Humanity has long been fascinated, and with good reason if current climate change trends are any indication (and they certainly appear to be), about what might happen when we have finally sucked the last tantalising vestiges of lifeforce from our beautiful blue planet.
While saving the planet before it gets to that point would be the preferred option, the regrettable reality is that political inaction and vested interests may doom Earth and with it humanity’s hope for survival, and so the only way to go is up and out into space.
It’s powered all kinds of TV shows and movies including Earth 2, Lost in Space and Interstellar with the latter film providing the inspiration, along with a slew of other titles, for Shawn Wang‘s emotionally-evocative Planet Unknown, about the search for a new planet capable of sustaining life.
“The idea started back in 2014 when Interstellar was released. I was deeply impressed by the movie and was inspired by the two robots TARS and CASE. The idea of intellectual robots exploring space developed from there. Other inspirations include Pixar movies like WALL-E and Toy Story, as well as CHAPPiE, NASA documentaries about Mars Rover Curiosity, and short films by individuals like Alex Roman’s The Third & The Seventh, Richard Mans’ Abiogenesis, Erik Wernquist’s Wanderers, Alf Lovvold’s Dawn of the Stuff, and so many more.”
The two space rovers, Rover Razor and Rover Junkman, are a delight, their palpable concern for each other and for their mission providing enough hope and inspiration that you feel by the end of this remarkably moving and optimistic action-filled short film that if the worst comes to pass that humanity, with the help of their robotic friends, might be OK after all.
(source: Laughing Squid)