Awesome Short Films

None of the computers you’re about to see are real, but they do capture the essence of computer design over the decades. This animated short from evolution.hub0 uses AI tech to illustrate the evolution of personal computers from the 1970s through the 2020s and beyond. It’s far from accurate, but still a neat watch.

This science fiction short film from insolitum. envisions a dark future where our planet is invaded by gigantic creatures. But unlike some bombastic Marvel blockbuster, the aliens of Quiet Apocalypse are taking over slowly and doing what they need to do to survive. It packs a punch in just two short minutes.

After a couple of teenagers ignore the warning they saw on a stunt video, they find themselves in a rad and magical place that only exists for the most daring daredevils. Charlie Hankin’s award-winning animated short film is equal parts silly and weird. Just don’t try anything you see here at home.

This thrilling computer-animated short film is best described as a Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Cars. Arthur Baum’s TukTuk Tango imagines what might happen if Indiana Jones’ Jeep got tired of hauling his lazy butt around and set off on its own archeological adventure. The setup is pretty silly, but the cinematics and action are brilliant.

In this award winning stop-motion short, a lonely woman lives locked away in the middle of an epic storm. When she steps outside of her house, her keys get sucked into the vortex, and she finds herself swept away in the chaos. But she also discovers the world she’s been missing as a recluse. Directed by Maria Tomazou and written by Marius Scholtz.

Director and visual designer Hiroshi Takagishi created this mindbending short film, which takes the organic forms of succulent plants and imagines how they might move if they weren’t stationary organisms. It first glance, we thought it was photographic macro footage, but it was created with CGI.

We’re impressed by the artistry and smooth motion design of Joonmoe Park’s animated short film. LOOP drops us into a world that evolves from unspoiled natural beauty to overdeveloped and ultimately destroyed by war. After the fall of civilization, the cycle repeats itself.

(PG-13: Language) This darkly comic short follows a delivery driver who struggles with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder. As his girlfriend tries to help him fight off his irrational thoughts, all hell breaks loose. From director Luca Pizzoleo and writer Conor Patrick Walsh. Starring Raz Fritz, Ariel Martin, and the mighty Steven Ogg as the man pulling the strings.

Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou are known for their excellent film essays on the Every Frame a Painting YouTube channel. Now, the duo has partnered to create a short film. The Second drops us into a world where dueling is still an acceptable way to settle a dispute. There, a man is tasked with negotiating at his son’s first duel. (Thanks, Rob!)

This short film by Santiago Menghini and a team of talented artists follows a pair of smugglers who must traverse a dangerous border under cover of night while transporting a hostage. Made using Unreal Engine, Rally is a tense and exciting mini-movie that also shows off what a modern 3D engine can do when it comes to lighting and atmosphere.

Athlete Laura Marino takes us on an amazing adventure as she leaps off a bridge in Paris and lands underwater in another place. In Escape, the pro cliff jumper visited shipwrecks, a sunken village, and other enchanting locales. The film was written, directed, produced, and edited by Marino and Mathieu Brulard, and shot entirely on GoPro action cameras.

This animated short film by Luke Etcheverry takes inspiration from the Bloodhound supersonic race car. It follows the story of a driver, a high-speed test drive that goes wrong, and his resolve to get back on his high-horsepower horse and try again. The 16-bit anime pixel art style makes it that much better.

This artfully animated short film by filmmaker Kei Kanamori took home Silver in the 51st Student Academy Awards. Its concept is simple, but its execution is sublime – as a magical character transforms folded sheets of CG-animated paper into living plants and creatures. Think Fantasia, but with paper.

To celebrate Monument Valley 3, Netflix and Ustwo Games released this animated short that builds on the style of the artful puzzle game. The short drops us onto a mysterious island where Sula is on a quest to get to a towering lighthouse to send a signal of hope to everyone on the planet. We loved seeing this universe fleshed out in three dimensions.

It takes good technology and clever prompt engineering to produce quality generative AI content. Director Simon Valentine, writer Erlend Loe, artist Edmond Yang, and editor Alex Holm used AI tech to make this short film about a death row inmate’s unexpected final wish. They created the entire stop-motion style film in less than 48 hours. (Thanks, Rob!)

Man Star Trek fans thought Captain Kirk didn’t get a proper send-off when he died in Star Trek: Generations. This emotional short film from OTOY and director Carlos Baena uses de-aging tech to bid a proper farewell to the Captain – and Spock. The nearly dialogue-free film was created with help from William Shatner and the Nimoy estate for the Roddenberry Archive.