With more and more animation companies reaching out to crowdfunding as a way to create what they want without being held back by committees or sponsors, it’s no surprise to see another project sprout up, this time by Gainax co-founder Toshio Okada and Livedoor founder Takafumi Horie. With 63 days still left on the campaign, their short film, Rocket-Dan, has already reached its 1.5 million yen (roughly $13,770) goal. As of the posting of this article, the film has acquired 2,657,000 yen (roughly $24,357) in funding.
The three to ten minute short film is part of a collaboration started in 2013 between Okada and Horie called the Everyone’s Anime Project (Minna no Anime Project). The name is taken to heart, as many of the backer rewards for the campaign are auditions to join the staff. The roles range from voice actor, animator, character designer, storyboard artist, and even director. However, Takafumi Horie serves as chief director of the overall project.
Rocket-Dan revolves around a world where technology has made many strives while space flight hasn’t been touched in five decades. Enter the main character, a mobile app developer billionaire with a dream to finally put humanity back on track for the stars. From financial audits, low funding, an eclectic team made up of ramen shop owners and artists, and a rival company, many obstacles lay in his way as he strives for his goal of space travel.
A preview was shown in the campaign:
