Experiencing Interruptions?

The Looking Planet

During the construction of the universe, a young member of the Cosmos Corps of Engineers decides to break some fundamental laws in the name of self-expression.

  • Eric Law Anderson
    Director
    Horses on Mars
  • Eric Law Anderson
    Writer
    Horses on Mars
  • Eric Law Anderson
    Producer
    Horses on Mars, West of Rome, Proud Citizen
  • Anne M. Uemura
    Producer
    Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, House of Lies, Drop Dead Diva
  • Samuel Hery
    Key Cast
  • Joe Cappelletti
    Key Cast
    Fight Club, X-Men, X-Men 2, The Hurt Locker
  • Cindy Robinson
    Key Cast
    Resident Evil: Degeneration, Bleach, Olivia
  • Peter Oldring
    Key Cast
    K-19: The Widowmaker, Lost and Delirious, White Coats
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 8, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil, United States
  • Language:
    English, French, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
    Newport Beach, CA
    April 26, 2014
    World Pemiere
  • Dances with Films
    Hollywood, CA
    June 4, 2014
    Los Angeles Premiere
  • Fantasia International Film Festival
    Montreal, Canada
    August 6, 2014
    Canada Premiere
    Animation Jury Award Special Mention
  • HollyShorts Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    August 16, 2014
    Method Studios Award for Best Visual Effects
  • Roswell Filmfest
    Roswell, NM
    June 27, 2014
    New Mexico Premiere
    Best Animated Film
  • Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Providence, RI
    August 9, 2014
    Rhode Island, US East Coast Premiere
  • Dragon Con
    Atlanta, GA
    August 29, 2014
    Georgia, US South Premiere
    Best Animated Sci-fi
  • Knoxville Film Festival
    Knoxville, TN
    September 13, 2014
    Tennessee Premiere
  • Savannah Film Festival
    Savannah, GA
    October 28, 2014
    Best Animated Film
  • Louisville Festival of Film
    Louisville, KY
    October 11, 2014
    Kentucky Premiere
  • Fargo Fantastic Film Festival
    Fargo, ND
    October 25, 2014
    North Dakota Premiere
  • Sci Fi Film Festival Sydney
    Sydney Australia
    November 8, 2014
    Australia premiere
    Finalist
  • Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival
    Providence, RI
    October 25, 2014
  • Sayulita Film Festival
    Sayulita, Mexico
    Mexico premiere
  • Providence Children's Film Festival
    Providence, RI
    February 15, 2015
  • Filmslang Lexington
    Lexington, KY
    November 22, 2014
  • Spark Animation Festival
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    October 24, 2014
  • Best Shorts Competition

