Emile Cohl, 20, calls himself an artist, but he hasn’t drawn anything in years. Thanks to artificial intelligence, he generates hundreds of polished “works” with AI—fast, efficient, and soulless. But when he touches an old pen, he’s hurled back to the early 1900s, into a world where every frame is drawn by hand and art is born of effort, imperfection, and intent. He meets a friend and learns about what art used to mean. As Emile grapples with the raw beauty and deep flaws of animation’s past, he must reckon with a haunting question: If art takes no effort, does it still belong to you?
