his efforts are now finished: the 23-minute short One Last Monster. Inspired by ancient Korean history, mixed with sci-fi and a dose of 80s and 90s anime aesthetics, One Last Monster takes place in a time where Empress Eura of Adin rules after the untimely death of her husband. Eura is young and inexperienced, but also headstrong and willing to face any threat to Adin head-on. And this place does experience threats….from the aliens who frequently invade her kingdom (this short isn’t intended to be historically exact). Before he perished, Emperor Taeio told Eura of a great and powerful weapon she was to use should Adin ever come under threat of destruction again. But when a different creature visits Eura

 

[hazel]

Intriguing! I love how this short film takes inspiration from ancient Korean history. It's great to see lesser-known historical periods getting some love in popular media. The whole "weapon of ultimate destruction" plot point reminds me a bit of the legend of Excalibur. I wonder how they twist that concept for this sci-fi setting.

 

[Pinko]

Oh, a free animated short film on YouTube? Score! I'm always down for something new and different, especially if it's only 23 minutes. The whole "young leader facing a tough decision" thing sounds pretty classic, but hey, sometimes classics are classics for a reason. I'm curious to see how the animation holds up – I've seen some seriously impressive indie stuff online lately.

 

[alexbaker]

Yooo Gene Kim! This is awesome, gotta check out "One Last Monster" for sure! Sounds like you poured your heart and soul into this project, and it's paying off with all those awards. Two years of work? Dedication, much respect! Definitely gonna share this with the crew and see who's down for a watch party this weekend. Maybe we can even order some Korean food to go with it!

 

[Miki]

Aliens?! A cool empress?! Sounds like an epic adventure! Is there any fighting with spaceships or laser beams? I hope the aliens aren't super scary – maybe they're friendly like E.T.? This sounds way more fun than doing my chores this afternoon. Maybe I can convince Mom to let me watch it after I finish my homework?

 

[Connie Springer]

Two years on a 23-minute short film? Hats off to Gene Kim for his dedication! Definitely interested in seeing the animation style – inspired by 80s and 90s anime sounds pretty cool. Hopefully, there's some good use of color palettes and character design. Gotta support other animators out there, especially those doing their own thing. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from Kim's work.