There's nostalgia galore to be found in the first animated short from Flying Saucer Animation, a six-minute throwback to animation's history with modern 2D animation techniques, 3D modeling for the actual trojan horse, and old school elements like cel shadows that will have fans of early Looney Tunes and Pink Panther completely in heaven. 

The film, which has two festival appearances this very weekend, is a delightfully entertaining short finding its inspiration in the ancient Trojan Horse story. Instantly feeling like it could have easily existed alongside Looney Tunes, Trojan Horace finds those Greek warriors using the old trojan horse trick to overcome Trojan defenses and to get inside and conquer the city of Troy. The Trojans themselves are hilariously inept, though no matter what they do the Greeks can't seem to overcome everything from termites to tow-aways. 

I'm laughing even writing about it. 

Scott Graham is listed as director here alongside a team of writers and creatives to bring this story to life. A longtime vision of a group of animation friends, Trojan Horace began to find its life during the pandemic. It's hard to imagine that this animated short won't be wildly popular on the indie fest circuit. This weekend's screenings, at Pittsburgh Shorts and Key West Film Festival, should easily be followed by many more to come. 

The creative and nostalgic vocal work comes courtesy of Glen McCready and Eli Harris and is absolutely sublime and very funny. Original music by Fico Jessen fits the six-minute frenzy to perfection and everything here simply gels together perfectly to create a retro-vibed, relentlessly entertaining animated short. 

If you're lucky enough to experience Trojan Horace on the indie fest circuit, definitely check it out. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic