Samurai Frog Golf: The Brilliant Animated Short That Deserves a Series - サムライフロッグゴルフ

Here’s a plea – will someone who knows someone who sleeps with someone who works with someone who can fund an animated series, please put the relevant person or persons in front of Samurai Frog Golf.  I have no idea why this awesome piece of animation hasn’t garnered millions of hits, but I guess I would have to ask The Algorithm and it’s currently not speaking to me.  Regardless, this short by Marza Animation Planet deserves a much larger audience than it got a few years ago.  It tells the story of a grizzled old Samurai Frog, who after years of battle just wants to be left alone to enjoy his golf.  What drew me in was the gorgeous animation - such a great deal of time and effort has been put into making this short.

Fate, of course, would have otherwise – and he soon finds himself the protector of a baby turtle. There is nothing for him to do but to protect the innocent, but the only thing he could use as a weapon is his golf club… I will leave the rest to you to watch.  I thoroughly enjoyed this and I hope that Marza is still looking for coproduction partners to continue the story of Samurai Frog Golf in a series!  To give up on this brilliant idea would be such a shame…

Bottom of the Well: A Touching Animated Story About a Mouse and Friendship

This is short but very sweet.  A young mouse, out on an expedition, falls down a well.  Now, that might not end well (ah!), but at the bottom, in despair, he meets a new friend who might be the key to his survival.  Yet, this involves sacrifice.  I won’t tell you anymore because spoilers, but give it a watch, particularly if you are feeling a little down in the dumps today.  The screenshot above might give you a small clue, but I have no doubt that Bottom of the Well will cheer you up!

This animated short was the thesis film for two young creatives at SVA (School of Visual Arts in New York).  Xinyu Shen directed and produced, created the story and worked on the animation and editing.  Meanwhile, Charlie Yuyung Luo was co-producer and contributed character modelling, look development and the 2D cutscene animation.  Together they have created something very sweet – and very special.  Have a watch below.

Fire: An Atmospheric Animated Short Capturing the Horror of Wildfire

As you (may) know, at Kuriositas we like to showcase some of the best student-created animated shorts.  Many, if not most of them, tell stories that are action-heavy, which helps show off the technical prowess of the students.  Fire is something quite difference.  While it certainly covers the elements that the students must show in order to complete their degree, this tells and altogether different story.  As such it is refreshing to see a group of collaborators take such a distinct and different pathway to the norm.  What we get initially is a beautifully rendered series of images of a languid summer’s afternoon, almost as if time has stood still.  It's a perfect summer's day. A cat is our protagonist (if it can be called that) as he meanders around the yard and inside the house. Yet even as he does so, there is a steadily increasing sense of unease that something isn’t quite right.

Of course, the house has been abandoned due to an encroaching fire.  It’s a prescient piece of filmmaking in that respect, as so much of Europe has been impacted by successive heatwaves over the last few months.  As the fire encroaches, its impact is felt. This is an impressive piece of animation, one that had me transfixed from start to finish.  Congratulations to the directors, Baptiste Fraboul, Esther Lamassoure, Julie Le Forban, Valentin Serre, Léna Gittler, and Florent Sabuco of École des Nouvelles Images for producing something so special. Fire was produced by Julien Deparis, and sound design was by Pierre-François.  I would also like to specially mention the soundtrack by Mathis Coopman which superbly catches the atmosphere of the disaster in a very Pink Floydy kinda way, combining with the animation to create something truly cinematic.  No wonder this animated short has won awards!

Watch Fire below.

What NOT to Do If You Crash Land on an Alien Planet – A Brilliant Animated Short by ESMA Students

Lurks should be a training video for the Intergalactic Federation of Planets called “What NOT to do if you crash land on a mysterious alien planet” because the protagonist does so many things wrong.  You would think that she has never watched a horror film before – and this trope-laden animated short by ESMA graduation students deliverers them one after another (after another).  Now, reading back, that doesn’t look like much of a plug for this, but I found it immensely entertaining (although I desperately wanted some sort of final twist in the tale, right at the end, which did not appear but which could have raised the bar here, in terms of structure and storytelling). 

