There’s a retro feel to A. Shipwright’s War of Lights, and despite the horror, it’s pretty.
Working with the animation is RealRock‘s soundtrack that adds just the right haunting blend.
The War of Lights is a large-scale celestial conflict. From a dark background, two opposing forces of light emerge. One side, glowing a vibrant yellow, streams from a sun-like orb, while the other, a brilliant blue, defends a moon-like crescent. The short focuses entirely on the ensuing battle as the two armies of light beings clash, filling the screen with fast-paced, energetic combat.
The animation style is a striking 2D minimalist aesthetic. The characters are rendered as simple, glowing figures, defined by their bright neon colours against the stark, dark canvas. The style feels reminiscent of vector art, focusing on fluid motion, symbolic shapes, and the dramatic contrast between light and dark rather than intricate detail. It creates a visually compelling and dynamic spectacle of pure energy in conflict.
I’d suggest that the sheer scale and energy of the conflict, rendered with highly stylised, geometric bursts of colour and light, could evoke the work of Japanese animation studios like Studio Trigger. Specifically, the film Promare is well-known for its large-scale, kinetic battles depicted with bright, clashing neon colours and a similar focus on high-octane spectacle over realism.
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