Animated Short Films
A list of some of the best animated shorts of the past 40 years or so.
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- DirectorTim BurtonStarsVincent PriceYoung Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams which annoys his mother.Puppets.
- DirectorChristoph LauensteinWolfgang LauensteinA group of fishermen on a precariously balanced platform fight over a trunk.Puppets.
- DirectorPaul BerryUpstairs, in the moonlit and empty room, a little boy scared of the dancing shadows, encounters a figment of his vivid imagination: the horrible Sandman.Puppets.
- DirectorTyron MontgomeryIn the desolate landscapes of an unforgiving desert, a desperate for water wanderer summons up the strength to follow the muffled sound of dripping liquid, only to pay the high price of pursuing a dream. Is all hope lost?Puppets.
- DirectorDaniel GreavesMatt Phlatt, along with his pet cat Geoff and his fish, Chips live in a world where everyone is "flat" character in a 3D world of paper and cardboard. A freak electrical accident releases a 30's gangster from his TV film into Matt's world and causes chaos as Matt is mistaken for the criminal after a bank robbery.Puppets.
- DirectorSteffen SchäfflerStarsKenneth BranaghAlice FairhallRoger LawEurope; the plague years. A wigmaker, locked in his shop, observes the events and writes about them in his journal. Mostly, we see shrouded bodies, and a young girl who lives in the tavern across the way that gets progressively sicker. When she dies, the wigmaker goes to the mass grave where she's buried and cuts off her luxurious red hair; he makes himself a wig from it, and soon dies.Puppets.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsBill PlymptonThe story of Lucas, a young ear of corn, from his days in the cornfield with his mother to the moment he ultimately meets his fate as a meal for a young boy.
- DirectorJimmy T. MurakamiDianne JacksonStarsDavid BowieRaymond BriggsMel SmithOn Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas.
- DirectorRichard CondieStarsJay BrazeauIda OslerRandy WoodsA couple have a fight over a scrabble game unaware that a full scale nuclear war has started.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsMaureen McElheronA man's head transforms and contorts bizarrely as he sings "Your Face," an original song.
- DirectorCordell BarkerStarsRichard CondieA pesky yellow cat becomes the bane of Mr. Johnson's life as it constantly outsmarts his increasingly desperate attempts to get rid of it.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsChris HoffmanAs a brave couple demonstrates, the narrator uses quotes, examples and advice to help us all reach the highest heights in the art of kissing.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsBill PlymptonThe perilous road to kicking the habit is explored in twenty-six vignettes that include various professionals and contraptions.
- DirectorBill Plympton
- DirectorRolf Teigler
- DirectorAleksey KharitidiA young caterpillar yearns to fly like the butterflies and birds, but cannot launch himself high enough to do so - until a couple start playing badminton nearby.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtA bitter self-parody featuring a guy going through a series of excruciating rejections.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsDaniel KaufmanAn animated look at the 11 essential steps to make the pilgrim's progess from finding a woman to making love to her. Along the way, our prototypical man gets advice about her eyes, her hair, her neck, her nostrils (and how they will flare as she becomes excited), the kiss, disrobing her (be subtle yet have authority), the hug, her nipples, and kinky accessories. At every turn, even as the exultant strains of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus signal that success is upon him, there are dangers and pitfalls. The journey requires steely resolve.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtA hapless cartoon character is dragged through a spectrum of cinematic situations by his frustrated animator.
- DirectorRichard CondieMedieval times. A jester is heading to the castle, but can't help running into a fruit tree in his path. Again and again. After a while, he lands nose-down and when he gets up, his nose remains stuck in the ground. He gives up, and we see that "wise" people aren't faring much better. He returns to his master, who gives him a replacement nose and sets off on an easier path.
- DirectorDavid FineAlison SnowdenStarsAndy HamiltonAlison SnowdenHarry EnfieldA devoted and happily-married housewife organises a surprise party on the occasion of her husband's birthday, unbeknownst to her that her dentist spouse is experiencing a sudden mid-life crisis at his office.
