Horned Cook, Gola | Calarts 2022

A dragon enters his living room, trying to remember something... He then goes to work.
My 4th year film at Calarts!
Music & Sound by Paul Michael Cardon. (www.paulmichaelcardon.com/)
Gola voiced by Joe Thad Deahl ( / thad_the_adult )
Broccoli voiced by Tim Eterno ( / ragtagstuff )
Dog voiced by John Whinfield ( / jakmockery_ )
Film by Adam Musa Othman
You can find more of my work here;
www.adammusa.com/
/ admooosa
/ admooosa
Watch other films made by my classmates: • 2022 CalArts Character...

[@lucarleigho]

My friend has a similar problem where, as a kid, she suffered a massive sunburn that destroyed many of the nerves that detect heat. She cant feel heat and often burns herself without realizing. I have to remind her to wear mitts and take off her jacket in the summer. Wonderful storytelling, i love the disability rep in this!

[@eerivalkama855]

wait, a disability?

[@BananaReidy]

Agreed this stuff needs to be made known. Especially in work places.

[@sneebler5996]

Wow, don't bad childhood sunburns just completely fuck up your risk of skin cancer as an adult? Stay safe y'all we can't photosynthesize

[@nadianahar2776]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqrKkKVspZl8rLs

[@nadianahar2776]

@@Nika44kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqrKkKVspZl8rLs

[@jennyduong2466]

I really enjoy how supportive the coworkers/friends are. The dog chef may seem very gruff and stern, but he shows that he cares for Gola by making sure Gola goes home and rests. The Broccoli friend keeps an eye out for them and pulls them back when Gola got caught up in trying to touch the fire.

[@SquirtleSquad443]

Broccoli friend is so sweet

[@spinningninja2]

I actually kept catching the hints but I really thought he was just a fireproof dragon, hahaha. Wonderful story, and beautifully animated!!

[@laupiehouppette8002]

Same, i tought he was a dragon. That would have explained why fire and smoke fascinated him.

[@mrk8827]

I also though that until i saw the newspaper at the end

[@vladimirchizhov3260]

I think it has some connection. He is a dragon, but the only part of being a dragon he kept (aside from whiskers and second pair of hands) is low sensitivity to physical damages)))

[@Kiruklee]

He WHACKS his snout on that shelf so quickly you don't even notice it the first time because of the quality editing. Your visual storytelling is incredible.

[@ThevoicesaregettinglouderTABBY]

When dis?

[@Kiruklee]

@@ThevoicesaregettinglouderTABBY 2:09. It's why his snout has the scuffing.

[@jacqlyn04]

I love how this film makes you do a double take, at least I did. When I noticed he decided to wear gloves to take out the chicken at the end unlike the beginning, it made me realize that the burn was actually from before, when he took out a hot tray from an oven with his bare hands.

[@fennecwolfox]

Yeah, I'd noticed him not using gloves at first and figured "Oh, he's a dragon, he's probly naturally immune to fire or something."

[@PerishersChamber]

@@fennecwolfox that's what i also thought lmao

[@sdbegotist]

Rewatching the opening, you can hear the sizzle sound when he takes the chicken out

[@fennecwolfox]

@@sdbegotist Being fair, I can sometimes hear a sizzling sound when I take chicken out of the oven too, usually if it's been cooking in its own juices or something. That's not terribly uncommon, so I didn't even notice.

[@sdbegotist]

@@fennecwolfox same here, I assumed it was the chicken too.

[@0Thianna0]

Absolutely charming! I rewatched it after the ending and the hidden hints and details that he can’t feel pain and got burned were so cleverly shown (the photograph from his childhood where he was reaching for the burning candle, the red ✋ traffic sign, working tirelessly, peering through burning hot steam etc). You are a fantastic storyteller!

[@Stick_and_stone]

Was the traffic sign meant to relate to burning? Red is a common colour for a sign to stop, including walking. Seems like it's 50/50 wether it's coincidentally similar to Gola burning his hand or wether it was intentional fore-shadowing.

