The Works
The Works was a CGI film set in a post-apocalyptic future where a super-intelligent computer network controls the planet. The story centers on the lives two robots, Clyde and T-Square, though an actual plot has never been clearly defined. Despite its potential for mind-numbing amounts of cheese, “The Works” would have set a technological milestone as the first fully 3D animated film in history, predating “Toy Story” by nearly a decade.
The crew, comprised entirely of programmers and engineers, refused to hire directors or editors, and proceeded to routinely upgrade their systems to the best technology available at the time. But with every upgrade, the team had to relearn the software and start entirely from scratch. After years of struggle and delays, and with only a few minutes of footage to show for it, many of the top developers jumped ship to Lucasfilm leading to the company’s downfall. The movie was officially abandoned in 1986.
