Moscow based Russian Artist, Alexy Zakharov, demonstrates both his advanced computer animation skills as well as his obvious fandom of recently retired “Futurama.”
2013 was a sad year for fan’s of the future-based animated series. It was April of that year when Comdey Central announced that Fry and the Planet Express gang would not be coming back to our television sets. At least, not in any new episodes.
In 1997, Matt Groening coupled with Simpsons writer/producer, David X. Cohen, developed the animated series about life in the year 3000. After pitching the loosely completed concept to Fox in April of 1998, “Futurama” premiered on March 28, 1999.
“Futurama” has had a tumultuous history to say the least. In 2003, their birth-network, FOX, dropped the comedic cartoon, seemingly without reason, after it’s fourth season. Comedy Central’s Adult Swim quickly picked up the series, giving them the center spotlight.
Fast forward to early 2006. Upon successful DVD sales and a rabidly popular syndication on Adult Swim, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment re-emerged as a suitor of the series, ordering four films as a fifth season. The show officially started its second run in June of 2010. The show ran strong until April of 2013, when comedy central announced that they would not be renewing the series. The final episode aired on September 4, 2013.
Despite this seemingly being the shows permanent departure from the small screen, “Futurama” lives on in the minds, hearts and arts of it’s fan flock. In particular, Alexy Zakharov recreates the intro skyline and the planet express ship with stunning three dimensional computer modeling.
I am not saying that this is better than the cartoony appeal of the original. I am saying that this clip surely gives the familiar future environment more realism without fully departing from the animated reality that was Earth in the year 3000.
Take a look at Zakharov’s recently released series of videos and concept art re-imagining the colorful future of the show in an epic 3D format.