[@0Thianna0]

@@Stick_and_stone There’s three different pedestrian stop signs used (plain good ol’ 🔴, the red hand and the red person standing still) which is why I thought the use of the ✋ was intentional since there are other options! It could be coincidental of course 🤷‍♀

[@sushicraft6155]

He has four arms yet he only has a jacket that has two sleeves

[@574guy]

At first, I just assumed he just had higher heat tolerance because he looked like a dragon

[@mincrafter1572]

And also when he touched the hot tray out of the oven

[@craziestperson294]

Awwwwwwwww, my dad can't feel pain in his right arm and he gets hurt without realizing it just like this. Recently he was helping me get something out the oven and we both just hear "szzZzzzZzz" and he calmly realizing that his hand was touching the side of the oven, practically cooking, this whole video just reminds me over him 🥺

[@davidd15377]

If you listen closely you can hear a noise as Gola takes the pan out of the oven in the opening. The first time around I assumed it was the turkey!

[@Number1JettDawsonShrimp]

I remembered thinking when I was watching at 00:39 that it was surprising he didn't burn his hand at all, so I really like the subtle detail that if you pay attention at 03:10 you can actually notice that the hand he reaches out with is his other hand, meaning he was telling the truth when he says that the burn was from something that happened at home. Also the "WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE" that you can hear in the background at 02:21 is a nice touch. *EDIT:* Just noticed that at 02:53 you can actually see the burn on his other hand, before he even reaches out for the flame. Very nice foreshadowing on that detail.

[@microwave221]

Including a flash to the mitt in the opening was a nice touch, gives a clue that he isn't actually heatproof since he probably wouldn't own them if he was

[@RFakonWolf_Art]

It's super heartwarming everyone at work is looking out for him. His fire obsession clearly makes him struggle at work, but not a single one of them blames him for the accident or scolds him for not trying to stop the fire. He's not in this alone... What a supportive work environment it just makes me cry.

[@amberkatanimations6585]

I love how the dog seems more like a business figure, with his stern-ness and the fact that you can't see his eyes. And then he takes off his glasses, and you get this huge feeling of humanity and it shows that he really does care. Visibility of eyes is VERY important and how it's used here really helps with the idea of the boss dog!

[@Something_human]

I love his little face at 5:13, it's so cute. Character design overall is just adorable. He's just a happy guy!

[@AssistantCoreAQI]

Lil' Derg Face.

[@erickmaverick3128]

This short is very charming, and I love the anthromorphic characters. Looks like something out of a picture book. Would love to see a full on series.

[@MicroTurtl]

Wow, whoever voiced the dog is super talented!

[@Scholar_Varius]

This is a lovely little animation! I love all the little details and foreshadowing, most of which I only caught on a second viewing - Gola whacking his snout on the shelf, him wearing oven gloves at the end, but most notably, the brief glimpse of the burn marks on his hand at 2:53, before he goes reaching for the fire, gave me that moment of 'Oh he -did- burn his hand back at home'! Very adorable stuff here, all around

[@sleepyphases6465]

2:53 if you pause it and look at his hand you can see that he didnt get burned on the fire but he got burned by the Turkey so he wasn't lying lol

[@nicoleedwards4727]

This is really entertainingly interesting how he doesn't feel pain but I didn't realize it until the end and the head chief was really nice to Gola.

[@genetlair5999]

Seeing a multi-limbed dragon that’s not part of the How To Train Your Dragon franchise is kinda jarring but interesting at the same time :)

[@sarasuarez5529]

my god the broccoli and the main character are adorable. The ambiance of this film is dream. too

[@hollowsbest]

oh this is wonderful, so very cute!! I'm glad that all gola's coworkers/friends are supportive of him and his disability :> (one little gripe I have is now his lower set of arms seems very on/off on occasion though I can understand how difficult it is to use all a character's limbs if they've got more than the standard four. (especially in animation like this) I just have a few characters of my own with four arms so I'm very hyperaware of using all limbs at my disposal as it were)

[@hollowsbest]

this is definitely one of my favourite shortfilms from calarts this year though!! very very sweet and charming :D

[@renshi101]

I like how the boss genuinely cared for Gola when he saw that he got hurt💕💕 This is so cute and charming!!

[@localscissors4036]

This was really fun to watch. Love the creative art style and designs and nice music. By the end I realized he had CIPA which made me excited to see casual inclusion of a lesser known disability, so I searched to see if there were any animations that might include my disability. There wasn’t, but because I searched I found out doctors have recently developed a type of glasses that might restore my sight to full, which means I can drive safely again. So thank you guys so much for making this, I’m very glad I watched it. If this hadn’t inspired me to search on KZbin I would’ve never found out. Anyway I love this. Good job.

