STORY
A robot detective searching for a bomb falls in love with a broken ballerina robot—only to discover she may not be what she seems.
In partnership with Dell Technologies & NVIDIA.
New Venice was recently featured on Dell’s blog site: article here!
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
New Venice is a black-and-white love story set in the haunting, snow-swept streets of an evacuated metropolis called New Venice.
Originally created indepedently as the short film The Conductor (2013), New Venice is an animated film that channels the visual language of film noir, German Expressionism, and the silent era of Hollywood - think METROPOLIS meets THE MALTESE FALCON meets WALL-E. At its heart is the story of Ducky, a lone bomb disposal / detective robot, and Clara, a curious and clumsy ballerina robot who is missing one arm. When they cross paths, sparks fly, but will their programming stand in their way of true love?
New Venice pairs handcrafted 3D animation with atmospheric storytelling to create a story of connection under impossible circumstances. Created by a team with professional experience at studios like DreamWorks Animation and The Jim Henson Company, the project aims for the highest level of cinematic quality and emotional depth without the use of Generative AI.
We’re chronicling the making of New Venice in our behind-the-scenes YouTube series, The New Venice Chronicles, linked below. Join our mailing list below to receive project updates and be the first to hear about our upcoming Kickstarter campaign, teaser trailer, and more.
Thanks for exploring New Venice. We’re excited to share this story with you.
Watch the launch video for this project in the behind-the-scenes series “The New Venice Chronicles.”
Zach discusses his process behind writing the screenplay, as well as discussing his original short film that this VR adaptation is based on.
About The Director
Zach Mulligan, also known online as No The Robot, is a self-taught animator and filmmaker with credits on films like The Bad Guys, The Flash, & Black Adam. Mulligan showcases his original videos and animations, and has built a loyal following of over 500,000 fans across YouTube (228K), TikTok (213K), and Instagram (80K). He has partnered with brands like Dell, NVIDIA, Wacom, and Rokoko, and has been featured in popular publications/videos from Corridor Digital, CartoonBrew, Animation Magazine, 80 Level, and more — highlighting both his creative output & his behind-the-scenes commentary on the animation/VFX industries.
New Venice represents the culmination of Zach’s creative worlds: a stylized animated short with the cinematic ambition to hit the festival circuit, and the built-in audience to rally behind it.
