BUILT BY CROWS is an international team formed for the purpose of producing and animating its first hand-drawn 2D-animated film, ‘A Prayer from the Blackbox.’ Made up of over a dozen animators, artists and talent across six countries, BUILT BY CROWS is hard at work to prove that indie animation is alive and well.

‘A Prayer from the Blackbox’ is an upcoming animated short by Drew Roderick, and follows the story of a robot who, after the passing of their builder, endeavors to carry on their builder’s work as a town’s local monk. It is a humbling short work about shouldering the beliefs passed on to us and how those beliefs can serve as a conduit for memory and comfort in times of loss.

The film successfully crowdfunded over $16,000 via Kickstarter in June of 2025, and is in the late stages of production on the film’s animation. Studio BUILT BY CROWS hopes to launch the film’s festival run in mid-2027.