[@centipededotgov]

This is animated beautifully.. Your style has such a vibrant, yet cozy feel to it! Loved watching this from start to finish, incredible job to all involved!!

[@pnutplum3919]

Animating all four arms and hands was such a flex, literally

[@momma_bal]

i wanna give him a hug (also nice Gordon Ramsay "Wheres. the. lamb. SAUCE "reference)

[@qcumberSodazz]

The amount of detail put into this is just dazzling! I especially love when we see Gola stick his head through the steam of the pots like it’s nothing, but when Dog tries to reach through, he recoils in pain. Neat little foreshadowing. Such a charming short film with an absolutely wonderful use of character design and color!

[@jeefberky9101]

Wasn't clear on why he was so transfixed by the flame, but lovely nonetheless, immaculate vibes. Also, pleasantly surprised by his boss, it's nice to see representation for bosses that aren't strictly assholes

[@Loreboar0]

I think bc he’s a dragon, and also bc he feels no pain so he is more transfixed by fire than afraid of it like others would be

[@katiemcguinness662]

This. was. INCREDIBLE. Something about this film just filled me with nostalgia and comfort and warmth. I absolutely adore the character designs and the way you animate is so true to life and filled with expression. Congratulations on making this beautiful piece of art. I can't wait to see more of your work in the future!

[@ember-fire7583]

I loved everything about this film, everyone brought a cozy but comforting feeling to it and it was splendid to watch from the beginning to end!! I loved the representation in this too, along with the details and how it was animated. Astounding work on this and bravo to all who took part!!

[@ChichiAi]

Really wonderful work! :D

[@MEXICANSHARK8146]

man, incredible history i have only heard of this kind of cases of not pain, so it was a curious and creative idea I think, also i love the form of animation and the fact that the characters are all wierd things like dragons or dogs, or brocoli but yet they feel so normal, for me a great work of animation

[@GeltyDrake]

This is a delight to watch... you end all warm inside at the end. The colors, the music... the sounds... the movements and the expressions ALL!

[@MrRedwires]

This is a lovely little animation! At first it feels comfortably explorative, as we're not sure where this is heading - but in retrospect it already starts with a lot of important and good details that get resolved nicely, which is just what should happen. Movements feel fluid in a really neatly stylized way, and together with the muted, earthy palette it gives a very homely, kind of cozy feeling that is very pleasant to look at. All the characters are lovely in variation while maintaining a consistent style too. All in all, this is a wonderful little piece

[@Naja14pdf]

I honestly love this. I feel bad because I'm unintentionally critical of short films like this but this knocks it out of the park. Every accpect of the story telling is great, the character designs are cute as well as creative and well thought out. They clearly did their research and their time in order to make this a very high quality animation. From the deeper things like neurodiversity and disabilities to common things in a culinary career and every day life. As someone who went to culinary school there were things I noticed and understood and from what I understood from the comments people with common knowledge can relate. I honestly and truly love this!

[@dnpanimationstudio382]

Gola’s a really sweet guy and it seems like he’s always wanting to help like helping that guy with that frosting or helping with dishes. I can see why his coworkers and boss look out for him so much💖

[@ciarrawansley8511]

This style of animation remind me like a kids book. Also love how animation give little hints how Gola react differently in his workplace and in his home as well.

[@lilblkrose]

The hidden foreshadowing, the pace, the voice actors, and music- so well done, I keep rewatching. Everything and everyone is so charming.

[@MadGameBoy]

At first I assumed he didnt feel heat cuz hes a dragon. I noticed the mittenless oven grab, & the hot steam the first time through That and the fact he has a high desire to be near hot things, like the chestnuts & open fire... When I saw the burn it threw me for a loop. I was like "but hes a dragon"

[@LordoftheFore]

This was so good! I'm so happy to see it after seeing Gola on your twitter for what felt like so long. Outstanding.

[@fulanodetal3000]

I came from twitter too! It feels great seeing it all come together

[@oldfashionedboots2774]

That wasn’t the voice I was expecting for him, but it fits perfectly

[@frannavarro-efejota-5018]

As an artist with delicate hands I can also read it from a different angle. It's easy to get carried away and ignore the pain signals...