    Award of Excellence Special Mention
  • CA it Awards
    NYC
    Gold, Best Animated Digital Short
  • Raw Science Film Festival
    Pasadena, CA
    December 6, 2014
    Finalist
  • Tri-Cities Fantastic Film Festival
    Richland, WA
    October 17, 2015
  • Albuquerque Film Festival
    Albuqurque, NM
    January 8, 2015
  • Dream Film Showcase
    Vancouver, WA
    February 21, 2015
    Winner, winners-only screening
  • Miami Int'l Science Fiction Film Festival
    Miami, FL
    January 24, 2015
    Florida Premiere
    Best Animated Film
  • Geekfest Film Fest
    traveling
  • Shockpop Comicon
    Ft. Lauderdale, FL
    February 28, 2015
  • Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival
    Seattle
    February 7, 2015
    Seattle premiere
  • Los Angeles Indepedent Film Festival Awards
    Los Angeles, CA
    Winner: Best Animated Film, Nominated: Best Sound Design, Best Visual Effects
  • Pasadena Int'l Film Festival
    Pasadena, CA
    February 14, 2015
    Best Animated Film
  • Boston Science Fiction Film Festival SF40
    Boston, MA
    February 15, 2015
    Massachussets Premiere
    Best Animated Film
  • Widescreen Film Festival
    AMC 24, Miami, FL
    March 7, 2015
    Best Animated Film
  • Big Muddy Film Festival
    Carbondale, IL
    March 1, 2015
    Illinois Premiere
  • LA Indie Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    March 7, 2015
  • San Luis Obispo Int'l Film Festival
    San Luis Obispo, CA
    March 7, 2015
  • Green Bay Film Festival
    Green Bay WI
    March 14, 2015
    Wisconsin Premiere
  • Los Angeles Short FIlm Festival
    Los Angeles
    March 15, 2015
    Winner Best Animation; Nominated, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Design
  • Garden State Film Festival
    Atlantic City, NJ
    March 21, 2015
    New Jersey Premiere
    Best Animated Short
  • Cleveland International Film Festival
    Cleveland, OH
    March 21, 2015
    Ohio Premiere
  • International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival
    Phoenix, AZ
    March 28, 2015
    Arizona Premiere
  • Athens Animfest
    Athens, Greece
    March 31, 2015
    European Premiere
    Special Mention, Short Award
  • Magwell Film Fest
    Los Angeles, CA
  • Clean Shorts Film Festival
    Choctaw, OK
    April 4, 2015
    Oklahoma Premiere
  • WorldFest Houston
    Houston, TX
    April 19, 2015
    Texas Premiere
    Grand Remi
  • First Glance Film Festival LA
    Los Angeles
    April 24, 2015
    Best Animated Short
  • USA Film Festival
    Dallas TX
    April 25, 2015
    Dallas Premiere
    Jury Award
  • Twister Alley Film Festival
    Woodward, OK
    April 25, 2015
    Best Family Short, Best Sound Design
  • 300 minutes International FilmFestival
    Karlsruhe, Germany
    Germany Premiere
    Best medium length short film
  • Fantastic Zagreb Film Festival
    Zagreb, Croatia
    Croatia premiere
  • ITS LA Film Fest
    Los Angeles
  • Sci-Fi London
    London, UK
    UK premiere
  • FilmQuest
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Utah premiere
    Cthulu Award, Best Animated Film. Nominations for Best VFX and Best Score
  • Phoenix Comicon
    Phoenix, AZ
    May 30, 2015
    Second Place, Best of the Fest
  • ConCarolinas Short Film Festival
    Concord, NC
    May 30, 2015
    North Carolina Premiere
  • Cayman International Film Festival
    Cayman Islands
    Caribbean Premiere
  • Fantasmagorical Film Festival
    Louisville, KY
    August 8, 2015
  • Sasquan International Film Festival (Worldcon)
    Sasquan, WA
    August 22, 2015
  • Hyperdrive Sci-Fi & Fantasy Film Festival
    East Sussex, UK
    October 10, 2015
    Best Animation
  • The Con Film Festival
    Philadelphia, Chicago, Sacrmento, Austin
    May 8, 2015
  • Galactic Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    August 29, 2015
    Best Visual Effects
  • Maui Film Festival
    Maui, HI
    Hawaii Premiere
    Audience Award, Best Animated Short Film
  • Anima Mundi
    Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil
    July 10, 2015
    South America premiere
  • GenCon Film Festival
    Indianapolis, IN
    Indiana Premiere
  • The Zone Sci-Fi Film Race and Film Festival
    Houston, TX
    July 25, 2015
    Best Short Film, Best Animation, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Writing, Best Twist
  • Manchester Film Festival
    Manchester, UK
  • Space City Comic Con, The Zone Sci-fan Film Festival
    Houston
    July 25, 2015
  • Phoenix Loves Sci-Fi
    Phoenix, AZ
    July 2, 2015
  • San Diego Comic Con International Independent Film Festival
    San Diego
    July 10, 2015
    San Diego
    Best Animated Film
  • American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater Hollywood
    Hollywood, CA
    July 16, 2015
  • Genre Fest
    Los Angeles, CA
    August 2, 2015
    Best Sci-Fi, Best Special Effects/Animation
  • Los Angeles Film Review Independent Film Awards
    Los Angeles
    Best Animated Short
  • Grossman Film and Wine Festival
    Ljutomer, Slovenia
    July 17, 2015
    Slovenia Premiere
  • From the Beyond Con
    Chicago
    August 8, 2015
    Chicago Premiere
    Best Animated Film
  • Westercon 68 Science Fantasy Conference
    San Diego
    July 4, 2015
    San Diego Premiere
  • Las Vegas Film Festival
    Las Vegas
    August 15, 2015
    Nevada Premiere
  • Sidewalk Film Festival
    Birmingham, AL
    August 8, 2015
    Alabama premiere
  • Golden Door Film Festival
    Jersey City, NJ
    September 25, 2015
  • Here Be Dragons
    London, UK
    August 8, 2015
    Sci Fi Short Award
  • Diabolique International Film Festival
    Bloomington, IN
    September 26, 2015
    Best Short Film
  • Unreal Film Festival
    Memphis, TN
    October 2, 2015
  • Anibar Animation Festival
    Peja Kosovo
    August 23, 2015
    Kosovo Premiere
  • CINE Golden Eagle Awards

