NIGHT DRIVE — EP. 1: “IT FOLLOWED ME”

Izzy has a secret she doesn't want her boyfriend Marlon to know. Tonight one of those secrets gets a little too close to home.

Four minutes, 4K, and the most notable thing about it is the framing: not a short, not a test, but EP. 1 of an original animated series. A one-off can coast on a striking look; a pilot has to establish characters you'd follow into episode two. Dodd sets up a couple, a secret, and a nocturnal routine, then lets the title do the threatening. Serialized generative animation has been the stated goal of a lot of creators for two years, and the hard part was never the first episode; it's holding a look steady across a run of them. Episode one is a strong opening argument.