'The Alchemist's Letter' Short Film Trailer: John Hurt Has Built A Glorious Machine

The Alchemist's Letter is a new short film from animator Carlos Andre Stevens, based at Laika's commercial subdivision, Laika/house. While Laika is known primarily as a stop-motion animation company, Laika/house did a variety of work, and this is a CG short (reportedly Laika/house's last) featuring the voices of John Hurt and Eloise Webb. The Alchemist's Letter trailer is really pretty, with just as many interesting sights as featured in many "big" films, and has us looking forward to the full short.

Carlos Andre Stevens previously made the short Toumai, for which he was a 2008 student Academy Award nominee, and he also has an extensive commercial portfolio.

The Alchemist's Letter will play festivals beginning in May 2015. Trailer via IndieWire.

In The Alchemist's Letter, Veridian receives an inheritance from his late alchemist father Nicolas (Hurt). His father built a boisterous gold making machine powered by his own memories. The film takes us on a delightfully captivating journey through the vessels of this machine. We explore and discover the contents of the alchemist's most precious memories, all in an attempt to teach his son one last life lesson and repair his relationship with his daughter (Webb). In hope of his son not following down his same fateful path.