Bot and Cat: An Emotional Animated Short Film That Will Melt Your Heart

A robot works deep underground for a civilisation long since disappeared (that would be us).  It is a lonely existence and when a cat strays from the surface and finds its way down to the bot’s subterranean lair, what’s a cat expected to do except steal the shiny, bouncy antenna thing from the bot’s head.  And so ensues a chase to the surface and the discovery of a new friendship for both bot and cat.  Sounds very simple?  Well, it is – but the secret of good story telling always lies in the way it is told.  Bot and Cat manages to be very, very straightforward yet deeply profound at the same time. It’s charming yet thoughtful simultaneously.

The commenters of YouTube love it. Many describe the seven-minute animation as an emotional masterpiece, praising its beautiful storytelling, evocative music, gorgeous backgrounds and polished animation. Viewers say they were left in tears by the robot's touching journey, with one remarking they'll "never get tired of 'robot goes against its programming to experience the beauty of nature' stories". Others were astonished by how few people had seen it, repeatedly calling it "underrated" and predicting the studio behind it is destined for future success. Several even suggested it outshines big-budget Hollywood productions, while hoping it goes on to win festival awards and reach the much wider audience they believe it deserves. Agreed!

Created by a group of students (collectively known as HermitCat Studios for their thesis project at Canada’s Sheridan College, this wonderful piece of work utilises the talents of Mo Hassan, Jenna Pomfret, Julia Lin, Nomy Fang, Rie Wong, Daniel Young, Travis Li, Yi-Ting Yuan, Kiwi Prommart, Charlotte Royal, Yoonji Nam and Heidi Pan. The original (and rather lovely) score is by Johnny Knittle.  Watch Bot and Cat below.