[@moonzyyy8437]

This was such a delight to watch. Not only was the twist compounded by the characters charm, but the way everything was presented stacked on itself so well! The way we focused on Golas expressions while broccoli explained the story, mwhua it brought so much life to it. I see a lot of potential, this runs like a Disney short ^^

[@OrdinaryPenguin4499]

I love the fact that you can hear in the background “Lamb sauce” 2:22

[@Tipsy_Turby]

This is amazing, amazing job. :)))

[@shaydilane2172]

Gosh that was just delightful. Beautifully animated and such an amazing little story! I love the freedom of the character designs! People, animals, vegetables, and a dragon?? Really visually pleasing and creative. Masterpiece!

[@radmirah1242]

1:39 making mother of all omelettes here, Gola. Can't fret over every egg.

[@a_sea_of_serpents]

If only my old workplace was this supportive. I cut two of my fingers and they still forced me to work. Thank god I saw able to quit. :(

[@charlottemedina8209]

This was the most wholesome animated story I've watched. Imagine if everyone was so kind, supportive, and caring through actions like Gola's coworkers.

[@CapemanProducti0ns]

Hahah, making us think he's a fireproof dragon. Very clever.

[@iciclepops]

Ohhh my gosh i LOVE it! ❤💞💖❤ The whole thing! Such charming character design and Gola is so relatable in a way that may or maynot be intended (as a person with ADD, I find Gola's movements and mannerisms very comforting) And the animation is just chef's kiss (pun intended) Everything's as polished as granite and the overall vibe is so cozy and warm and nice I just LOVE this short film so bad

[@elahdasey]

This is such a well made animation!!! The storytelling, character designs, animation, everything is so amazingly done! I'd love to see a sequel, a whole serise if possible!!

[@flyingteacup8369]

this was really cool. at first, I thought since he was a dragon. that`s why he couldn`t feel the heat, like maybe he was heat resistance or something. but no, it was because he can`t feel pain. great job, this was delightful.

[@catsrup123]

I was so confused why he was pacing around, and thought he only liked fire because he was a dragon but loved how it was told why at the end

[@whyyes]

At first when he took the food out of the oven I was like, wait doesn’t that hurt, oh it’s cause he’s a dragonlike is fireproof or something, so I didn’t anything till the headline spelled it out for me at the end lol

[@JordanSullivanadventures]

This animation is so charming. I love the mix of visual storytelling and the lovely dialog scenes

[@thetwistedsamurai]

When I first watched this I thought it was normal that he didn't get hurt by fire/heat, because he's a dragon, but that also makes sense why he can't feel it...

[@chaosbean6320]

This was great, i really enjoyed it. Also, at the very beginning, i was thinking "my guy, that must be hot, it came out if the oven, you are burning your hand," but it was never brought up again, so i assumed that he was fine. It was a nice bit if foreshadowing/storytelling

[@littlehibiscus8118]

Dude having four arms would be sick. Gola is super cute too

[@DemiBirdDoes]

Omg those little bird waiters...I wanna see a whole swarm of them.

[@aiksi5605]

"Cook that cannot feel pain" doesn't sound like a good combo when they are around knives huh

[@amberkaljumagi1243]

The details in this are incredible! I had to watch it back to back to see them all! He burnt his right hand while bringing the chicken to the table (with out gloves). You could even hear the sizzling sound. 😬 While in the kitchen he hits his head, looks through steam, whisks unfazed, and even gets a pot dropped on his head. But after all of that he says that it does not hurt. All of his chef friends look after him! ❤️

[@HelmLord5792]

It was from earlier. When he took the chicken out of the oven! Also very heartwarming (not in the same way as the hot pan that is.)

[@user-nd7rd8jo6h]

Thought nothing of him holding that pan straight out of the oven cause he was so casual...

[@netba_art]

I enjoyed every bit of the film, love the art, the voices and the sound, and I love the message :3

[@Natureboy224]

This is very heartwarming, and such high quality too. Thank you for sharing it, I'm glad you exist. Have a wonderful day.

[@lupita_Arsi]

I come back to this animation every year, it's beautiful. Thank you for making such charming characters!

