25 best animated short films

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

From simple comedy sketches to stunning dramas created by genius animators.

1. The man who planted trees

• Canada, 1987.
• Drama.
• Duration: 30 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

An impressionist adaptation of Jean Gionot's work tells the story of a lonely man who decided to plant trees again in a desert area. This will take him many years.

2. Sandpiper

• USA, 2016.
• Adventures.
• Duration: 6 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

The plot of this short story from Pixar is very simple. It is dedicated to a chick that learns to find food in the coastal sand, but is constantly hit by the waves.

3. Paper novel

• USA, 2012.
• Melodrama.
• Duration: 7 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

The blank document, which the wind tore from George's hands at the station, crashes right into the face of the sweet girl. As a result, the print of her lipstick remains on the paper. Since then, the hero thinks only about meeting a stranger again. And it turns out that they work in neighboring buildings.

4. House of small cubes

• Japan, 2008.
• Drama.
• Duration: 12 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

The lonely old man's hut is flooded all the time. And every time he builds himself a new house on the roof of the old one, rising higher and higher. But one day he remembers that he forgot his smoking pipe on one of the lower floors. The old man dives under the water, plunging deeper and deeper into the past.

5. Partly cloudy

• USA, 2009.
• Fantasy, comedy.
• Duration: 6 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

Everyone knows that babies are made in the clouds, and storks bring them. Only Peck was not lucky: he always gets either toothy crocodiles or thorny hedgehogs. But work is work, you have to take action.

6. Menu

• USA, 2014.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 6 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

Winston's hungry stray puppy is treated to French fries by a stranger. This is how the long-term friendship between man and dog begins. But soon the owner meets the girl, and then both relations and Winston's food change.

7. The old man and the sea

• Russia, Canada, Japan, 1999.
• Drama, adventure.
• Duration: 20 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

The legendary Russian animator Alexander Petrov brought the work of Ernest Hemingway to the screens, turning the action into animated pictures. The plot tells about an elderly fisherman who cannot come to terms with his age. He decides not to return from the sea until he gets a good catch.

8. House on rails

• Netherlands, 1981.
• Drama.
• Duration: 10 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

An ordinary family lives in an ordinary house. The wife knits, the husband extracts gold, and together they drink tea. But the railway runs right through their dwelling. And they need to open the doors so the train can pass.

9. Kiwi

• USA, 2006.
• Adventures.
• Duration: 3 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

A kiwi bird with very small wings wants to fly. A very short cartoon in 3 minutes tells about the stubborn pursuit of a dream, even if it may cost life.

10. About the birds

• USA, 2000.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 3 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

A new one joins the flock of birds sitting on the wire and eternally roaring. She is unlike everyone else: big, awkward and very friendly. Neighbors try to avoid her, but it turns out worse for themselves.

11. Hand

• Czechoslovakia, 1965.
• Drama.
• Duration: 18 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

This puppet cartoon was created in Czechoslovakia, and its theme directly hints at the life of creators in a totalitarian state. Harlequin creates beautiful pots for her favorite flower. But then the Hand comes to him and demands that he sculpt only her images. She does not accept refusals.

12. Harvey Crumpet

• Australia, 2003.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 23 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

The plasticine cartoon is dedicated to the life of Harvek Krumpecki, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome. Having lost his parents, he escapes from Poland, which was captured by Nazi Germany. Changing his name to Harvey Crumpet, he decides to start life anew. But learning to appreciate the happy moments of the hero does not come immediately.

13. Father and daughter

• Great Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, 2000.
• Drama.
• Duration: 8 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The daughter cannot come to terms with the loss of her beloved father. Years go by, her life changes. But all the same, passing by the place of the last meeting, she cannot say goodbye to the past.

14. Jerry's game

• USA, 1997.
• Drama.
• Duration: 5 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

Old man Jeri plays chess with himself in the park. Fully immersed in the game, he envisions himself as two different players with opposite personalities. And passions run high during the game.

15. Johnny Express

• South Korea, 2014.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 5 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Johnny works as a space courier: he must deliver packages to various planets. True, other worlds do not appeal to him. Johnny is very lazy and prefers to sleep while the autopilot drives the ship to the next customer. But even in a fully automated world, things don't go according to plan on a regular basis.

16. The old lady and the pigeons

• Canada, France, Belgium, 1996.
• Drama.
• Duration: 25 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

An elderly Parisian woman constantly feeds pigeons with pastries. And the hungry and emaciated policeman decides that he could also get some food from her. To do this, he dresses up as a dove and comes to the woman's home.

17. Bao

• USA, Canada, 2018.
• Drama.
• Duration: 8 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

A Chinese woman prepares baozi pies in the kitchen. Suddenly one of them turns into a child. Now the woman needs to educate him, because soon Bao is growing up and no longer wants to obey.

18. Trinket

• USA, 1989.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 4 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

A funny story of a toy snowman who lives in a glass ball. He really liked the other toy, and the hero is ready to make every effort to get to the beauty.

19. Village

• UK, 1993.
• Drama.
• Duration: 14 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

A satirical story unfolds in the minimalistic set of this cartoon. The two villagers begin an affair, but the neighbors cannot help but intervene, and this leads to tragic consequences. At the same time, even ants help each other.

20. Fatties

• USA, 2002.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 6 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The main character of the cartoon works as a cleaner in an interplanetary bar. And somehow he hears that dangerous Chubbchubbs are coming soon. What they look like, the hero does not know, but soon encounters terrible robots.

21. The meaning of life

• USA, 2005.
• Drama, fantasy.
• Duration: 12 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

In 12 minutes, the simplest animation shows the entire history of mankind. The action begins in prehistoric times and ends in the distant future. The worlds and forms of the mind change, but the behavior remains the same.

22. Alma

• USA, Spain, 2009.
• Fantasy, detective.
• Duration: 6 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Young Alma walks through the snowy streets and stumbles upon a doll store. It is closed, and the girl is about to leave, but suddenly the door swings open. And inside Alma sees a doll very similar to herself.

23. Time for fairy tales

• Great Britain, 1968.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 9 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The first half of this strange cartoon by Terry Gilliam is about Don the cockroach. He loves to have fun: jumping on bread and riding a banana peel. But for some reason people are trying to get rid of it. And the second part tells about a man named Albert Einstein and his hands.

24. Head-Mountain

• Japan, 2002.
• Fantasy, comedy.
• Duration: 10 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The greedy person decides not to throw away the cherry pits, but to eat them. As a result, trees begin to grow on his head. People come to rest in their shadow, but they don't always behave decently. An excellent analogy of the relationship between man and nature.

25. Bob's Birthday

• Canada, UK, 1994.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 10 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

On the birthday of her beloved husband, Margaret decided to throw a party. She prepared food and invited all her friends. But the hero of the occasion himself has no mood to celebrate.