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Set in the volatile streets of Moscow, rife with protests and riot police, the 2023 animated short film “Riot Doll” is like an anti-war fever dream. It follows a delivery girl caught between street chaos who wishes the war would just end, allowing her to live in peace without having to run for her life while delivering pizza.
Produced by Gobelins, the short has been created by Mrunal Khairnar, Lwazi Msipha, Daria Skripka, Poornima Subramaniam, and Hassan YOLA. The animation style resembles watercolor illustrations mixed with crayon drawings, and the color palette is dominated by dull shades to capture the grim atmosphere of conflict and angst in the air.
A little less than seven minutes long, “Riot Doll” is a swift yet deep look at conflict through the eyes of a common middle-class citizen, a pizza delivery girl in this case, who dreams up a solution to get rid of all the war hawks around her. She is seen carrying a giant pizza box for most of the runtime, which serves as a great literal metaphor for all the invisible weight people carry on their shoulders. In the end, the girl realizes there’s no simple button to end complex problems, so she finally does something more meaningful in times of conflict than simply delivering food.
It’s a riveting little animated film that plays out like a song, with minimal dialogue, and yet packs a powerful message. You can watch “Riot Doll” on Youtube, it’s also embedded below.