time out’s 30 greatest animated short films
by balkayaemre-71600 | created - 1 month ago | updated - 3 weeks ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Steamboat Willie (1928)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey Mouse is a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete.
Directors: Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 11,265
2. Duck Amuck (1953)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The short-tempered Daffy Duck must improvise madly as the backgrounds, his costumes, the soundtrack, even his physical form, shifts and changes at the whim of the animator.
Director: Chuck Jones | Star: Mel Blanc
Votes: 9,438
3. Where is Mama? (1960)
15 min | Animation, Short
A group of lost tadpoles search for their mother.
Director: Wei Te
Votes: 465
4. The Hand (1965)
18 min | Animation, Short, Horror
A delicate and secluded ceramist sees his orderly life turn upside down, when a gigantic hand in a white glove invades his space, demanding that a sculpture of itself is made. When will the hand's obstinate demands stop?
Director: Jirí Trnka
Votes: 2,049
5. Pas de deux (1968)
G | 13 min | Animation, Short, Musical
Two ballet dancers perform a dance enhanced with surreal multi and after-image effect visuals.
Director: Norman McLaren | Stars: Margaret Mercier, Vincent Warren
Votes: 1,766
6. Storytime (1968)
9 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A bizarre comedy short by Terry Gilliam telling various absurdly comic stories.
Director: Terry Gilliam
Votes: 1,013
7. Lineman (1972–1991)
3 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
When artist draws a magic line, it takes on a life of its own, becoming a silhouette of a living hot-tempered person. This "Mr. Line" wants more things drawn so he can enjoy himself, but the artist loves having fun on Mr. Line's account.
Stars: Carlo Bonomi, Osvaldo Cavandoli
Votes: 3,130
8. Damon the Mower (1972)
3 min | Animation, Short
This short uses an experimental form to illustrate a poem by Andrew Marvell.
Director: George Dunning
Votes: 284
9. The Street (1976)
10 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
This film deals with a Jewish family in Montreal, Canada as they care for a dying grandmother and the young boy who is impatient to get the room he was promised as soon as she kicks the bucket.
Director: Caroline Leaf | Stars: Mort Ransen, Sarah Dwight, John Hood, Vera Leitman
Votes: 830
10. The Tale of Tales (1979)
29 min | Animation, Short
Distant, well-worn memories of childhood are inhabited by a little gray wolf. Through astonishing imagery, the memory of all of Russia is depicted.
Director: Yuri Norstein | Star: Aleksandr Kalyagin
Votes: 4,137
11. Home on the Rails (1981)
10 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A train runs through an old couple's home, constantly disrupting their peace.
Director: Paul Driessen
Votes: 41
12. Dimensions of Dialogue (1983)
12 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Three surreal depictions of failures of communication that occur on all levels of human society.
Director: Jan Svankmajer
Votes: 4,891
13. Jumping (1984)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A small child takes small leaps, which progress into huge bounds over buildings, forests and continents.
Director: Osamu Tezuka
Votes: 1,314
14. Street of Crocodiles (1986)
Not Rated | 20 min | Animation, Short
Inside a box full of curio, a puppet who is recently freed from his strings explores a dusty and forlorn commercial area. The explorer becomes ensnared into miniature tailor shop by baby-faced dolls.
Directors: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay | Star: Feliks Stawinski
Votes: 3,086
15. The Black Dog (1987)
18 min | Animation, Short
A woman travels through her fantastical dreams accompanied by her dog.
Director: Alison De Vere
Votes: 104
16. The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)
30 min | Animation, Short, Drama
The story of a shepherd's single handed quest to re-forest a barren valley.
Director: Frédéric Back | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 6,114
17. The Cat Came Back (1988)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A pesky yellow cat becomes the bane of Mr. Johnson's life as it constantly outsmarts his increasingly desperate attempts to get rid of it.
Director: Cordell Barker | Star: Richard Condie
Votes: 2,466
18. Knick Knack (1989)
G | 4 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A snow globe snowman wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but the glass dome that surrounds him gets in his way, despite all his efforts.
Director: John Lasseter
Votes: 15,287
19. Bob's Birthday (1993)
12 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A devoted and happily-married housewife organises a surprise party on the occasion of her husband's birthday, unbeknownst to her that her dentist spouse is experiencing a sudden mid-life crisis at his office.
Directors: David Fine, Alison Snowden | Stars: Andy Hamilton, Alison Snowden, Harry Enfield, Andrew MacLachlan
Votes: 1,023
20. The Village (1993)
14 min | Animation, Short
A village is ruled by the church, but it filled with hypocritical sinners who constantly spy on each other.
Director: Mark Baker | Stars: Annie Griffin, Dave Western, James Baker
Votes: 499
21. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)
TV-PG | 29 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Gromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 57,427
22. Revolver (1994)
8 min | Animation, Short
A short film about time.
Directors: Stig Bergqvist, Martti Ekstrand, Jonas Odell, Lars Ohlson
Votes: 143
23. The Old Lady and the Pigeons (1996)
25 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
In seductive central Paris, an undernourished gendarme willing to go to great lengths to feed himself hatches a desperate, yet utterly cunning plan.
Director: Sylvain Chomet | Stars: James Pidgeon, Michoue Sylvain, Andrea Usher-Jones
Votes: 2,961
24. The Old Man and the Sea (1999)
20 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
An old fisherman goes out on his fishing trip and makes a huge catch, the biggest of his life.
Director: Aleksandr Petrov | Stars: Gordon Pinsent, Kevin Duhaney, Yôji Matsuda, Rentarô Mikuni
Votes: 4,584
25. When the Day Breaks (1999)
10 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A chance encounter, a juicy yellow lemon and an unfortunate twist of fate will reveal that the symbiotic relationship between people is inextricable.
Directors: Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby
Votes: 1,387
26. Father and Daughter (2000)
8 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A father says goodbye to his young daughter. Time passes and the daughter moves through life age by age, but within her there is always a deep longing for her father.
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit | Star: James Laufer
Votes: 6,927
27. The White Stripes: Fell in Love with a Girl (2002 Music Video)
2 min | Animation, Music
The music video is a Lego animation directed by Michel Gondry. Gondry's son was featured at the beginning of the video, building Lego blocks. It was shot frame by frame with each frame ... See full summary »
Director: Michel Gondry | Star: The White Stripes
Votes: 632
28. The Mountain Head (2002)
Not Rated | 10 min | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
A sad rakugo of a stingy old man experiencing the unforeseen consequences of eating a few cherries whole, without throwing the pits away.
Director: Kôji Yamamura | Stars: Takeharu Kunimoto, Bruno Metzger
Votes: 1,589
29. L'homme sans ombre (2004)
9 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A solitary man without a shadow rises from his desk, dons his hat, and leaves his apartment. He walks through a city to a large door, knocks, shows his invitation, and is admitted to a ... See full summary »
Director: Georges Schwizgebel
Votes: 509
30. The Meaning of Life (2005)
Not Rated | 12 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The evolution of humanity, through countless eons.
Director: Don Hertzfeldt | Stars: Murwarid Abdiani, Jaden Alexander, Lance Anderson, Karin Anger
Votes: 1,946
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