Summary
The Xenomorph menace stalks its way into animation, as OtaKing Animation’s latest painstakingly animated short film reimagines Ridley Scott’sAliensci-fi horror franchise as a suspenseful and bloody ’80s-inspired anime. Beginning in 1979, theAlienfranchise centers on the horrors of the Xenomorphs, an intergalactic apex predator shrouded in mystery that stalks, infects, and kills anything that stands in their way. TheAlienfranchise is set to make a long-awaited return to the big screen inAlien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez' latest installment that is set between the events of the originalAlienand James Cameron’s more action-orientedAliens.
Paul Johnsonof OtaKing Animations on YouTube has reimagined the horror of the franchise as an almost20-minute long animation developed across six years inAlien: MONDAY.
Taking on a stylized, heavily cell-shaded 80s' anime aesthetic,Alien: MONDAYsees technician Aislin (Sara Secora) of the mining hauler Thanatos and the vessel’s AI Conrad (Phillip Sacramento) take on a deadly Xenomorph stowaway. With bloody, brutal kills, first-person perspectives, zero-gravity action, and a slow, chilling build-up,Alien: MONDAYis a lovingly crafted tribute to Scott’s influential horror.
Johnson Is No Stranger To Sci-Fi Fans For His Impressive Fan-Animations
Johnson Previously Tackled The Whoniverse & A Galaxy Far Far Away
While OtaKing’s detailed, dedicatedAlienanimation is a six-year labor of love,Johnson is known in the sci-fi community for his impressive animations. In 2011, Johnson released “Jikuu Bouken DOCTOR WHO”, aDoctor Whoshort film that transported Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor to Japan to face Daleks, Cybermen, two incarnations of the Master and even therecently returned Sutekh the Destroyer, combining his animation with archive audio and new dialogue for an authentic experience. Johnson’s animation ramps up the action and destruction due to the freedom the medium offers, but remains faithful toDoctor Who’s family-friendly tone.
Alien: Romulus - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
With Fede Álvarez at the helm of the new Alien movie the franchise is heading in a promising direction, but what is Alien: Romulus about?
Johnson’s animations would once more go viral with the release of 2015’sStar Wars: TIE Fighter, once more translating another sci-fi franchise into cel-shaded animation as an Imperial fleet and Rebel Alliance convoy go head-to-head, focusing on the imperial perspective. While the animation retains Johnson’s style,TIE Fightertakes inspiration from 1994’s video game of the same name, but elevates its source material with a grand scale full of capital-ship bombardments, dogfights, and impressive tracking shots following TIE fighters through asteroid fields. WithAlien; MONDAY, Johnson has once more captured a classic sci-fi property in a stylish tribute.
Despite spanning into novels, video games, and now television, theAlienfranchise has never gained a strong foothold in animation, be it its brief Kenner-produced animated toyline commercials or theAlien VS Predatoranime seriesthat has been sealed in Disney’s vault. As such, OtaKing Animation’sAlien: MONDAYfinally offers a chance to see the world of Scott’s horror brought into animation. While Johnson’s familiar large-scale action can be seen in its establishing shot and climax, its slower moments perfectly capture what made the Xenomorphs chilling in 1979.
Alien
Cast
Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is a science fiction horror film that follows the crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo. Upon investigating a distress signal on a distant moon, they discover a deadly extraterrestrial lifeform. The film stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and became a seminal work in both the sci-fi and horror genres, known for its atmospheric tension and groundbreaking visual effects.
