Explaining The Silent, Four-Second ‘Atomic Robo: Last Stop’ Animated Clip [Video]

If you were paying attention, you might recall a Kickstarter last year that raised money for Last Stop, an Atomic Robo animated short film. To call it successful is a bit of an understatement -- it racked up over $72,000 after setting an initial goal of just $12,000, which led the animators at the Fictory to scrap what they'd already done and start over, taking advantage of their new, higher budget to do higher-quality animation.

To show off, they've released a clip of the upcoming short film! Unfortunately, it's four seconds long and completely silent, but still, it looks pretty cool. So why not take a look at it and see what 100% true facts we can learn about Atomic Robo: Last Stop?

0:01: Okay, the first thing we see in this clip is Robo sliding underneath something on his back. Given the series' recent focus on the history of robotics and science (the Turing arc being a key factor here), I think we can assume that this is Clevinger and Wegener's tribute to Mega Man 3. It's a safe bet that Robo will be getting a robot dog sidekick at some point in Last Stop.

0:02: While comedy has always been a key element of Robo's success, the full-on pratfall here shows that the short film will follow in those footsteps. Will it be accompanied by Hanna-Barbera's classic sound effects or a laugh track? One can't help but wonder.

0:04: Robo looks at us. Could this be the prime spot for a fourth-wall breaking quip at the viewer? I... I really hope not.

In all seriousness, the animation here looks great, and I honestly can't wait to see how it all turns out. For more, including production art and trailers, check out the Fictory's website!