6 Animation Shorts for Zippy Holidays

They are not the most Christmasy or celebratory; sometimes they can be moody as well. Yet between the obligatory corniness of Xmas wishes and the need to get away from the dreary reality there's a whole world of indie animation shorts -celebrating in their own way.

We picked up both recent and older ones, which have already premiered online -along with our contributors' notes on the films.

Only a Child" - by Simone Giampaolo

A visual poem which gives shape and colour to the words spoken by 12 year-old Severn Suzuki at the United Nations' Rio Summit in 1992.

We wrote (Joseph Norman): A great short film, with a child sending a warning to adults about impending environmental and other human-made disasters. Exploring wildly creative jumps between different forms of animation, this is sensitively made leaving a strong message.

Un Kilomètre à pied by Mathieu Georis 

During a scouting hike, children pee along a river. The presence of the group bothers one of them, nothing comes out. Folded up behind a tree, he sees a slug on the bark of the trunk. Out of sight of the others, he takes advantage of this moment to play one-two-three piano with the slug. 

We wrote (Vassilis Kroustallis): Immersive and monochromatic, the film takes you into an adventure of interaction and abandonment -slightly offhand, and almost ritual.

A Boy I Never Knew by Daria Dedok

Structured as a series of vignettes drawn in stark black and white, and to a soundtrack of mournful jazz, the film is a set of confessions anchored in fear, confusion, numbness, and anxiety.

We wrote (Mikhail Gurevich): an attempt on introspection through restrainedly stylish interchange of visual and verbal tableaux, jazzy and intent at the same time

Drop Nowhere by Ang Qing Sheng

A one-and-a-half year old baby who dropped his plush Merlion toy onto the ledge outside of his HDB apartment window tries to get it back, and in the palm-sweating process reveals the contemporary Singaporean landscape made up of foreigners.

We wrote (Olga Bobrowska): The baby's pursue for the slipping toy is dynamic and sensual, puts the viewer on alert and rises their heartbeat

Florian by Keshav Abrol, Lucas Londoño-Clayton, Pavel Loparev & Alicia Velasco

Every morning, a bearded man must complete a strange and difficult ritual to prepare himself for the day ahead.

We wrote (Eliane Gordeeff):  What I find most interesting about this short is the subtlety: in the character movements, in the camera focus, and in the approach to a topic so sensitive and difficult to present, which is the masculinity concept. 

I, Barnabé by Jean-François Lévesques

Confronted with doubt and feelings of emptiness, drunk with unhappiness and seeking to drown his sorrow, Barnabé experiences a curious metaphysical visitation; lightning strikes the spire of his church and a mysterious bird appears, forcing him to reconsider his life

We wrote (Kropka):  an impeccable stop motion that masterfully blends comedy, magic realism and the metaphysics of faith. Delightful film.

Happy Zippy Holidays!