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.

Tanked: The Award-Winning Animated Short About Two Lobsters, Love and Karma

Have you ever had a romantic moment interrupted? It can be annoying – and it is certainly the case for the two lobsters in Tanked an award winning animated short by Duncan Rudd.  Their tango in a tank is interrupted by the chef, who has a dinner order to fulfil and a sadistic gleam in his eye.  Well, you know what karma is…

Tanked was something of a passion project for Rudd, who fitted it in around family and work commitments over a period of nine months.  Although this animation is short and sweet, the production values are very high – you feel that you know the lobsters well from almost the outset – and the chef is a great villain.  If you enjoy this, then perhaps try Paul Rudd’s The Ballad of the Pale Blue Dot which we featured on Kuriositas last year.

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.