Adult Animation Revolution: Gobelins Short Film ‘Layla’
by Tito W. James
Gobelins Visual Arts School is known for stunning animated shorts produced by their graduating students. This new short film focuses on a group of young boys who try to have their “first time” with a sex robot. What starts as an awkward experiment morphs into an unlikely friendship with her. I love the character expressive designs — Layla has the stylized femme fatale look of a Robert Valley character.
The animators also captured a timeless youth quality with organic incorporation of skate culture and street art. Layla is an impressive short film that’s more compelling and nuanced than many animated shows seen on TV. I hope we can have more young adult stories from this creative team in the future.
