The Box Assassin
| The Box Assassin | |
|---|---|
| File:The Box Assasin release poster.png Release Poster | |
| Directed by | Jeremy Schaefer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 3 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,000 |
Search The Box Assassin on Amazon.
The Box Assassin is a 2020 action-animation short film independently created by Jeremy Shaefer.[1] Although Shaefer is currently an employee at DreamWorks, the studio did not assist in the production of the film. It follows a pizza delivery boy's run-in with a legendary assassin, one that is able to hide in boxes of any size and shape.
Funds to create the film were raised on crowdsourcing website Kickstarter. Released on July 6, 2020 on YouTube, it went viral, amassing almost 30 million views to-date.[2] It also received positive reception from ScreenRant and NeonSplatter.[3][4] A sequel film series is currently in development.
Plot
The short opens with Craig telling a story to his friend Franklin about his encounter with the legendary "Box Assassin". Franklin is unconvinced of the encounter, and explains that The Box Assassin shows up in UPS Boxes, but also mailboxes, birthday boxes, boomboxes, even matchboxes. Craig recalls the event and retells it. He was down at the docks delivering a pizza. As he gets out of his car, he explains that the pizza is for someone named Jax. A gang of armed men appear in front of him, and the leader pulls out a knife and the men converge on Craig. As one is about to shoot him, The Box Assassin jumps out of the box, armed with two guns. He takes down two of the gang members. Craig becomes frightened and hides in his car. A man jumps into the car and forces him to make a getaway. Before he is successful, the Assassin jumps out of the glovebox and shoots the intruder. Craig jumps out, and although the assassin appears as though he is about to shoot him, he doesn't and instead gives Craig a large pile of money. The Box Assassin immediately disappears. The story cuts with Franklin remarking that the Box Assassin "seems like a pretty good guy" and Craig agrees that "he ain't so bad" the film cuts.
Cast
- Jonathan Myles as Craig/Pizza Boy
- Adin Rudd as Jax
- Lou Lambert as The Box Assassin
- Jeremy Schnider as Franklin
Production
In 2020, Jeremy Shaefer started a KickStarter campaign to fund the project. 65 users backed the project, raising $3,000USD. Jeremy was a college student at the time, and he worked on the short as his final thesis project in Animation.[3]
The Box Assassin was created in the 3D animation software Blender.[5]
Reception
Viewership
As of January 27, 2025, it has over 29 million views on YouTube.[2]
Critical reception
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi of Screen Rant favorably compared its tone and style to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and John Wick, and remarked that "Shaefer's work is incredibly impressive, especially considering the director relied on KickStarter to help fund the short."[3] Rob Dean of neonsplatter.com was also impressed by the fact that the film was made by a single person. [4]
Future
In 2022, Jeremy Shaefer and Olan Rogers pitched an animated series based on The Box Assassin. Netflix and Fox became interested parties. Soon after the pitch, Fox entered a merger with Warner Bros. and Netflix suffered a decline in stock price. According to Jeremy, this ultimately led to negotiations over the series falling through.
However, in May 2024, Jeremy launched another KickStarter campaign, this time to fund an independently-made series. The campaign reached its goal. [6] A trailer was released in June 2024 and the series is currently in development.[7]
References
- ↑ "Blender Sighting: The Box Assassin". BlenderNation. 2024-06-01. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jeremy Schaefer (2020-08-06). The Box Assassin | Official Film. Retrieved 2025-01-27 – via YouTube.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Al-Ghamdi, Abdullah (2020-08-11). "The Box Assassin Animated Short Has Serious John Wick Vibes". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Afternoon Delights: "The Box Assassin"". Neon Splatter. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ↑ Jeremy Schaefer (2020-08-10). The Box Assassin | Shot Breakdown #1. Retrieved 2025-01-27 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Jeremy Schaefer (2024-05-30). The Box Assassin IS BACK! Kickstarter from DreamWorks Animator (Fully Funded). Retrieved 2025-01-27 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Jeremy Schaefer (2024-06-01). The Box Assassin | Indie Web Series Trailer 4K. Retrieved 2025-01-27 – via YouTube.
External links
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