Imagine a cartoon where the creators of Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Over the Garden Wall are forced to collaborate without talking to each other. Sounds like a recipe for chaos, right? But that’s exactly what happened with The Elephant, and the result is a mind-bending, visually stunning masterpiece—with a twist.
Published just an hour ago, The Elephant is already sparking curiosity. It’s not just another animated special; it’s a bold experiment inspired by the surrealist game Exquisite Corpse. In the early 20th century, artists played this game by creating art or stories in sequence, seeing only the barest minimum of what came before. The outcome? Often bizarre, hilarious, and utterly unpredictable. Fast forward to today, and Warner Bros. Animation’s Vishnu Athreya decided to bring this concept to the screen—but with a star-studded lineup of animators: Pendleton Ward, Patrick McHale, Rebecca Sugar, and Ian Jones-Quartey. But here’s where it gets controversial: they were forbidden from communicating about their segments.
Streaming now on HBO Max, The Elephant is a 23-minute psychedelic journey divided into three distinct acts. Each act feels like its own world, yet they somehow intertwine. Here’s the breakdown:
- Pendleton Ward kicks things off with a futuristic, video game-inspired opener that feels like a fever dream from the Adventure Time universe.
- Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey take the reins for a contemporary, music-driven middle act that’s as catchy as it is surreal.
- Patrick McHale closes with a cozy, nostalgia-soaked finale that tugs at the heartstrings, reminiscent of Over the Garden Wall’s charm.
And this is the part most people miss: The animators weren’t just working in isolation—they were actively trying to outsmart the rules. Athreya’s strict no-communication policy was meant to ensure pure creativity, but these artists are rebels at heart. Ward, for instance, sneaked in a cartoon mousetrap with a cryptic drawing of two birds, hoping others would pick up on it. Sugar and Jones-Quartey did, but McHale? Not so much. Was this a missed opportunity, or a deliberate choice? The debate is already heating up among fans.
Before diving in, the team played a traditional Exquisite Corpse game, sketching three bizarre characters. Each animator chose one to star in their segment, with one rule: the character had to die and be reborn in the next act. McHale, stuck with a Frankenstein-like monster, killed her off almost instantly—a move that doubled as a thematic reinforcement of death and rebirth. But was this a clever workaround or a cop-out? You decide.
Ward, meanwhile, was determined to bend the rules. He devised a 'jam comic'—a scrap of paper with the two birds—and passed it along via the 'Gamekeepers,' who monitored their communication. Sugar and Jones-Quartey included it, but McHale ignored it entirely. Was McHale playing by the rules, or did he miss the memo? The ambiguity is part of the fun.
Despite the chaos, The Elephant somehow works. McHale’s final act, a romantic comedy about a robot falling in love with its inventor, grounds the project in emotion. It’s a surprising yet satisfying conclusion to what could have been a disjointed mess. But here’s the real question: Is The Elephant a masterpiece of collaborative creativity, or a fascinating failure of the Exquisite Corpse concept?
One thing’s for sure: this isn’t your average cartoon. It’s a daring experiment that challenges both its creators and its audience. Whether you love it or hate it, The Elephant will leave you talking—and maybe even arguing. So, what do you think? Did the animators succeed in their impossible task, or did the lack of communication ultimately hold them back? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!
