Animation | Underland: Golden Binoculars (2025)

Underland: Golden Binoculars is a six-minute digital animation that presents a sharp philosophical question hidden beneath a beautiful, fairy-tale-like aesthetic. It is a vivid visualization of "Underland," a conceptual universe I have developed and refined over a long period. Planned and directed under my creative vision, and brought to life through technical collaboration with Premier AI Creative, this work took a year to complete, bringing together characters from my artistic journey into a grand narrative. By following the children who march toward utopia and "Present," the watcher who controls them, the film invites viewers into a profound, cyclical narrative shaped by the shackles of illusion.

황금망원경_260525_ver1.mp4

Animation | Underland: Golden Binoculars

Once, there was a quiet and peaceful village. A young boy lived there with his parents and fellow villagers, their days passing like those of a close-knit family, free from worldly worries. Every night, a single bright star would appear in the sky, filling the villagers with an inexplicable, mysterious hope.

Then one day, an android woman named Present arrived in the village. She wore a dress adorned with clockwork gears, and atop her head rested a shimmering, translucent city. Her voice was both gentle and piercing as she spoke:

"I have come from that star. It is a star of infinite wealth and happiness. With these Golden Binoculars, you can reach that star. The journey is long and costly—but it is a worthy investment in your child’s future."

At first, the villagers hesitated. But soon, they began competing to trade everything they owned for the Golden Binoculars. Parents dressed their children in oversized clothes and sent them to Present’s secret chamber—hoping to secure a future full of promise and prepare them for the arduous journey ahead.

Inside her hidden room, Present gently sealed each child’s mouth with a spell, rendering them silent. Then she coated their bodies in a white liquid—a necessary ritual for traversing the enchanted path. The Golden Binoculars fused to their eyes as if bound by fate. Without a word, the children set off on their long pilgrimage.

It was a strange path, unbound by ordinary time or space. Though they walked side by side, they could not see one another. Their only choice was to run toward the distant, glowing gates of utopia.

Years passed. The boy and the other children grew, their once-oversized clothes now fitting snugly. When they finally reached the utopian gates, the Golden Binoculars crumbled away, and the white liquid vanished without a trace.

Beyond the gates lay a dazzling city. At first, its brilliance left them in awe—but soon, they felt only disappointment at its cold emptiness. There, the boy reunited with a girl he had once played with in the village. They fell in love and had a child.

Yet within the city’s monotonous gray routines, Present returned—not in person, but through billboards and television screens: "A new utopia awaits you. Wear the Golden Binoculars." Once again, the people lined up. The man gave everything he had to buy the binoculars for his child.

He dressed them in oversized robes, coated them in the white liquid, and sent them down the same enchanted path.

Just like their parents before them, the children ran blindly toward the light.

The truth? That path was nothing but a colossal hamster wheel. And in the distance, a giant Present stood, shining a spotlight to lure in more children. An endless cycle, a mirage of hope that would never be fulfilled.

Had there ever been a real utopia?