What combines transforming 1940s tanks and airplanes, Wolverine claws, The Matrix-like slow motion robot kung fu, and an atomic bomb with a clock ticking backwards to zero? A new digital short by animator Vincent Chai, a recent graduate of the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, called World War. The scene is 100 years after WWII, the place is Hiroshima, Japan 2045 A.D.

Created using off-the-shelf tools such as Maya, Photoshop and After Effects, Chai manages to effectively create a sense of sci-fi drama around a very old theme. The anniversary of the tragic real-life bombing of Hiroshima came and went on August 6th, but if the historic battle still lingers in your mind this might be an interesting way to kick-start your brain into the future again. Check out the video here.

Vincent Chai via Albotas