Permanent Collection

Giant Ant & Playdate Embrace the Darkness in “Death Metal”

Posted on Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Straddling the fine line between parody and homage, the motion design crew at Giant Ant team with Vancouver audio house Playdate and composer Adam Potts for a manic trip into the chaos and catharsis of death metal.

From Playdate: This feverish trip into the dark corners of one of rock music’s scariest subgenres was a chance to unleash our own fury in the form of wall-to-wall sound design that supercharged the custom music from Adam Potts.

Playdate also handled the voice casting with a simple brief: What if the VO was in the style of a beloved and prolific nature documentary narrator who is also an elderly English gentleman?

Images

Collage of 1980s rock musicians with guitars and drums, overlaid with bold orange lines and scribbles obscuring their faces, evoking the chaotic, energetic atmosphere of a Giant Ant & Playdate Embrace the Darkness in Death Metal short film. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A hooded, grim reaper-like figure with glowing X-shaped eyes and bat wings stands amid barbed wire, set against an orange background with abstract shapes—evoking the intense energy of a Death Metal album cover. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A razor blade lies on a dark surface with bold, cracked orange text reading RAW ENERGY overlaid across the blade—an image that pulses with the relentless intensity of Death Metal. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A snarling black dog with glowing red eyes and mouth, wearing a heavy chain collar, stands in front of a bright red panel showing a face with black and red makeup. The background is abstract and dark, creating a sinister mood reminiscent of Death Metal album art. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

The word Deathmetal is written in a distorted, fiery font with orange and cream colors on a dark background, evoking the intense energy of classic Death Metal. The dramatic design could easily fit as artwork for a Playdate game or even adorn the cover of an album featuring a Giant Ant mascot. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

A person with long hair plays an electric guitar in true death metal spirit, with red lightning beams shooting from their eyes, set against an abstract background of red streaks, chains, and textured gray elements. Frame from Stash Magazine article.

Credits

Production: Giant Ant
Director: Giant Ant
Producer: Kaely Blanche-Endicott
CD: Cesar St. Martin
Animation Director: Shawn Hight
Designer: Cesar St. Martin, Lou Papa, Sophia Ouellette
3D Animator: Shawn Hight, Diego Maclean
2D Animator: Gino Alvarez, Shawn Hight, Diego Maclean, Alex Murphy, Jon Riedell
Cell animator: Fabio Valesini,vLouis Roba, Gino Alvarez, Alex Murphy, Shawn Hight
Storyboard: Cesar St. Martin

Sound Design/Mix/Casting: Playdate
Music: Adam Potts
Narrator: Marty Rhone

Stephen Price

Stephen is the co-founder/CD of Stash Media Inc. and the executive editor of Stash Magazine and the Stash Permanent Collection.
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Category: Featured, Motion Design, Short Films · Tags: Adam Potts, Giant Ant, Playdate, Playdate Audio