Directed by James Papper and Bárbara Oliveira, the animated film centers on a Gen-Z barbarian prince who avoids battle in favor of gaming until his parents force him to face his destiny on his 16th birthday.
Emmy, Annie and BAFTA-winning production studio Blink Industries has partnered with Adult Swim SMALLS to create original, “home grown” animated content, beginning with the new short film Wilem, which just debuted today on Adult Swim SMALLS’ YouTube channel and can be enjoyed below.
Wilem was created by London-based director James Papper, who initially developed the concept as a rough pencil sketch animatic centered on a bratty barbarian calling his father after slaying a village. Papper later collaborated with Blink in-house animation director Bárbara Oliveira, with the two co-directing and expanding the animatic into a fully realized, unruly but hilarious fantasy kingdom.
At the center of the story is Wilem, a Gen-Z barbarian prince and reluctant heir to the throne who prefers playing Village Destroyer VI with his friend Finn rather than engaging in battle. But on his 16th birthday, his parents compel him to confront his destiny by joining them in combat.
Produced in 2D animation, the short combines Y2K nostalgia with classic fantasy elements, drawing inspiration from Moebius and 1990s Nintendo aesthetics. The setting blends traditional fantasy imagery such as witches and mud huts with modern elements including smartphones, the latest brands, music and contemporary cultural references, anchored by the recurring motif of the kingdom’s largest natural resource, pink crystal gloop, that flows through the castle.
Papper shared with AWN, “I am really excited to explore this world more. I have built so much lore, there are so many extra characters, stories and plot-lines that I came up with before condensing it down to this little short! I really hope to get to show everyone what Wilem's world looks like outside of his room!'
Discussing the project’s visual approach, Papper added, “Barbara and I both love cartoons and between us I think there is just so much reference. Barbara was a huge anime nerd growing up and my influence was a lot more 80s/90s American stuff - so between us we just threw loads of references around of cool things and styles we liked. 90s Nintendo was a huge inspiration for me too and we would just gather material from online scans of Nintendo magazines (shoutout archive.org) and loads of other stuff.”
On the collaborative animation process, he explained that he would do rough designs and pass them on to his character designer, Richard Stevenson, who would then draw over them and pass them back, iterating until things “felt right.” “I tried to do this as much as I could throughout all parts of the show,” he said. “I would do the same with sound/music, I would have my friends Rory, Charlie and Jiahe sit around together and we would read through the scripts and just throw things around as much as we could. Rather than being rigid and grinding my brain out on a page in solitude I wanted to just throw things around with people and have fun. My ultimate aspiration is to develop this world into something I can build and share with friends so that going to work just feels like playtime.”
Oliveira told AWN, “I'm delighted to share with the world this sneak peek into Wilem's chaotic family and kingdom. I hope you all enjoy watching it even half as much as we enjoyed making it!”
Music and sound design also play a key role in the short, incorporating influences ranging from metal to Y2K pop revival. Collaborators contributed elements including guitar riffs, jungle rhythms and detailed sound design, with Charlie Pelling enhancing the film’s audio landscape.
Source: Blink Industries
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