- DirectorAleksandr PetrovStarsEvgeniya SmolyaninovaAn elderly monk, while training the young novice who will succeed him, recalls the mysterious lost love of his past - just as his young successor appears to be encountering her himself.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtStarsRobert MayKarin AngerLily and Jim are interviewed about their disastrous blind date.
- DirectorPeter PeakeStarsMoray HunterJack DochertyTwo very bored shadowy characters try to think of something to do--and end up playing "Shadow Puppets."
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtA balloon wraps itself around a young child's hand, bringing him higher and higher, much to the child's delight... but...
- DirectorYuri KulakovStarsDerek JacobiJoseph FiennesTimothy WestSwords fly as Beowulf battles the evil Grendel in this exciting animated adaptation of the epic poem.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsKaren SkurkaA mischievious man plays an assortment of extreme practical jokes on unsuspecting victims - like replacing one man's razor with a chainsaw.
- DirectorAleksandr PetrovStarsGordon PinsentKevin DuhaneyYôji MatsudaAn old fisherman goes out on his fishing trip and makes a huge catch, the biggest of his life.
- DirectorAmanda ForbisWendy TilbyA chance encounter, a juicy yellow lemon and an unfortunate twist of fate will reveal that the symbiotic relationship between people is inextricable.
- DirectorMichael Dudok de WitStarsJames LauferA father says goodbye to his young daughter. Time passes and the daughter moves through life age by age, but within her there is always a deep longing for her father.
- DirectorThomas StellmachWithout the mother in sight, a newborn chick starts staggering around, searching for food and warmth.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtStarsRobert MayJennifer NyholmDon HertzfeldtA hilarious collection of animated television commercials that were rejected because of their creator's failing grip on sanity.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsDiana CalderonSilvia BallarinJon EhlersA restaurant opens for the night. The diners include: A man dining alone, who orders a plate of spaghetti that becomes his dining companion. A couple; the woman talks endlessly (and unintelligibly), as her head mutates into a variety of shapes. Her ravenous companion refuses to pay, and the restaurant reclaims its food. A family with two children; they play, rather elaborately, with their food.
- DirectorCordell BarkerStarsCordell BarkerJennifer TorranceJackson BarkerRoger and Doris are a childless couple who get more than they bargained for when a strange child appears at their door one day.
- DirectorKôji YamamuraStarsTakeharu KunimotoBruno MetzgerA sad rakugo of a stingy old man experiencing the unforeseen consequences of eating a few cherries whole, without throwing the pits away.
- DirectorDominique MonferyStarsDora LuzJennifer EspositoSalvador Dalí and Walt Disney's Destino features the tragic love story of Chronos, the personification of time, and a mortal woman as they seek each other out across surreal landscapes.
- CreatorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsJames Arnold TaylorJulia FletcherDwight SchultzA collection of nine short films featuring stories related to The Matrix (1999).
- DirectorBill PlymptonWhy do dogs bark at such innocent creatures as pigeons and squirrels... what are they afraid of? This film answers that eternal question.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtStarsMurwarid AbdianiJaden AlexanderLance AndersonThe evolution of humanity, through countless eons.
- DirectorAlvy Ray SmithA brainless android wakes up to be taunted by a large bee.
- DirectorJohn LasseterA larger lamp watches while a smaller, younger lamp plays exuberantly with a ball but doesn't pick up the knack of correct handling.
- DirectorJohn LasseterWith a sale tag hanging from his seat, propped up in the corner of a bicycle store on a rainy night, Red the unicycle dreams about a better place.
- DirectorJohn LasseterA one-man-band tin toy tries to escape a destructive baby.
- DirectorJohn LasseterA snow globe snowman wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but the glass dome that surrounds him gets in his way, despite all his efforts.
- DirectorSteve GoldbergEngine 9 determined to cross bridge with caboose.
- DirectorEric Darnell