Animated Shorts
My Dear Mr. Whittman
Jeremiah Dickey
2 min, United States
This animated excerpt from documentary series “Queer for Fear” illustrates an 1872 letter of adoration sent to American poet Walt Whitman by a young British writer named Bram Stoker, years before he would find fame as the author of the novel “Dracula.” The letter has since become the focus of much historical conjecture.
There’s a Bison on The Prairie
Morgan Miller
7 min, United States
A short film about existence and sentience. Satirical in tone, the film chronicles evolution and the development of the carnivore.
American Sikh
Vishavjit Singh, Ryan Wesra
10 min, United States
The animated true story of a turban-wearing American Sikh, who after a lifetime of facing prejudice, self-doubt and violence, finally finds acceptance in a superhero costume.
Regular Rabbit
Eoin Diffy
8 min, Ireland
With story and visuals purposefully separated, a Regular Rabbit battles a comically absurd onslaught of disinformation. He is not the nightmare being told. He is as shown, a regular ol’ stupid rabbit doing his usual rabbit stuff! The narrator is full of s#!t!! How is this so hard to believe?! Fake news!! Where’s the evidence?! Agh!!! He is nothing more than a Regular Rabbit!
AIKĀNE
Daniel Sousa, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson
14 min, United States
A valiant island warrior, wounded in battle against foreign invaders, falls deep into a mysterious underwater world. Everything changes when the octopus who rescues him transforms into a handsome young man.
Purple Hours
Vaughn Oeth
3 min, United States
A regency-era ball is being held, but the host, Edwin, is nowhere to be found. Sequestered in his private study downstairs, he dances with his partner, Pascal, and they bask in each other’s company – until Pascal asks a question Edwin wasn’t ready to answer.
Where’s Your Barbie?
Travis Vermilye
2 min, United States
As kids, most of us played with store-bought toys. Bombarded with commercials for toys during Saturday morning cartoons, we began our initiation into American consumerism via the desire to have the latest and greatest toy trends from Barbie and GI Joe to Transformers and My Little Pony. Do you still have your toys? Probably not. What happened to them? Where did they wind up? Where’s your Barbie? This piece questions not only the final resting place of our playthings but also our impact on the earth through pollution, particularly with plastic. It is sad to think that something we love so dearly as a child might wind up in the ocean or as part of the great pacific garbage patch, but this is the harsh reality.
Craven Gap
Jonathan Furnell
4 min, United States
A newlywed couple drifts off to sleep in a cozy cabin, only to be awakened by a terrible noise…An Appalachian folktale brought to life.
Sundrop
Anna Sirk-Morato
5 min, United States
The Sundrop is a short 5-minute 2D animated film that tells the story of a robot named Sam. Who, after the sun disappears one day and plunges the world into darkness, finds one last bit of light. She attempts to help using it until others try to steal it from her.
The Computer Cube
Alex Kropinak, Anna Rubanova, Adam Bozarth
3 min, United States
A man struggling to finish some work inadvertently gives his computer sentience.
Porta Party
John T. Hill
3 min, United States
Completed in 48 hours for the “Statewide Scramble” 2023 hosted by Sidewalk Film + Cinema over the weekend of April 14 – 16 by Little Circus, a team of five undergrad students and a faculty team leader. Our assigned genre was “Slapstick Comedy” and our required line was “I wish you would have told me sooner.” We were awarded an Honorable Mention at the competition screening on April 19th. Chadwick’s bros have unwittingly trapped him in a precarious prank and he must use all of his faculties to survive. Will Chadwick’s love for his homies overcome?
He Has To Come Home
Apollo Shepherd
4 min, United States
A dark animated folktale. A hunter enters an eerie forest rife with monsters and emerges with a new perspective
Labor of Love
Richard O’Connor
3 min, United States
Mary Stepp Burnette Hayden was born into enslavement in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She was 7 years old when she was freed. She stayed in Black Mountain and became a midwife, delivering several hundred babies including her own grandchildren. Her granddaughter, Mary Othella Burnette, came to StoryCorps with her daughter, Debora Hamilton Palmer, to honor the family matriarch.
Ninety-five Senses
Jerusha Hess, Jared Hess
14 min, United States
An ode to the body’s five senses delivered by a man with little time left to enjoy them. Tim Blake Nelson and a diverse team of animators from Latin America and the U.S. bring to life this bittersweet tale of regret and redemption from visionary duo Jerusha and Jared Hess.
A Life Of Honor
Richard O’Connor
3 min, United States
When Joseph Patton joined the Navy in 1955, he recalls serving in silence, as the LGBTQIA+ community could not be open while in the military. Despite being the “perfect sailor,” Joseph was kicked out of the Navy for being friends with gay service members, under the assumption that he was homosexual. Due to the status of his “undesirable discharge,” Joseph was unable to receive any benefits for his service in the Navy. Years later, Joseph came to StoryCorps to reflect on his journey and share his resilience, as he fought and successfully changed his status to “honorable discharge.”
Butchy’s Big Pitch
Nick Pruehr, Chrissy Fellmeth
4 min, United States
For over 20 years, filmmaker Nick Prueher’s downstairs neighbor Butchy would tell him his ideas for TV commercials. One day, while shirtless in his kitchen, he allowed Nick to record one of his pitches. This film depicts Butchy’s never-produced commercial pitch for Aflac.
Nature Nurture
Trevor Mastro
5 min, United States
In search of inspiration after breaking up with their partner, an artist is sent by an empath on a journey to carry a tree to the top of a mountain.
No Light Yet
George F Cox
3 min, United States
No Light Yet shows how it feels to go through each day living in fear of being murdered for the color of your skin through mother-son point of view.
Self Love
Michelle Ouellette, Chad Thompson
2 min, United States
Self Love is a sci-fi short about a romantic encounter between two unlikely partners and a crystal that can harness your inner most narcissistic fantasies.