Rob Munday

There’s a popular expression that claims ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’, but I’m not sure that counts if you’ve just witnessed your loved one skewered by a hiking stick. Festival-favourite Wild Love follows a romantic couple who see their dream camping trip quickly turn to a nightmare, after they accidentally make rodent kebabs.

Screened at festivals world-wide, Wild Love may begin like a dreamy rom-com, as we frolic in the wild flowers and watch heart-shaped clouds drift by, but it only takes a minute for the tone to drastically change when a selfie-related mishap ends in a bloody fatality. With a climax including a corpse puppet, this unforgettable animation ends more like a gore-filled revenge movie as an army of sharp-toothed marmots look for retribution.

A fun-filled, blood-soaked thrill ride that is set to shock and entertain online audiences, as much as it has festival crowds, Wild Love was created by five students from French school École des Nouvelles Images and co-directed by MegaComputeur’s Corentin Yvergniaux.

The second collaboration between the education establishment and the animation collective, after Hors Piste, the shorts share much in common – style, tone and festival success – and carries on the long-standing tradition of action-packed shorts coming from French animation schools, going all the way back to classics like Oktapodi and Meet Buck.

Online for a limited time, watch this animated crowdpleaser while you can and show it some love at its Facebook page below.