CRADLE: UNSOULED - THE ANIMATIC MOVIE Brings Will Wight’s Epic Fantasy Story to Life
Fans of progression fantasy have something seriously cool to sink their teeth into with Cradle: Unsouled – The Animatic Movie, a two-hour animatic feature adapting the first two books of Will Wight’s massively popular Cradle series.
This project was fully funded through a 2024 Kickstarter campaign and stands as a major step toward bringing Lindon’s journey to life in animated form.
The animatic adapts Unsouled and Soulsmith, presenting a black-and-white, hand-drawn version of the story that captures the scope, violence, and emotional drive of the source material.
It was directed and drawn by Jay Oliva and David Hartman of Lex + Otis Studios, both veteran animators with deep experience in genre storytelling.
While this isn’t full animation, it gives a strong sense of what a completed animated feature could look and feel like, especially with the motion, staging, and performances already in place.
Here’s the full official description of the project:
“This is the two-hour animatic movie adaptation of the first two books in the Cradle series funded by the Kickstarter campaign we ran in 2024! Enjoy this journey through Unsouled and Soulsmith.
“This animatic was directed and hand-drawn by veteran animators Jay Oliva and David Hartman of Lex + Otis Studios. It includes an original score and a top-notch voice cast featuring Matt Mercer, Steve Blum, Travis Baldree, Kari Wahlgren, Phil LaMarr, Baraka May, Sumalee Montano, Matthew Yang King, Morla Gorrondona and Maxine Phoenix.
“The script was written by Will Wight himself with the help of Cradle fanatic and writer/producer Cory Gustke. Original score composed by Frederik Wiedmann. Even though it is black and white and hand-drawn, we would rate this as PG-13. There is quite a bit of violence.
“An “animatic” is the step before full animation. Since it is hand-drawn, the character designs aren’t perfectly consistent from scene to scene. If we were able to pair with a studio to fully animate this project, the characters would be “on model” and look consistent (like our fully animated concept trailer linked below) and the motion would be fluid.
We have real hope of that happening because of the funding of this animatic project.”
At its core, Unsouled tells the story of Lindon, a kid born without sacred arts in a world where everyone else has them. Labeled an outcast in his own clan, Lindon refuses to accept his place at the bottom.
Through clever thinking, forbidden techniques, and sheer stubborn determination, he finds a way to advance. His journey takes a sharp turn when he glimpses a future catastrophe and meets Yerin, a deadly swordswoman with her own haunted past. Together, they leave Sacred Valley in search of real power and a way to stop what’s coming.
Soulsmith expands that world as Lindon steps into the wider Cradle, reaches Copper, and begins learning soulsmithing under Gesha of the Fisher clan. He navigates ancient ruins, crosses paths with dangerous factions like the Jai clan and the Sandvipers, and gains allies that will shape his future, including Dross.
The story leans hard into growth, experimentation, and survival, showing just how fast Lindon is willing to push himself to protect his home.
The animatic format means viewers should expect rougher edges. Character designs shift slightly from scene to scene, and movement isn’t fully fluid. That said, the voice cast and Frederik Wiedmann’s original score do a lot of heavy lifting, giving the project weight and momentum. It’s also worth noting this is rated PG-13 due to the amount of violence, even without full animation.
As a proof of concept, Cradle: Unsouled – The Animatic Movie does exactly what it needs to do. It shows how well Cradle translates to the screen and why this story deserves a fully animated treatment.
If this animatic helps get the project paired with a studio for full production, that would be an awesome next step. I’d love to see the movie fully completed, and this feels like a strong first swing.