Awesome Animated

Sure, Junkworks’ E.T.A. may be a sci-fi short film, but interstellar truck driver Marvin is a not so far-fetched look into our futures where life imitates art–however horrifyingly banal.

Muzorama was created in six weeks and based on the work of illustrator Jean-Philippe Masson; it’s a surreal animated short film that literally has us losing our heads over the details.

Gorgeously animated with Corel Painter, Assassin’s Creed: Initiation is a fan-made short film; it delves into Altair’s past, showing his last rite of passage before gaining the title of Assassin.

If you’re not a fan of Chucky it’s best that you skip Alma; this beautifully rendered CG short film by Rodrigo Blaas is a cautionary tale about nosy children and creepy-looking dolls.

Finished in 2006 but only now fully viewable, Chris Jones’ The Passenger is the result of eight years of hard work; the animated short can also be purchased on DVD. Thanks, Andrew!

It’s not the original Filmation version, but 2002’s He-Man won a Daytime Emmy during its 39 episode run; The Complete Series is a 4-disc set that includes a PDF version of episode 40.

Produced on a shoe-string $7k budget, Constant van Hoeven’s Things Last is a sci-fi short that blends CG and live action; we won’t spoil it, but it’s definitely a soulful take on existence.

Set to music by Manabe Takayuki, Sugimoto Kousuke’s seemingly endless The TV Show will blow your mind; it’s an independent effort by Kousuke, who is a self-taught animator.

Any way you slice it, Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series on Blu-ray is a must-buy for anime fans; it’s a 3-disc, 26 episode set of the hip hop-meets-samurai chop series.

Mamoru Oshii’s anime classic goes Blu-ray with Ghost in the Shell 2.0, which features new CG scenes and a remixed soundtrack; purists, breathe easy: the original version is also included.

If you ever wondered what happened post-Carl in Up, Pixar explains all; the short film George and AJ shows things going downhill, underground, and interplanetary. Thanks, Thorir!

A Romero version of Star Wars: Uncut, Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated is an ongoing collaborative project; artists reinvent scenes from the 1968 cult classic in their own style.

So much for hush-hush, as Seth MacFarlane’s Secret is out: Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show are less about equal rights and more about equal nights (on Fox).

We’re surprised that Pigeon Impossible isn’t a Pixar film: this high flying short was created by Lucas Martell and shows that a bird in the case is worth about a billion in the bush.

This Vitruvian Voltron tee may seem anachronistic, but we are talking Da Vinci here: we think a flying fortress made out of robotic lions would be right up the renaissance man’s alley.

To call The Astronomer’s Dream trippy is a galactic understatement, but we’re slack-jawed over its amazing details; you can support indie director Malcolm Sutherland by buying the DVD.

In theaters 3/26/10, Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon is every child (and child at heart’s) dream come true: it features Vikings, misunderstood lizards, and all-you-can-eat sheep.

The Seafarers return for a Halloween visit to the Island of Horrors; it’s creepy, jarring, and a bit disjointed, but we couldn’t resist the chance to sample zombie pizzas and mummy wraps.

Best product tie-in ever: Eddie Riggs makes a cameo on Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse, moonlighting (of course) as a totally metal roadie for Dethklok — well, everyone but Murderface.

Sci-fi/martial arts flick The Cup Of Tears is extremely low-budget, but we couldn’t tell from this trailer: it’s a hybrid CGI/Live Action film by Gary Short that’s shot using a RED camera.

You’d have to be a targ to not love this Klingon Propaganda video, secretly released (aka viral) to recruit new sons of Kahless; the uniforms and D7 cruisers have a distinct ToS flavor.

The lamp serves time for his crimes: this Pixar Intro Parody begins with a media frenzy and jail time, but unlike most of the Hollywood elite, its story ends with electrifying results.

Available 12/22/09, Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Darkside is Seth MacFarlane’s latest faithful Star Wars retelling, this time parodying The Empire Strikes Back.