The planet, spacecraft and character animation (especially the monsters) are extremely well realised, especially considering this is a student film.  There are any number of technically very difficult sequences in this short, and hats off to the team for delivering them with great aplomb.  Altogether, a chilling cautionary tale of how to survive an alien environment – or not.  The students who created this are Kelssy Abdou , Ikram Benmaza, Mélodie Carn, Amanda Cere, Adrien Chaumier, Maëlle Couzinier, Maëline Dalous, Victor Del Campo and Aglaée Pons. Music was by Valentin Guay with sound created by Tristan Le Bozec, Guilhem Favard and Jose Vicente.  Well done to everyone involved in the project.

Tailless - Can a Lizard Without a Tail Find Love?

A lizard without a tail is not considered the catch of the year by his peers and so poor Sam, tailless but hungry for a little love, is in something of a pickle.  He is forced to watch as boy lizard with full tails get the girl, leaving him without a hope in the world. However, h’s a plucky little guy and with the help of his best friend, he goes about finding a replacement - from the things we leave behind.  Will his new-found prosthetic enable him to discover love? Or has he really been looking in the wrong places all this time?

This charming animated short was created by a group of ESMA students as their degree project.  It was directed by Liselotte Allard, Alphonse Année, Margot Brun, Frédéric Dewit, Eva Dugué, Esther García Fernández, Lourenço Soares and Camille Szostek. Music was composed by Jeffrey Brice. Sound was by Mickaël Merrheim, José Vicente and Yoann Poncet. The voices were provided by Liselotte Allard, Eva Dugué, Esther García Fernández and Frédéric Multier.

Custom Made

Everyone is nervous, at least to some extent, on their first day at a new job.  Yet spare a thought for young Pierre (as I have called him).  He is the only human living in a world of animals and even his recent couture diploma isn’t going to get him very far when it comes to competing with his colleague, whose eight legs put her at a distinct advantage to him when it comes to completing new dresses on time. So, his first day is going to be challenging, to say the least. Regardless, plucky Pierre decides to give it his best job, even if it comes to some unfortunate improvisation…

This charming animated short was directed by Léa Cousty, Chloé Astier, Hugo Bourriez, Victoire Le Dourner, Raphaël Guez, and Mélanie Fourgeaud during their studies at Rubika in Valenciennes, France.  Music is by Valentin Lafort and sound design by Henri Petitprez.  The French title Sur Mesure means Custom Made in English (I hope no one minds me using the translation as the title to this post!). This is an incredibly accomplished animation for a group of students (however talented).  It features a simple but very well-told plot, and is a visual treat for the eyes. I was particularly struck both by the character and background design.  Bravo to all involved.   

Shibuya Meltdown - 渋谷メルトダウン

We have all had them – those interminably dull, incredibly long and impossibly tedious days at the office.  And so has the hero of this animated short – Shibuya Meltdown.  However, he has an imagination – at first a creature he draws on his notepad comes to life.  However, his boss soon presents him with enough work to keep his imagination at bay.  Yet eventually the working day comes to an end and as he plods home, crushed after what seems like the millionth day in a row at the office, he is drawn to a magical food stand, and soon he sets his mind – and everything in it – free, to roam the city in ways he only ever dreamed.  If he is having a meltdown, it’s my kind of meltdown!

Shibuya Meltdown  is a wonderful animated short – heartfelt and joyful at its core. It is so lovely to see a graduation project that isn’t full of blood and guts (of course, as you know, they have their place on Kuriositas!) but instead opts for something so vibrantly optimistic (even though it may be an extended metaphor for a complete nervous breakdown). I hope its creators never experience the boredom that their young protagonist did.  It was created by the master’s students in Animation Cinema at ECV Lille as their final-year graduation project. The film was directed by Marine Dufosse, Manon Casmarec, Marius Faraci and Victor Paris.

Sea of Leaves: A Stunning Animated Pirate Tale of Regret, Revenge and Redemption

 

A tale of regret and revenge – two great staples of a pirate adventure.  So, Sea of Leaves is not unusual in that respect.  What does make it different, however, is the setting.  The pirate ship, with the remnants of its crew = the captain Viktor and his first-mate Bill, glides through the air towards a huge, forested area – in which lurks their destiny.  For they have been there before and the captain, wracked with guilt because his avarice cost so many lives, is determined to get his revenge on the one thing he blames.  What that is and whether Victor gets his revenge is up to you to discover…

This hugely enjoyable animated short was created by students at ESMA in France as their graduation project. It was directed by Vincent Bohnert, Margaux Bontron, Anaë Duquenne, Juliette Gilles-Payart, Veronika Nikulina, Romain Paillet, Yoann Paquet, Quentin Thisse and Maxime Verclytte. The music was composed by Matei Pouzet, while the sound design was created by Mickaël Merrheim, José Vicente and Yoann Poncet. The voice cast features Mark Kaczmarek, Robert Laborde, Vincent Bohnert and Quentin Thisse.  Bravo to everyone involved in the making of this beautifully crafted short.

