Dandelion

An animated short film by Ling Zhao & Zhengwu Gu

I made this short in 2023 with independent filmmaker Zhengwu Gu. It’s a 3D animated film about hope, freedom, humanity, exploration, and self-discovery. It follows a robot on a journey through a world where technology and nature intersect, and shows how he ultimately chooses to follow his heart.

Dandelion was also my earliest exploration of artificial consciousness:
how subtle shifts in timing or embodiment make interiority feel imaginable. Working on the film taught me how humans project mind into motion, how fragility emerges through material contrast, and how emotional inference operates from minimal cues. These insights now shape my work on Co-Being and human–AI presence.

The Making of the Film

---

Produced at
– Ringling College of Art and Design

Written, Directed, and Made by
– Zhengwu Gu
– Ling Zhao

Music and Sound by
– Geng Li
– LM Audio Productions
– Tina Guo
– Budapest Scoring Orchestra