Short Films

A boy is kicked out of a train, leaving him defenseless against an all-consuming tide. CalArts animation student Ning Cheng explores the idea of being left behind in this surreal and dramatic short film.

CalArts animation student Linnea Sterte’s minimal, yet totally engaging short film looks at what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world in which cats are the only survivors. Fellow student Eddie Wright’s prequel sheds some light on what happened before.

A chameleon wants to ask a fellow loner to dance. But he gets so nervous that he keeps on involuntarily blending into the environment whenever he gets near her. A cute and creative animated short by Michael Trikosko and Andrew Wilson.

(PG-13 Language) Exurb1a’s darkly comedic clip envisions a War of the Worlds / Independence Day type scenario in which 15 flying saucers hover over Earth’s capital cities, as global superpowers debate how to handle what may or may not be a hostile invasion.

Given the similar subject matter to Voltige, we’re guessing the 3rd year graduation class at MOPA all needed to direct an animation about a duo of bumbling car mechanics. Jalabert Camille’s amusing short film is definitely firing on all cylinders.

Filmmaker Philip Bloom used a modded Sony RX 100 Mk. IV and some post-production tweaking to depict Las Vegas in infrared. The resulting parched look is perfect for the city. It’s like catching an old impersonator without his makeup and costume on. Making-of here.

Ingrid and Benjamin Hjertefølger (“heart follower”) are advocates of sustainable living. They live in a greenhouse that they built partly out of cob, clean all of their waste water and are encouraging their children to also form a deep bond with nature.

Bouncing between surreal and genuine, Daniel Jewel’s wordless short film is about a Foley crew recreating the sounds of an entire film, from waves breaking on the beach to a freshly caught fish twitching on a fisherman’s hand.

(PG-13) A neurotic attending primal therapy literally coughs up every emotion he’s repressed. Simon Cartwright’s amazing and intense stop-motion short film is like Fight Club if Tyler Durden was a real being. Aaaahhhhh!!!

Forester’s animated music video for City, a song by Taiwanese band Sodagreen. A group of children are abducted and turned into infectious spies, turning their targets into accomplices. It’s like The Matrix if Neo was nature itself.

Katie admits to her therapist that she fantasizes about being rescued by and living happily ever after with him. Which can’t happen of course, not unless there’s a complete breakdown of societal norms. Heather Jack’s short film has the right mix of cheese and humor.

While much of the dialogue in Oscar Sharp and Ross Goodwin’s short film reads like an episode of Bad Lip Reading, it’s still fascinating to see what happens when you program a neural network to write a science fiction screenplay, after teaching it about the genre’s greats.

(Flashing lights) Go “on a surreal journey through the isolation of technology, media consumption, and the commercialization of our hopes and dreams” in Galen Pehrson’s mind-melting animated short for the new art site Ruins.

“But even allowing for his feelings, this was probably stretching the point.” Chuck Jones’ Oscar-winning animated short is about a line who reinvents himself in order to woo the dot of his dreams. Based on Norton Juster’s eponymous book.

(PG-13) “Where would somebody find a large pack of dogs that would eat flesh?” Adult Swim’s short film features a compilation of bloopers made in honor of an anchorman on his last day at work. Kevin Butler’s fallen on hard times.

Meet Steve and his army of helper robots, ready to help him get ready for the day even if he’s barely awake. A funny stop -motion short film by Meghann Artes (Speed Dating). We’ll take 10,000 of that rug robot please, thanks.

Jared D. Weiss’ fantastic animated short follows a creature and his dog who find a working old radio in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Mike Westbrook’s haunting sound design perfectly complements its spare visuals to create a sense of tension and mystery.

The always on, slightly off Perez Bros share this little gem in which we compare how something as sexy as a woman eating a Red Vine can quickly become completely wrong and disturbing if a guy attempts the same sort of thing.

(PG-13: Language) “The crowd shouldn’t know what you’re going through. Your show shouldn’t reflect on your day.” James Burns’ award-winnning documentary about We Live This, a group of teenagers who dance on New York City’s subway to make money.

Red Bull followed photographer Ulla Lohmann, her husband Sebastian and a small film crew as they descended as near as possible to one of the lava craters in Vanuatu’s Ambrym, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Full episode here.

A teenager outdoes his friends’ swimming pool stunts by letting one rip in the water. The buildup of RocketJump’s short film could’ve been way shorter, but the payoff is worth it. You could even say its special.

(PG-13: Language) Jeff just got fired. Unfortunately, he’s stuck on a one-way mission to Mars, and the higher ups refuse to give him another job. Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey capture the soul-sucking grind of adult life in an actual comedy set on the red planet.

A wonderfully illustrated 1-minute animated short which alternates between two parallel realities – a gunfighter in the Wild West, and a modern day tennis player. Directed by 2Factory and Art Directed by Charles Monnier.

Adult Swim presents 10 surreal animated short films to keep your mind buzzing, ranging from two-dimensional illustrations to glitch art to claymation. Check the video’s description for the song and video titles.

Not to be confused with another video game-themed short film, Zachary Antell’s animated short recounts a young man’s relationship with his older brother through their gaming sessions. We could’ve done without the narration, but it’s still worth watching. Making of here.