[@lucus6458]

This is amazing! I love the hints through out that reveal the twist that you don't get on a first viewing! I hope you have a long and successful career

[@freebooterluckless]

My girlfriend and I are watching several student-made films as she considers applying to Cal Arts. This was REALLY good!

[@apilho2495]

Man im in love with this,the art style is amazing,the voice acting is also very good i loved the characters and i love the story,it reminds me of my wife she does this sometimes so i always keep my eyes oh her when she is cooking to make sure she doesn't get burned

[@cheesenipspartymix]

ngl until i saw the burn i just thought he was like a fire dragon tbh LOL

[@RelicAndre]

I loved the energy you brought with just the opening and that energy just kept expanding with every new scene. I love your work and I'm look forward to seeing you go further in your career

[@lukeaustinnn]

Legend has it that they are still looking for the lamb sauce

[@lrgogo1517]

Something about the two appearances of the title cards goes so hard

[@NessLover94]

I must give Gola credit. Just like him, I don't want to go home early from work because of an injury.

[@Onlyonedch]

Oh this is clever. I just chucked the whole he can't feel fire and being attracted to heat to him being a red dragon.

[@fronksquarebrain6109]

you can faintly hear Gordon Ramsay saying "lamb sauce" at 2:22

[@nyssarc146]

-ayee august 16th thats my birthday- I thought it was weird that he didnt put on gloves before pulling the chicken out! The story, the characters and the animation are all lovely, i love this. I did have to take a second watch through to catch all the little details lol

[@renomay8365]

Beautifully animated

[@bjt_bjt]

Nawh cause seeing this again makes me so happy, its so cute

[@BananaReidy]

Love how the animation is so clean and simply marvelous.

[@lemonshark5292]

This is genuinely one of my favorite animations ^w^

[@Cameron_The_Corgi]

Holy balls very subtle and than the ending hit me and had rewatch and was like "Daaaamn! that makes a lot of sense" [found out about this animation through a twitter retweet] wonderful work!

[@animasketch66]

i love this so much, i had been watching this over and over probably till 5 times more?

[@woIf]

This is such a flawless animation but i can't let go of what it's depicting (disability in the workplace.). in the real world 9 times out of 10 what actually happens is that your coworkers just slowly start to resent you for inconveniencing them over a period of months or years before they finally find an excuse to fire you. Usually, they never even believed you were disabled in the first place, and much of their apparent helpfulness to you is rooted in wanting to feel good for helping disabled people without actually caring for or understanding them

[@DreamingGeno]

This is one of my favorite things this whole year. ❤

[@bradbradleyart]

Oh this is absolutely genius. SO CLEVER. so fun to watch his absolute joy and delight. Ugh what a fun bright world youve created

[@anxxty]

Amazing work!!!!! the movement, color, expression, design and the sound effects just match perfectly with it! also the music is *chefs kiss* thats a pun sskdksdk

[@Tsubahi]

Charming cartoon with charming characters. 😊

[@GrahamcrackerToonz]

i first saw the rough sketch of the opening shot on twitter last year and ive been following the production ever since. its great to see it finished. fantastic work!

[@drawnbydaniel]

Such a charming story! Your animation style is delightful, and together with the incredible score gives your films such life and freshness. Love the way you handle the simplified backgrounds!

[@unikadas]

Oh this is pretty, it would make a nice uplifting series.

[@bogpaddle]

wonderful work! I didn't even notice the hints the first time around!

[@sneebler5996]

The vegetable people are delightful

[@OpEditorial]

So the conflict is *Occupational Health & Safety*, there's no further explanation why Gola is a dragon, who's work mates include an anthropomorphic piece of broccoli, a talking dog and a human... among other species

[@lrkeribergaard]

aaaww he's adoreble

[@datoneguy3135]

yknow what, with something as wonderful as this right here, i know that you'll go on to do wonderful things

[@Desilent49]

Was smiling throughout the whole thing. Great job : D

[@lordopossum3479]

I'm crying this is so so so beautiful

[@ZekerPotPie]

Goodness this was so lovely! It’s not everyday you see this kind of disability in media, so it’s really cool to see it here. The animation, storytelling, and music is sooo good too. I love this

[@k1lljoy07]

absolutely love this