    Finalist, Independent and Emerging Media, Short Animation
  • Cyprus Comic-Con
    Nicosia, Cyprus
    August 29, 2015
    Cyprus premiere
  • London Comic-con
    London, ON Canada
    September 26, 2015
  • Isle of Man Film Festival
    Isle of Man
    September 13, 2015
    Isle of Man premiere
    Best Animated Film
  • San Jose International Short Film Festival
    San Jose, CA
    October 24, 2015
    Audience Award, Best Animation
  • Glendale Film Festival
    Glendale, CA
    September 26, 2015
    Best Short Film
  • Lilliputian Film Festival
    St. Louis
    October 4, 2015
    Missouri premiere
    Best Animation
  • East Lansing Flm Festival
    East Lansing, MI
    November 7, 2015
    Michigan premiere
    Audience Award, Favorite Short Film
  • Laguna Film Festival
    Laguna Niguel, CA
    October 17, 2015
    Audience Award Best Sci-fi/Fantasy Short Film
  • Southway Film Festival
    Ukraine
    June 18, 2016
  • International Family Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    November 7, 2015
    Best Animated Short
  • Lund International Fantastic Film Festival
    Lund, Sweden
    October 26, 2015
    Sweden/Scandanavia premiere
  • Utopiales Nantes
    Nantes, France
    October 29, 2015
    France premiere
  • Hollywood Shorts Film Festival
    Hollywood, CA
    October 18, 2015
  • Anchorage International Film Festival
    Anchorage Alaska
    December 5, 2015
    Alaska premiere
  • Filmstock Film Festival
    Arizona
    December 5, 2015
    Best Production Design
  • Fantastic Planet Film Festival
    Sydney Australia
    November 28, 2015
    Best Animated Film
  • Maverick Movie Awards

    Nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Special Effects, Best Animation
  • Big As Texas Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    December 12, 2015
    Best Animation, Best Soundtrack
  • Irvine International Film Festival
    Laguna Hills, CA
    January 16, 2016
    Best Short Animation
  • Philip K. Dick Film Festival
    NYC
    January 16, 2016
    New York premiere
    Best Animation
  • California Film Awards
    San Diego, CA
    Grand Winner, Best Animated Short Film
  • International Film Festival for Youth and Children of Sousse
    Sousse, Tunisia
    March 26, 2016
    Africa premiere
  • I Hella Love Shorts
    San Francisco, CA
    March 26, 2016
  • Maryland International Film Festival
    Hagerstown, MD
    April 2, 2016
    Maryland premiere
  • Fantastic Cinema & Craft Beer Festival
    Little Rock, AR
    April 9, 2016
    Arkansas premiere
  • LepreCon 42
    Pheonix, AZ
    United States
    June 26, 2016
Director Biography - Eric Law Anderson

Eric Law Anderson graduated from the film school at the University of Southern California. His films have played at festivals all over the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, and have won many honors, among them a College Emmy, Best Short Film at the Los Angeles Film Festival, a Grand Remi from Worldfest-Houston, and more than 50 other awards. He started his professional career at Columbia/Sony Pictures, writing a sci-fi feature film (unproduced) based on his original story. He's a native of Louisville, KY and a member of the Writer's Guild of America.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Also available in Spanish or French language version.

The Looking Planet is a love letter to space-faring civilizations across the universe. It took 3 years to make in my spare time on my 2007 Mac Pro home desktop computer, and features an 'alien' language that is based on the real pre-Columbian language of Kaingang, a dying language spoken by fewer than 35,000 South American natives in the remote southern regions of Brazil. On the surface it may seem like a sci-fi genre film for kids, but I'm betting audiences of all ages will see beyond its veneer to discover it has far more to offer. This was a self-funded passion project that required a lot of sacrifice and determination to complete. It was also designed specifically for theatrical exhibition, and we hope to reach as many people in the theater as possible, where it was meant to be seen.

"Life, for ever dying to be born afresh, for ever young and eager, will presently stand upon this earth as upon a footstool, and stretch out its realm amidst the stars." -H. G. Wells