Brace yourself. ‘Vermillion Minus One’ is an all-out assault on your senses, crammed into a blink-and-you-miss-it micro-short that explodes with chaotic energy. Winston Foo and his team of animators clearly took notes from the Godzilla playbook, and then turned it up a notch – adding a fighter pilot named Punchline (voiced by Dung Nguyen) and, get this, an adorable cockatoo.
Punchline’s got a job to do – save Earth from an apocalyptic warzone. But between dodging monster-sized disasters and cradling that fluffy bird, his focus is hilariously split. Throw in General Chekov (Foo himself, in a bombastic voice performance) barking orders, and you’re left wondering, will the world be saved or is this all just bird-brained chaos?
The animation leans heavily into Japanese-inspired aesthetics, making every second a visual treat – just don’t blink or you will likely miss the action. The short sneaks in some graphic, violent moments, jolting you just when you think it’s all fun and games.
Despite the rapid pace, the production value shines through. From sound design to character quirks, ‘Vermillion Minus One’ delivers a punch. It’s eccentric, chaotic, and oddly charming. Punchline might not be the hero we expected, but hey, he’s got a cockatoo. And in a battle against Godzilla, that’s saying something.
