The Works (partially found unfinished computer-animated film; 1979-1986)

From The Lost Media Wiki
Revision as of 17:28, 3 December 2021 by YoshiKiller2S (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
Works array-2.jpeg

A collage of images from the film.

Status: Partially Found

The Works is a shelved computer-animated film that was worked on sporadically from 1979 to 1986 by the Computer Graphics Lab at the New York Institute of Technology.

Had it been completed, it would have been the first computer-animated film in history, predating Pixar's Toy Story by almost a decade.

Plot

The screenplay, written by Lance Williams, apparently deals with a drone robot, named either "Ipso Facto" or "Clyde" ("either" is used because no sources have confirmed the validity of either name), "T-Square," a young female pilot, and a giant robotic ant that would have served as the film's main villain. Supposedly, the main cast would have been comprised of about twenty-five robots.[1] The film was the brainchild of entrepreneur and "eccentric millionaire" Dr. Alexander Schure, founder of the New York Institute of Technology.

Development and Availability

The Computer Graphics Lab at NYIT was originally intended to produce computer tools to help traditional animators with the OR work, but soon 3D computer graphics became the prime focus of the Lab. The Works was greenlit by Schure as a way to test and demonstrate what computer animation could do for the entertainment industry. According to Wikipedia, famous industry professionals like Chuck Jones and Shamus Culhane toured the Lab while the film was being produced.[2] No sources indicate how much of the film was actually completed, although production stills[3] and a short video have surfaced.

In November 2021, the script for The Works was uploaded to Google Drive by user Maximized Animation after communication with Lance Williams' widow.[4]

Videos

A rare trailer for the film, uploaded to YouTube on 16 October 2013.

A clip from The Works, circa 1984.

References

  1. An article about the film (in Spanish). Archived 13 Oct '14.
  2. The film's article on Wikipedia. Retrieved 01 Jan '14.
  3. Production stills. Retrieved 01 Jan '14.
  4. Script to The Works Retrieved 05 Nov '21.