Animator Kevin Delgado has conjured a WWII nightmare in his animated short Mission 19. In the waning days of the war, rogue U.S. Soldiers carry out a raid to steal a hidden cache of gold bars. What they don’t know is that demons guard the gold. They are unprepared when they encounter a mad scientist intent on unleashing literal hell on Allied forces.
Delgado’s animation is extremely crude. The film looks like an animated Egyptian painting on a tomb wall, with some 3D still backgrounds. There are side scroll hijinks with an intense Castle Wolfenstein game feeling to the proceedings. The film is also extremely violent… or as violent as amateur 2D animation can be. Imagine if South Park remade Django Unchained. Much two-dimensional blood is spilled, and many line-drawn, low-frame-rate body parts are tossed around. The story elements are largely cribbed from other works. Hellboy and several of the Avengers films come to mind.
“…a WWII nightmare…”
Delgado has created many of his gleeful animations, all available on his website. He explains the inspiration for the films on his website: “I tried to be a writer for a while. Then, through a collaboration with a friend, I taught myself a few graphic arts and animation programs. So, I started creating the cartoons that are featured on this website. I hope you enjoy them.”
He doesn’t provide voice actor credits, which leads one to assume he’s done all the voices. That is impressive. He does credit Smile Ideation with the theme song “GTFO.”
Mission 19 is just about as independent as an independent film can be. It is entertaining and audacious, and the plot, such as it is, is familiar and dynamic. The best news is that it is free to watch on YouTube. The bizarre animation adds to the overall weirdness for a short film worthy of your consideration.
"…bizarre animation adds to the overall weirdness..."
