“BROKEN” Better smashed than possessed! Animated Short by Patrick Smith.

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It is better to be broken than be possessed by evil.

In this animated short film, a dystopian environment contains brittle glass characters, they are divided into two sides: the broken and the intact. The spirits that dwell within are either pure or rotten. The broken remain on their side, to waste away into shattered bits. But the shards have a healing property, a process exploited by an ambitious dark soul who desires to be whole, and part of a possessed, twisted, robotic tribe. “Broken” is a cautionary tale, it expresses the idea that it is better to be broken and pure, than be intact and possessed. Once tripped, smashed, and deprived of his glass body, the dark soul timidly rises, twisting upward, but is soon ripped down violently, and consumed mercilessly by the unbroken. “BROKEN” we go beyond the broken wine glass trope, the world in which these glass people dwell has evolved. The wine cups from previous stories have been replaced by characters with spherical heads, just as brittle as before. They shatter easily when struck, but also they are pliable and stretch and move.

Directors note:
For some reason this film evolved the way it did.. a bit creepy and twisted, but meaningful nonetheless. In many ways this animation reflects my belief that evil is often found in what we perceive as beauty or perfection, and conversely, goodness is found in what we dismiss as “broken” or unworthy. It’s interesting to note that many Catholic Saints were broken or misled prior to conversion. Regardless of the meaning that viewers glean from this animation, I truly hope you enjoy it, and please share as much as possible. I’m hoping that this piece will resonate as a meaningful animated short film.

Official Selection:
• Spark Animation 2024, Canada.
• TAF Thessaloniki Animation Festival 2024, Macedonia, Greece.
• Kuandu International Animation Festival 2024, Korea.
• Cartoons Underground 2024, Singapore.
• East Lansing Film Festival 2024, USA.

Animated By Patrick Smith.
Backgrounds, Color, Editing, Sound Effects also by Patrick Smith.
Music By Leon Riskin.
Additional music by Taylor Brook.
Associate Producers Kaori Ishida and Ahmed Chin.

Copyright 2024 Patrick Smith Animation LLC
Released by Blendshorts, Made possible by my Patreon supporters, and Youtube Members!
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Item: 237919654
Format: Music
Title: Fake Body Parts No Drums
License: Individual License, Commercial, none
Composer: Leon Riskin

Item: 237919660
Format: Music
Title: Fake Body Parts – Full
License: Individual License, Commercial, none
Composer: Leon Riskin

Item: 83554064
Format: Music
Title: Rising Ambient Horror Strings
License: Individual License, Commercial, IPI: 602881067 WORK: A1986381 Pro: SOCAN
Composer: Taylor Brook
PRO: IPI: 602881067 WORK: A1986381 Pro: SOCAN

Item: 83501307
Format: Music
Title: Lightly Macabre (Percussion Only) Orchestra Quirky Kids Halloween Dark Comedy
License: Individual License, Commercial, PRS
AdKey:rxkL6-8BwAjZ-K

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37 thoughts on ““BROKEN” Better smashed than possessed! Animated Short by Patrick Smith.”

  6. Seeing these animations really feels interesting after seeing the first short of the "juice guys" or whatever they are called when it was released. Sorry i presume you got a name for them after those years but i really arent sure of it at the time of writting this comment

    Reply

  13. What's the point of gaining the world if you lose your soul in the process the guy who basically stepped on his friend who tried to help him got his desires but lost everything as quick as he gained it. And instead of following the dove which represents peace like his friend did he was devoured by the very thing he killed someone to become. He became consumed by the world while his friend who helped him went and became something that was above this world

    Reply

  20. I love everything to do with this animation, this is the one that made me fall in love with your work and start watching, and following. your animations are some of my favorite, and this one actually is one of my favorites of all time, I cant wait to see what you make next! Do you have any form of patreon?

    Reply

  22. The fact the smiles spin around must mean something almost like there speaking or looking or it could be that there trying to talk to us of some sort but maybe anybody who replys can tell me why There smiles spin? Edit: I Seriously don't Know why.

    Reply

  29. Something interesting I overserved. All it took for things to go wrong for the "Broken" was for someone/something to take cruel advantage of their situation. The broken could have helped each other pick up the pieces and many would become whole again, but that didn't happen. The moment someone started to practice kindness, they were punished by a selfish individual. It didn't have to happen.

    I don't take this as a lesson of "avoid being kind" but rather that kindness is delicate. It can easily be broken, but it was also the only way for the broken to truly heal. Don't stop kindness, just be careful with it.

    Reply

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