Stroke Your Ego with This Herzog-ian Animated Short

Consumed by existential discontent, a impatient King slowly consumes his entire universe in this allegorical animated short about greed, desire, and the agony of existence. Directed, written, and animated by Jakob Schmidt, Planemah follows a megalomaniacal leader's quest to find the answer's to life's ultimate questions: "Where does everything begin? And where does it end?" The King calls on all the scholars and philosophers throughout his Kingdom in search for an answer; when they can't give one, he eats them, growing larger and larger with each subject he consumes.

The King's survey finally comes to a head when he realizes the answer is out of his reach and an intergalactic meltdown ensues. After consuming everything on his planet, the sheer size of the King forces gravity to rip him from his home and leave him suspended amongst the stars. The irony is that the King consumes everything he was once so afraid of losing. Through his desperation for power he devoured everything that made him powerful. In an interview with Directors Notes, Schmidt explains, "I tried to create a story in which human weaknesses can be found in different ways and meanings….When I wrote the script for Planemah I was intrigued by the idea of a protagonist who is seeking for 'something' until he figures out that the answer of his question is inside of himself."

You can watch the film, in full, below:

For more work by filmmaker Jakob Schmidt, head over to Planemah'sproduction blog website.

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