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student films

Animation: "À la française"

Your rating: None Average: 3.8 (5 votes)

'À la française' poster À la française, a very anthropomorphic student film by Julien Hazbroucq, Ren Hsien Hsu, Emmanuelle Leleu, William Lorton, and Morrigane Boyer of the SUPINFOCOM animation school of Arles, France, has won Best in Show at the (40th annual) SIGGRAPH 2013 convention in Anaheim, California, July 23-25, and is considered a sure nominee for the 2013 Best Animated Short Film Award (Oscar) at the 86th Academy Awards, March 2, 2014.

Here are a 1’24” extract, a 47” Vimeo trailer, and a SUPINFOCOM press release (in French).

P.S.: Many of SUPINFOCOM's student films are anthropomorphic. Here is a clip from "Home Sweet Home", about anthropomorphic houses, from the international animated film festivals circuit; and another from "My Little Croco", about a crocodile who is married to a sheep.

'Brain Divided' animates conflict between id, superego

Your rating: None Average: 3.6 (5 votes)

The Cartoon Brew website has announced the closing of its fourth annual Student Animation Festival. The Grand Prize winner is “Brain Divided”, a five-minute CGI film directed by Josiah Haworth, Joon Shik Song and Joon Soo Song at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.

Can animators anthropomorphize the brain functions known as the id and the superego? Surely, going back to Disney’s Reason and Emotion (1943), probably most famous today for the animators’ caricature of fellow Disney animator Ward Kimball as the caveman Emotion. There is also the 1956 s-f feature Forbidden Planet with its “monsters from the id”, although the id there technically is not anthropomorphized; it’s just shown running amok. It’s not done often, thank Roscoe, or it would get old fast; but Haworth & Co. have done a fine job of it.

Animation: 'Damn! Bloody eggs! Bloody eggs!' (plus 'Dragon Half')

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The Chicken or the Egg, a 3’21” student film by Christine Kim and Elayne Wu at the Ringling College of Art and Design.

Bonus video: The closing credits to Dragon Half; lyrics by Kyoko Matsumiya.

A Fan-Made Episode of Ponies

The TV series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is already famous for having inspired a wellspring of creativity in many forms, including art, stories, music, and much more. Now it seems to have reached a particular peak, as a group of “Bronies” around the country have joined forces to create Double Rainboom — the first fully-animated, fully fan-created episode of the show. With the blessings of Hasbro and DHX Media, Zachary Rich (known as Flamingo Rich) and his friends at the Savannah College of Art and Design have created a real, 22-minute episode as part of his senior project in animation. That’s real as in an orchestral score, voice actors for all of the characters, high-quality sound effects, and more. The plot? Twilight Sparkle (pre-wings) develops a magic potion — which has an interesting effect on Rainbow Dash. The entire film will be released to the world on March 30th. You can visit the Double Rainboom web site to keep up with the crew’s progress.


image c. 2013 Flamingo Rich

Cartoons: 'Paddy Pan'

Your rating: None Average: 3.8 (5 votes)

In July the Cartoon Brew website brought us The Legend of Poisonberry Pete, a 5’:41” CGI student film Western featuring anthropomorphic pies, muffins, quiches, and other baked goods. Here now is Paddy Pan, a 2D student film about an anthro cupcake wannabe who doesn’t want to be baked.

3’50” by Andrew Bowler at Quantm College in Melbourne, made with Flash, Maya, and After Effects animation.

Short film: 'Bare'

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The Cartoon Brew has posted Bare, a 2011 graduation film by Helen Dallat of the University of Wales, Newport, about an unusually fussy bear in the woods.

The only bears in the woods that I have known have s---, didn’t use any toilet paper, then sat down in their own mess – but presumably an anthropomorphic bear would be more fastidious.

Video: Another 'A Fox Tale'

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How many stories and videos titled A Fox Tale or Tail have there been? Here is one more, courtesy of the Cartoon Brew website, from student animators Thomas Bozovic, Alexandre Cazals, Julien Legay, and Chao Ma in 2011 at France’s Supinfocom Arles.

Short film: 'Metro'

Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (4 votes)

The Cartoon Brew website has posted Metro, a 2011 student film directed by Jake Wyatt and produced by him and others at the Brigham Young University for Animation.

It is a 4:45 minute cartoon that does not become anthropomorphic until its last moments, but it is a charming animal fantasy for most of its length.

It's ... anthropomorphic baked goods? 'The Ballad of Poisonberry Pete'

Your rating: None Average: 1.8 (5 votes)

The Cartoon Brew presents a 5:41 minute Western featuring anthro pies, muffins, cupcakes, quiches, and other baked goods. A CGI student film by Adam Campbell, Elizabeth McMahill, and Uri Lotan of Sarasota, Florida’s Ringling College of Art and Design.

Short documentary: 'Being Furry in a Non-Furry World'

Your rating: None Average: 3.4 (9 votes)


This seven-minute film was made by three students at Ex'pression College in the Bay Area. The documentary was preceded by a pitch video and their blog, Fur & Flesh.

Student animation: 'Crayon Dragon'

Your rating: None Average: 4.8 (8 votes)

A missing wing doesn't have to keep a dragon down, as shown by CalArts student Toniko Pantoja in this animated short [quymazing]:

Audio was provided by Denny Schneidemesser, Taryn J. Harbridge, Kristin Naigus and Glenn Hårfagre.

Video: 'Kickball', a student film by Dana Terrace

Your rating: None Average: 4.9 (9 votes)

Kickball, a student film by Dana Terrace at the School of Visual Arts, April 2012.

Video: 'Taylor'

Your rating: None Average: 5 (6 votes)

The sad story of a teenager who turns into a duck.

A 2:40 minute student film by Cody Walzel of the Pratt Institute.