Title: BRUTUS
Director: JoJo Scanlon
Starring: Will Brady, John A. Bryant, Alexsia Tarquinii, My Linh Tinnirella
Runtime: 14 mins

What It Is: Taking place in an anthropomorphic, modern-day Las Vegas, Brutus (Brady) is an introverted, shut-in gorilla who loves watching anime at home. His friends, the charismatic, fried, drug-dealing Nicky (Bryant) and cold yet cool alienness Violet (Tarquini) drag him out to a poppin’ house party on the promise of a free dinner. At the shindig, Brutus is faced with a challenge to win a tense game of beer pong to win the favor of his crush, a confident tigress named Lily (Tinnirella).

What We Think: What the heck, I love this!! I’m lucky enough to have met the director and creator JoJo, quite coincidentally, also at a house party. From there, I’ve been honored to screen this up-and-coming festival indie darling from the comfort of my home. What makes it even richer is the idea that this is a pilot, and let me educate you, Snobs, but this is worth such an investment as it left me wanting more. It reminds of previous animation productions like Bojack Horseman, Bridge Kids, and Smiling Friends. The animation is easy on the eyes, with cartoonish and playful designs and a range of colorful characters ranging from a Spongebob-esque fish to fried food, to a variety of other animals and out-there things. The short’s style lends itself to this comfy, homemade feel while still setting itself up for visual gags–which is to mention this short is hilarious. Every. Joke. Lands. All the main cast of characters, thanks to the writing, design, and performances, are instantly and increasingly likable, and overall, you just want to see more from Brutus.

Our Grade: A; Absurdly cute, dorky, and funny, Brutus is a new animated endeavor tackled by a humble and talented team that doesn’t skimp on jokes and expressions. Being a Vegas-born-and-raised native, the short feels even closer and more of a comfort as, for all of us Las Vegans or even any other socially active adult who’s a child at heart, we relate to Brutus and his friends’ embarkments on having fun and doing something different, a little or a lot at a time. I’ll be sure to keep an ear out for when this comes out as a series!

https://brutustheshow.com/