Awesome Short Films

As teenagers, we all felt peer pressure at one time or another. Anthony Sneed’s lighthearted short film SWIPE explores the consequences of giving in. After a boy’s friends push him to shoplift from a convenience store, he gets taught a valuable life lesson.

(PG-13) Evan Hallbeck’s short film is as tasteless as it is hilarious. It follows the story of three disgusting items that ended up in the sewer and tells their origin stories through a trio of live-action vignettes. You can pretty much guess where this is going from the thumbnail. Savannah Steiner is responsible for the gross-out animation.

What happens when you ask an artificial intelligence to write a script for a short film about AI’s impact on society? You get this dystopian nightmare. Nobody & The Computer posted this AI-generated movie, which imagines what the future might look like once we all have AI-powered augmentations and robots have taken all of our jobs. (Thanks, Rob.)

When a creature awakens in the woods, he searches the depths of his memories for clues as to how he got there and why he’s in the condition he’s in. Animator Aiden Whittam and written/director Ryan Oligmueller’s stop-motion short film takes on the difficult topic of depression in an artful and compelling way. Watch the behind-the-scenes footage here.

Digital artist Erik Wernquist welcomes us to a planetary orbiter that rotates at 1 RPM to generate artificial gravity for its occupants. The luxurious environment inside looks like it could be a home away from home for über-rich visitors. However, devoid of people and bathed only in natural light, it takes on a haunting quality.

Not to be confused with the bonkers 1982 film of the same name, Zach Tolchinsky’s stop-motion animated short has a decidedly more coherent plot. It follows a man living in the ruins of civilization when a flash of light appears outside his bunker. He could stay safely inside, but instead, he risks everything and heads into the Forbidden Zone to investigate.

In animator Zoë Hutber’s award-winning short film, a couple feels crushed by the burden of a society where everyone is literally made of money. As the fat cat at the top of the heap continues to demand a chunk of their flesh, only time will tell if their investments will ultimately pay off.

With greedflation on the rise and personal incomes not keeping up, it’s not easy to make a decent living these days. Animator Ben Meinhardt’s short film Living the Dream offers a darkly comedic look at modern life for a guy who graduates from school and leaves his parents’ house only to face a harsh reality in the big city.

(Flashing images) Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. To create his short film SIGNS, filmmaker Daniel McKee spent months collecting images of thousands of road signs from around the world, then arranged and animated them in a logical sequence. The music by Resonate complements the videos’ driving pace.

Daniel Zvereff’s award-winning animated short film follows a few moments in the life of a lonely old man. As the widowed watchmaker finds himself caught in a loop of his everyday life, he eventually finds peace in the memories of his life.

While we all experience life differently, we also share many common experiences. Animator Nate Milton’s short film offers up “a kaleidoscope of memories to remind us that we’re all living different facets of the same experience.” We could relate to all of them except having an ear pierced with a safety pin. How about you?

Animator Cyriak’s motion collage HONK is one for the birds. Hit play on the video, and you’ll be treated to 86 seconds of snow-white geese waddling along, honking their hearts out, and literally putting their necks on the line for your entertainment.

This animation features a monologue by a monster who was once an alchemist, expressing regrets after attaining the power he sought. Cory Williams of Daydream Studios wrote and directed the short film using Unreal Engine 5 and assets from the Unreal Marketplace. We love the design of Dary Palasky’s creature, Wasserman. (Thanks, Rob!)

After creating their Woodworking without Tools video, animator Omozoc was approached by Casio to create a similar short film for them. While the clip is ultimately a promo to celebrate 40 years of G-SHOCK watches, it’s also a wonderfully-executed example of stop-motion animation and smart product placement.

(PG-13: Animated Nudity) After a power outage awakens a woman, she has trouble getting back to sleep, and ghosts of her past start to appear around her. Ida Melum’s award-winning animated short film explores the lasting impressions that negative experiences can have on one’s psyche, and how we ultimately need to embrace them as part of us.

While waiting for their kids at a play place, a couple overhears an argument between two customers and a concession stand worker. Rather than minding their own business, they attempt to help and make things worse for themselves. Even Hafnor and Lisa Brooke Hansen’s award-winning short film is an amusing portrait of relationships and communication.

After a rat’s prized flower goes missing, his fellow woodland creatures join him on a hunt for the thief. But a case of mistaken identity leads to tragic consequences and proves the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Jorn Leeuwerink award-winning animated short film won numerous awards since its debut in 2017, but this is the first time we’ve seen it.

Hot on the heels of Asteroid City, Wes Anderson is back with a 39-minute short film based on a Roald Dahl story. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar follows a wealthy man (Benedict Cumberbatch) who masters a unique skill after hearing about a guru who can see without using his eyes. Coming to Netflix 9.27.2023.

Blender Studio shows off more of what’s possible with their CG software with a slapstick animated short film. Combining 2D and 3D techniques, Rik Schutte’s Wing It! introduces us to a brilliant inventor (who happens to be a cat) and the dopey dog who might ruin his hard work. As a Blender Open Movie, you can download the production assets used to create the film.

Peter Ahern’s short film Buzzkill is an animated horror-comedy that starts as a happy little story about a new couple about to enjoy their first kiss. And we emphasize the “about to” because it’s just not going to happen. You see, neither of our protagonists is what they seem, and one of them is about to meet an untimely demise.

(PG-13: Language) Adam Long and Adam Peterson’s warped short film drops us into a conversation between two buddies. But what starts out as an attempt to cheer up a depressed friend takes a wild turn that reveals a disturbing family secret and a critical mission to prevent the universe from ripping itself apart.

(Flashing images) Filmmaker Conner Griffith created this riveting short video from public domain images found on Wikimedia Commons. It starts with a single-cell organism, and as each frame advances, the subjects evolve into larger and increasingly complex things. Conner’s 2023 showreel is also well worth a watch.

Artist Alain Biet created this mindblowing short film, which starts out with an artist painting an image of a pencil. As soon as he’s done with that one, more everyday objects start appearing and accumulating until the frame is completely filled. We can’t imagine how long it took Alain to create all 8,000 watercolor paintings. Music by Yan Volsy + Pablo Pico