Last time we learned about how challenging the animation process is. How long it can take before you even get to animate anything. So what about the ones that make it? What about the artists that scale the heights of animation and produce the work they dreamed of making?
Of course there is an abundance of animation you can watch. There is no shortage of companies getting their work out there. I thought it may be helpful to recommend some of those animations for anyone curious to see more.
Here is a list then, going from the shortest run time, to the longest, along with where you can find them. Click the titles to go to the film.
(Thanks to for the suggestion for this post!)
Here goes..
The Robin and The Wren
3 minutes - Click the title to watch
An animation in response to a Basque carol, this is a lovely print-based stop-motion by Léa Sautin that follows a robin in the snow. I recommended this a few months ago but it’s a lovely thing, a dash of winter that can be enjoyed even in the height of summer.
This was part of the Cardiff Animation Festival’s Home Grown session, screening animations by Welsh artists.
Visible Mending
9 minutes - Click the title to watch
Another one from the festival, this moving, yarn based stop-motion by Second Home Studios, speaks to the power of knitting to heal us.
Aardman do a wonderful job of animating animals synched to casual interviews with the public in Creature Comforts. WhatVisible Mending does so touchingly is create animation that reacts to what is being said. In one section, we watch a set of birds knitted out of thin air in front of our eyes as one interviewee narrates,
“I run a knitting club so, when people die, I end up getting their yarn. So when i’m using the yarn, I think oh that’s Gene’s. All these different people are knitted in to the piece.”
It’s a lovely way to spend 9 minutes!
An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It
11 Minutes - Click the title to watch
Australian animator, Lachlan Pendragon, was nominated for an Oscar in 2022 for this incredible short feature. It’s about an office worker who learns (from an ostrich, of course) that he’s part of a slow-motion animation short. It’s wonderfully meta, with a dry sense of humour that is just up my street. The film is also shown from the view point of the animation studio, so that you can see Pendragon actually making the film in the background.
“I wanted to give a sense of how it would feel to be an animator. To be in the workspace and the environment. And bring that to the audience, so they feel like they’re there, looking over the animator’s shoulder.”
Lachlan Pendragon on The Wrap
Persepolis
95 Mins - Stream or Rent
A jump in the runtime here, but I reckon the last three films have got you warmed up for something longer!
I remember being blown away by the animation style of Persepolis in 2007. It does a fantastic job of transposing the feel of the graphic novel it is based on. The film is set in 1970s Iran, where we watch events through Marjane ‘Marji’ Statrapi’s eyes as we see her grow up through a changing landscape of the Iranian revolution.
Animation a powerful way to invite us into its story, as many of us see animated characters with a nostalgia for our youth. Juxtapose this with the events on the revolution and it becomes a compelling watch. I would also highly recommend the graphic novel if you get a chance.
In the UK, you can stream Persepolis on ITVX Premium with a free trial, or rent it online. Have a look where you can find it in your country here.
The Summit of the Gods
95 Mins - Netflix
Hiding among the troth of “content” on Netflix, you will find some hidden gems. Summit of the Gods is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. Considering what we’ve learned in the last post, and watching the shorts, this film takes my breath away with its scale. It’s economical in its storytelling but doesn’t hold back on creativity.
A photojournalist’s search for the truth about the first expedition to Mount Everest leads him to search for another climber who went missing. Through its relatively short runtime there is no shortage of suspense (I gasped about four times and had clammy palms every time they started climbing) while also leaving room for the smaller moments which inform the whole. It’s a huge accomplishment.
So there you have it. Let me know if you watch any of them!
Do you have any animation recommendations? Add them in the comments (and let us know where we can watch/rent them).
Feel free to forward this on to anyone who you think would be interested!
Gareth
There is some excellent quality here, and I love how the ostrich animation is produced. It's genius.
I love the sound of all of these! Great list - thanks for the suggestions. Going to look for Summit of the Gods on Netflix