Alone - A Lonely Robot Finds a Friend

I enjoy a simple story, well told.  As such Alone fits into that category perfectly.  Set aboard a future spacecraft, it tells the story of a robot given the lonely job of cleaning, polishing and maintaining everything while the humans on board wait out the journey in suspended animation.  After a while, the robot becomes lonely and decides to take some action to remedy the situation.  Soon, there are two robots. However, every action has a reaction – and soon there are issues aboard the spaceship.  There are difficult choices ahead…

This animated short was created by students at the UTS Animal Logic Academy in Australia.  It’s not long, but it’s perfectly formed.  There is a dash of WALL-E, a slither of R2D2 and a dash of Silent Running in the design of the robots – but they come across very well as their own creations.  The list of names involved is far too long to include here, but I would like to say a thank you to everyone involved in this wonderful creation!

Cocoon Is a Stunning Animated Short About Love, Obsession, and Violence

Cocoon really is something quite special – you can tell from the very beginning it is a labor of love by director Daixuan Yuan, who created this animated short for their third year film at CalArts. It draws together a number of elements from different writers and artists to become something of a synthesis – a complete piece of art in and of itself that is beautiful to look at and intriguing to watch.  Visually, it is exquisite,

The plot is inspired by Edogawa Ranpo’s novel, A Brute’s Love.  It follows a violent criminal who becomes obsessively devoted to a woman, leading to manipulation, psychological control, and escalating brutality as love and violence become indistinguishable ultimately together.  And yes, you get all of this in the short.  But then there is the art.  For that, Daixuan draws on Salvador Dali in particular, but there are other influences at play here – Asumiko Nakamura and Gustav Klimt were the first that came to mind.

This really is something quite extraordinary.  Watch the complete animated short below.  It's not an emotionally easy watch by any means, but has many rewards.

Rise Age Short Film - Mesmerising Animation About Environmental Collapse

It may take you a while to fully comprehend what the title of this intriguing animated short means – for me, it had to be made explicit at the end…  Yet there is something quite mesmerising about this animated short by Tatjana Theuer, who created this while doing her postgraduate course in Motion Design at the FilmakademieBaden-Württemberg.  As a “student film” this is astonishingly mature work.

It tells the story of a community of sea-slug type creatures, happy in their carefree crawliness which is orchestrated and coordinated from above by a choir.  Yet as they go about their daily lives, something invisible threatens their way of life – but even after one group after another disappears, nothing seems to stop them from going about their business. Still, one by one they disappear.  This is all accompanied by the mesmeric “song” of their leaders, that with only small pauses as the destruction overtakes them, carries on regardless.  It was only towards the end I realised that this was about our rising sea levels and how we have done little or nothing to prevent it – in fact, we are the cause.

Take a look at Rise Age, which has to be one of the more charismatic animated shorts presented by students this year  – it is as thought provoking as it is entertaining.

Apocalypse Dog

This animated short is a blast from start to finish… it could easily form the basis of an excellent video game.  It tells the story of Bob and Pasha (the apocalypse dog of the title), who go about their business scavenging a living, with everything they own tottering and teetering on top of their rusty, dilapidated old car.  Bob does, frankly, look a little too well-fed for someone living after the end of the world as we know it, but perhaps the wasteland is full of calories as well as dangers.  His companion Pasha, who I think might be a miniature Doberman (definitely as wilful as some I have met!), is the more gregarious of the two – and it is his inclination to go in search of the source of a tantalising aroma that causes a rift in their relationship… and exposes both to great danger.

Told at breakneck speed, Apocalypse Dog successfully uses a number of cunning structural devices to tell its story - right up to the end - as well as changes in animation style.  It’s a fantastic piece of animation from a group of students at Rubika (in Valenciennes, France) which would be great as a supporting feature at the movies.  I particularly like the facial expressions that both Bob and Pasha use to communicate their thoughts and feelings.  All told, this is an animated short brimming with vitality and humour.  It is quite amazing to think that this is an undergraduate project,  given the high quality of both the animation and storyline.

