Ethan Hawke lends his voice to Baobab Studios animated short ‘Invasion.’
Hollywood star Ethan Hawke has no shortage of fantastic films on his resume. The man has been in everything from award-winning dramas, to complex sci-fi thrillers and anything in-between. I mean have you ever seen Gattaca? It’s almost TOO good. So what do you do when you’re an accomplished actor who’s seen and done it all? You lend your talents to a brand new medium of immersive technology that could change the very fabric of modern-day storytelling is what!
Invasion is an animated short film about an eclectic group of bunnies and two aliens with unknown goals. ‘The Hawke,’ as I affectionately refer to him, takes the role of narrator to introduce the audience to the film’s protagonists.
The team behind the short, Baobab Studios, were reportedly looking for a voice with great impact and gravitas, and were thrilled when they discovered Ethan was extremely interested in virtual reality after they initially approached him with the project. Baobab CEO and cofounder Maureen Fan stated that the decision to garner the support of a hollywood household name was a deliberate one, as the studio is seeking to produce virtual reality content for the masses as opposed to a niche, hardcore market.
The short is set to premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival later this week in New York City. Although the film is only 7 minutes in length, Baobab is currently working on releasing an episodic series featuring the two aliens via their own app. This is also where they will be playing around with the possible future monetization of VR content.
If you’d like to check out a sample of the film, you can watch a small clip via YouTube (below). Unfortunately, the teaser does not include the velvety-sounds of Mr. Hawke.
