New show from award-winning animation studio reflecting on human nature and its quest to conquer other beings and territories
18th December, 2025Award-winning Berlin-headquartered animation studio Woodblock, one of the only independent studios behind visuals at Las Vegas’ Sphere,is releasing Gravity Push, the first episode of Space Probe Force,a sci-fi comedy that flips the script on space exploration.
The first three-minute episode of Space Probe Force will be released on YouTube, told from the perspective of alien anthropologists documenting a human crew’s chaotic missions across the cosmos with clinical fascination and brutal honesty. Each episode focuses on one species and planet, as well as the inevitable misunderstandings that occur when humans treat the universe as their playground. Space Probe Force unfolds through episodes, comics, and character-driven content, inviting audiences into a universe where humanity is the subject, not the hero.
About Space Probe Force
The Space Probe Force series is told through the eyes of alien anthropologists conducting field research on humanity’s most baffling endeavor: space exploration. Their subjects, a crew of humans calling themselves the “Space Probe Force”, survey planets with remarkable confidence and questionable judgment, treating other lifeforms and ecosystems as settings for their own objectives. Each encounter becomes a case study in cultural misunderstanding and humanity’s extraordinary ability to create problems where none existed.
This sci-fi comedy challenges the convention of human-centered storytelling by asking: what if we weren’t the protagonists? What if we were the specimen? Through sharp satire and cosmic chaos, Space Probe Force invites audiences into a universe where the observers often have more clarity than the observed. The project unfolds through episodes, comics, and visual logs that reward curiosity and challenge assumptions about survival and existence.
Gravity Push
The first episode, Gravity Push, unfolds on a remote planet inhabited by an alien civilization, observed through the daily routine of local resident Preston Popflounder. His world operates under its own rhythms, customs, and gravitational rules until it is abruptly disrupted by the arrival of three human astronauts aboard a Space Probe Force vessel. What begins as an ordinary day quickly turns into a firsthand encounter with humanity’s distinct approach to exploration. As the crew documents the planet for reasons that remain largely unclear, their presence destabilizes the ecosystem and reframes the story – not as a tale of discovery, but as a case study in the unintended consequences of being “studied” by humans.
Tom Weber, Creator of SPF: “Space Probe Force is what happens when humans conquer the universe — and the universe isn’t impressed. It’s weird, it’s sassy, and it’s unapologetically chaotic. This is a world that invites you to explore, laugh, and ponder the absurdity of existence and why anyone thought sending these humans into space was a good idea. The aliens certainly agree that it wasn’t.”
Ilija Brunck, CEO and Producer of SPF: “Space Probe Force looks at what happens when different forms of life try to understand each other. There are animations within our archive that deal with the possibility of technology going wrong, that seek to understand the pitfalls of accelerated innovation, but it is also a way of thinking about miscommunication, too. For me, the project centres on the attempts we make to relate to one another, and the unpredictable outcomes that follow.”
Link to view episode: Space Probe Force I Episode 1: Gravity Push
Original drawings and storyboards from the series available here
About Woodblock
Founded in 2013, Woodblock is a production studio headquartered in Berlin with teams in Los Angeles and Ludwigsburg. Launched by six film school friends, the now 50-strong studio specialises in animation and visual storytelling for global brands and entertainment companies. With a focus on design-driven narratives, Woodblock brings together artists, technologists, and directors to craft visually striking content across advertising, film, and immersive experiences. Garnering recognition for their work, Woodblock has won multiple awards including Best in Show at Siggraph, Best International Animation Short Film at Monterrey International Film Festival, and Golden Nica at Ars Electronica.
For media requests including original images, please contact:
Imogen Orlebar [email protected] +44 7824 097 626
Poppy Patten [email protected] +44 7476 666 686