Apocalypse Dog was directed by Aziliz Le Clainche, Camille Nasarre, Jing Qian, Juliette Barraux, Emma Plumey, Lucile Arnaud and Solène Cauchie. The music was composed by Cyrille Marchesseau, with sound design by Valentin Petiteau, and features voice work from Michel Elias (shout out here – great emotional communication using little more than grunts!).

S.O.U.R.C.E. - Water Wars on Alien Worlds: The Final Mecha Duel for Humanity’s Last Oasis

In the far future, water has become scarce in the universe, leading inevitably to war.  On the planet Airon, a unit of mechas of the intergalactic corporation S.O.U.R.C.E. has been assigned to take over the last oasis, but met fierce resistance.  Finally, there are only two left – and this is their last battle. Whoever wins will gain the only remaining pure source of water in the galaxy…

This animated short by a group of ESMA students is, effectively, one long battle sequence and as such shows off their animation skills with panache. It’s breath-taking, non-stop and ingenious.  Yet there is also a poignant story at the heart of all this sound and fury, which you only appreciate right at the end.  Hats off to these students for telling this story – a visual metaphor for how our own planet is going frankly!

The short was directed by Alexandre André, Louis Bonnaud, Adrien Gouloubi, Mathieu Hebrard, Pierre Lopez, Anton Markov, Evana Mingsisouphanh, Maxence Porelli, and Ludovic Vacher with music by Seiji Champollion. Sound was by Guilhem Favard, José Vicente and Yoann Poncet with the voices provided by José Vicente.

The Stained Group

If you fancy an extended visual metaphor, you’ve come to the right place.  This heartfelt and very touching animated short tells the story of Finn, a young boy who has stains on his skin.  He has met up with a trio of other kids that have similar stains, and together they form a community – one which helps them put up with the prejudice they encounter about their condition every day.  I guess that doesn’t sound too cheerful – and it isn’t – but I was left at the end with a sense of optimism. 

This animated short was created by a group of students at Rubika.  It has taken quite a while for this to make it onto the schools YouTube channel, but it won the prestigious "Jury's Choice" award at SIGGRAPH 2019.  The Stained Group was created by a talented bunch of students – directed by Mélanie Lopez, Chan Stéphie Peang, Alice Jaunet, Simon Boucly, Marie Ciesielski, and Béatrice Viguier.  Music is by Valentin Lafort and sound design by Henri Petitprez and Kamal Ouazène.  Watch The Stained Group below – and I am pretty sure you will know why I love this animated short so much by the time you get to the end!

Hope-65 – a Chimp Explores the Stars to Find a New Planet for Humanity

In the not too distant future, we reach out beyond our own solar system in search of a new home. To do this, space ships are launched, “manned”  by our closest relative – chimpanzees.  Specially trained, they must ascertain whether or not our exodus may begin, giving us a new home full of natural resources to claim as our own.  One of these chimpanzee explorers is Hope-65, one of a long line of her kind to go into space on our behalf.  She eventually arrives at a planet which fulfils all the necessary criteria to sustain us into the future.  It’s time to let us know, so we can journey to our new home…

This beautifully made animated short was created as a graduation project over a two-year period by students at Ecole Brassart, a French school of the creative professions.  The character animation of Hope-65 herself is expert, belying the fact that this is a student made film.  The new planet is gorgeous - realised with great care and attention - I think anyone might wish to live there!  Although one does have to suspend disbelief around a chimp being allowed to make such a final final decision, that's not too much to ask!

Hope-65 was created by Eliott Curaba, Louis Grand, Nolan Vercasson, Alicia Serra, Mathilde Peis, Evan Mastropietro, Tonin Molina and Léo Soler with music and sound design by Görkem Agar, Eliott Manche-Gentelet, Hugo Bressaud and Ayden Heurtevent.  I think this is probably the first time we have featured something by Brassart students on Kuriositas, and from the quality of this, I very much doubt it will be the last.  A huge congratulations to all the students (and their teachers) involved in this animated short – it really is something to be proud of.

Amped - Award-Winning 2D Animated Short

You know that time at work on a Friday, just a few minutes before it hits five?  Oh, the anticipation of the weekend, together – of course – with a little downtime in the office.  It’s that magic time when you can relax and take in a few minutes of that ten hour goats screaming like humans video that you have been meaning to watch all week.  Such is the case with the two office workers featured in Amped, which was written and directed by Vincent Salvano.

