Jeff Fowler co-wrote and directed this animated comedy about a hapless rodent who hatches a clever scam to procure some fresh produce, but other, more fleet-of-foot animals, including squirrels, crows and chickens, keep making off with his ill-gotten booty. Fowler and co-writer Tim Miller garnered an Oscar nomination with the 2004 short.
Minkyu Lee’s Oscar-nominated short represents a fusion of two distinct ideas — the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, and a National Geographic article that Lee had read about how dogs evolved from wolves and came to befriend mankind. Explaining the, ahem, genesis of the piece, Lee told one interviewer, “At that time, I was in the film directing program at Cal Arts. During a writing workshop, while doing some writing exercises, that article came to mind. It made me think about the origin of dogs and because of my faith, I immediately thought of the story of Genesis.”
All told, it took Minyu almost three years to complete Adam and Dog, as he was simultaneously employed by Disney. He could only pursue this personal project on nights and weekends, while spending his weekdays as an animator on Winnie the Pooh and character designer on Wreck-It Ralph.
The Oscar winner for best animated short of 2011, the full title of this work is The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. After a hurricane strikes New Orleans, Morris Lessmore finds himself carried away to a desolate, black-and-white land filled with debris from the city. All seems bleak until the flying books arrive to restore color and vitality to his life. This short not only celebrates literature and the power of an active imagination, but offers some lovely homages to Buster Keaton and The Wizard of Oz. William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg directed from a story by Joyce.
Patton Oswalt’s 8 minute filibuster take from Parks and Recreation (Season 5, Episode 19). Now with animation.
The original filibuster, sans animation.
Combining shadow puppets and animation, Russian filmmaker Andrey Shushkov has created a heartbreaking love story that’s also a cautionary tale about what can happen if mankind loses touch with the natural world. This 2010 work features music by Frederic Chopin.
Jon Hamm and the Sklar Bros explore why basketball and stripping don’t mix in this comic animation.
Dušan Vukotić won an Oscar for best animated short with his comedy Surogat, also known as Ersatz or The Substitute. The 1961 work – produced by Zagreb Film, a Croatian production company — won the Academy Award for Short Subjects (Cartoons) in 1962. The simple story introduces a man who comes to the beach and uses inflatable objects for all of his needs.
A man weighed down by his responsibilities, literally papered over by burdensome tasks, embarks on a life-altering journey. David R. Christensen from The Animation Workshop in Denmark directed this fantasy-oriented short, which he completed in 2012.
Here’s an arresting cartoon compilation set to the Argentine band Dancing Mood’s ska-flavored tune “Police Woman.”
An animated Adam Carolla interviews Johnny Depp about his extensive scarf collection, his skills as an escape artist and how he’s immune from fire.
