Animated shorts have always been the closest bedfellow to the comics medium. From adaptations in the form of anime, to Western comic-book superhero cartoons, this fact has been apparent in the mainstream for many years. This fact shines brightest, however, when animators are given the freedom to use their visual storytelling craft to make something truly unique to the medium they work within. “400 Boys” from the fourth season of Netflix anthology series Love, Death & Robots, is a prime example of this fact. Crafted by Passion Animation and based on the Marc Laidlaw short story of the same name, “400 Boys” is a masterclass of both short-from visual storytelling and the art of animation. A post-apocalyptic blend of British hip-hop and insane myth-making, tied together by an astonishing visual style, makes “400 Boys” a feast of storytelling ability and one of the best pieces Love, Death & Robots has in its stable.
Tim Miller’s adapted script maintains the narrative spirit of Laidlaw’s original story while letting Passion Animation do the majority of the legwork. It’s not surprising that this story is written by the same person who wrote the stories of Half Life and its sequel. 400 Boys throws its audience into the middle of this shattered world, joining the cast of characters with little to no explanation as to what has happened. The characters themselves are straight out of The Warriors, with the main cast joined by a myriad of other gangs living in the ruins of a great city. Every character in the main crew feels memorable due to specific personality and ability details (Crybaby is in a constant state of panic, Jade can’t speak and uses sign language) as well as individually unique designs. One of the fastest ways to get the feel of a world in a story is through dialogue, and 400 Boys really delivers here. Unique slang in sci-fi stories can often come off as a bit corny, but it feels so authentically cool due to the overall tone of the episode. The delivery from the likes of John Boyega, Ed Skrein, and Rahul Kohli makes the dialogue flow with the vibe of the animation, while fitting in with all of the influences that make “400 Boys” work. Speaking of voice work, there’s an element that animation has on its side that comics don’t – audio. Aside from the great voice acting and action SFX, “400 Boys” also utilizes music in an amazing way. I won’t spoil much, but there’s this incredible boom-bap hip-hop beat drop right before a big battle that had me absolutely hyped. Just incredible direction overall in terms of using sound.
Passion Animation and storyboard artist Robert Valley have previously produced some of the best work featured in Love, Death & Robots, and they continue their streak with “400 Boys.” Coming off of “Zima Blue” and “Ice” in prior seasons, anyone who has seen Passion’s work knew they were in for a treat when their unmistakable style flashed upon the screen this time around. Valley & Co.’s hyper-vivid use of color and shadow makes every scene pop and an unexpected layer of dimension is certain moments. Their digital approach to 2D animation is proof that hand drawn isn’t necessarily always better provided the right artists are on hand. While every sequence is memorable, a couple favorites that stand out include the hypnotic, dreamlike scene where the Brothers speak with the boss of the Galrogs (an all-women group of hockey stick-wielding roller skaters) and of course the reveal of the hyper-destructive 400 Boys themselves. The smooth movement of the actual animation is also a marvel, feeling like the art of an incredibly well-crafted original graphic novel come to life.
To be perfectly honest, this season of Love, Death & Robots isn’t up to part with the prior seasons. None of the shorts are “bad” per se, most of them just don’t compare to the overall level of both animation and storytelling quality the best seasons have come up with. “400 Boys” just happens to be the season’s saving grace, making for not just easily the best episode in this collection, but one of the best animated shorts in the whole series. Roberst Valley and his team at Passion Animation take the story concept created by Marc Laidlaw & adapted by Tim Miller and create one of the most memorable, stylistically stunning pieces of visual storytelling of the last several years. “400 Boys” feels like an incredible comic story come to life, but with the power of animation and music on its side.
AI could never.