What sometimes happens on a Friday at close to five is that a load of new work seems to miraculously make it to your desk.  And so our two workers must stay behind and work into the night – except that proves difficult.  However, they both discover a mysterious drink – one which will not only give them the power to stay awake but to enable them to work at speeds they could previously only imagine. If you think that is a cue for things to go wrong, you’re right.

Amped was produced with the support of Pixar Animation Studios Co-op Film Program, and brought to life by a small independent team of artist, including Head of Story Matthias De Clercq, Editor Alia Rezk, Director of Photography Andrew Jimenez and music by - Aaron Daniel Jacob.  Produced by Logan Hester, Amped is a fantastic animated short, reminiscent in some ways of the old Tom and Jerry style, with outrageous actions and reactions in abundance.  Also, don't you think there is something a little Flintstoney about the characters? I can't quite put my finger on what!  It also has something very special – it has great character development and story momentum, quite something to pull of in such a short piece of work.

Oh and watch the end credits - another story in itself!

Extracted

If there are times in our lives that we remember (or think we do) from when we are very young, I expect a visit to the dentist is towards the top of the list for most of us.  This charming film does just that – but through the eyes of a puppy.  Created by VeryTrue Story, this is a charming animated short (and it is short!). 

Extracted is a visually striking short film written and directed by Adam Glickfield, who also serves as executive producer alongside Kristin Almy. The film’s distinctive visual style is shaped by illustrator Renaud Lavency, with animation by Latham Arnott, Arley Cornell, Alex Deaton, Josh Parker, Grant Perdew, Paul Slemmer and Dennis Wardzala. Completing the immersive experience, Jeff Moberg provides the music score, sound design and final mix, bringing depth and atmosphere to this inventive production.

Inner

A battle rages on a distant planet, yet it is not at all like our own.  It is an organic world where white blood cells and viruses have evolved into humanoids and as they have evolved, so too have their methods of warfare.  Amidst the carnage, a white blood cell soldier takes his viral enemy captive.  Yet the prisoner of war and his captor develop a bond, one which could mean the end of conflict.

I won’t pretend to understand the real biology behind this very entertaining animated short, made by ESMA students in France.  It works for me, though!  Directing credits go to Jonah Montier, Simon Brejoux, Gibril Siline, Carla Kaddam, Tess Benedetti, Justin Phillipps, Nolwenn Queval, Claire Alberny and Lucie Gonzalez with music provided by Adèle Chavy.  Sound is by Tristan Le Bozec, Sébastien Fournier, and José Vicente, with voices by Nesrine Tkitek and Jonah Montier.  As usual, the visual feast that is an ESMA production far surpasses my expectations – it is, after all, a student film.  Yet this can stand up and be counted among professional productions, such is its production quality and visual storytelling.

Forevergreen

Forevergreen tells the story of an orphaned bear cub, rescued from almost certain death by a benign spirit of the forest – which in this case comes in the shape of an old and wise evergreen tree.  The tree teaches the young cub how to survive and a parent-child bond is created between the two.  That is, until the cub reaches those difficult teenage years and is accidentally introduced to the allure of fast food left behind by humans.  A chain of events is set in motion in which desperate decisions must be made…

This charming animated short, written and directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears was created by a team of over 200 people who all donated their free time to create what is a beautiful piece of visual storytelling.  As you can imagine, as it was an after hours project, it took some time to make – over five years in fact.  On a simple level it works as an extended metaphor – don’t give your kids junk food.  Flippancy aside, Forevergreen tells a simple yet profound tale of sacrifice and parenthood and how this can spread out, like the leaves of a tree, over generations.

Watch Forevergreen below.

Windy Day

I love a visual, extended metaphor in the morning.  This animated short by students from the École des Nouvelles Images in France has the tagline “Wind carries away destinies.”  However, I think it is truer to say that this particular wind drives people to them.  The story is very simple, but beautifully told.  In a park we meet the various people enjoying their time there – a young couple with their child, and even younger couple discovering love for the first time, an old man with his dog and the harassed businessman trying to do a little work while having his lunch.  All are destined to meet the wind – but what will become of them?

This charming animation was directed by Martin Chailloux, Ai Kim Crespin, Élise Golfouse, Chloé Lab, Hugo Taillez, and Camille Truding, with an original score by Camille Riey (MAAAV). It was produced by Julien Deparis, and the sound mix was created by Pierre-François Renouf.