Love, Death & Robots: Volume 2 has a Predictability Problem
By Xander Townsend | Misfit Media Editor
(Spoiler free)
I remember when the first volume of Love, Death & Robots was released on Netflix. I was excited (especially as an animator) for a new set of very impressive and visually stunning animated shorts to release to mainstream audiences. Unless you're Disney, there usually isn't much demand for animated content under 20minutes and I was excited for that to change.
The first volume was impressive in many facets; animation, lighting, rendered realism, movement, etc. but it struggled to maintain the attention of viewers after its release due to the shorts' condensed lengths. With a new instalment, I was curious to see what additions they would add to an already suburb collection. I unfortunately was disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong, the animation execution on these shorts is impeccable, displaying some of the most interesting stylistic choices I have seen in animated film. I wasn’t disheartened by the execution of animation styles or the quality of the rendered product, I was instead frustrated at the generic and predictable nature of the plotlines. Animated shorts are completely reliant on the strength of their plot as they only have a short period to execute a well-rounded and comprehensive story. There very clearly isn't an issue with budget or creative limitations, so what was the problem?
Every animated short bar one in Volume 2 of Love, Death & Robots was completely predictable and flat. The one short in which I was engaged with enough to proclaim it as 'interesting' was The Drowned Giant, the last instalment in the volume and it still had some creative issues. One of the things I loved about the first volume was the fact that there was an interesting story element that is revealed. I was always wondering, what is the twist going to be, whilst getting to see some of the most unique visual executions in animation at the time. Volume 2 unfortunately takes some of the most edgy and predictable twists/themes of the past 10-15 years, attempting to provide an excuse to showcase a visually compelling scene or shot. I appreciate animation when I am not being made aware that the animators wanted the viewer to take particular note of a scene, therefore setting up the 2 second clip that will be used for the anthologies trailers.
Another element I found where the second volume lacked compared to the first was regarding the use of explicit and violent themes. The reason why I was so drawn to the original volume when it was released was I had never seen animated films daring to showcase such graphic content without limitation. There was an opportunity for animators to execute media without the complete confinement of censorship, allowing for artists to explore completely new themes. Volume 2 diverts back into the clearly restricted execution of film content, even for adult audiences. It panders to what 'can' and 'can't' be shown in film, and I found that disappointing.
All that being said, Volume 2 of Love, Death & Robots is still very much worth a watch, mainly for the impressive nature of its animation.
For future in-depth creative breakdowns of both volumes of Love, Death & Robots, Subscribe to Misfit Media. I will be listing the good, the bad, and the predictable from both animation and storytelling perspectives on all the released shorts.