Animation

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Animation Craft

In ‘Felt Love,’ a Young Boy and His Mother Learn the Value of Spending Quality Time Together

A mother working overtime at home as a seamstress finds it difficult to carve out a few moments for her son in “Felt Love,” a poignant short film about family, togetherness, and quality time. Created by a group of students at San Jose State University as a senior thesis project in 2020, the piece combines a miniature 3D set with 2D animation to tell the story of a young boy who learns the depth of his mother’s hard work and adoration and how she learns to share that with him.

Go behind-the-scenes of “Felt Love” on the project’s Instagram, and you might also enjoy the stop-motion short “Visible Mending” by Samantha Moore.

All images © Felt Love Film

Animation

A Runaway Robot Makes a Difference for Two Lonely Rabbits in the New Stop-Motion Short ‘TENNIS, ORANGES’

“Somewhere in the world, there’s a quiet street where nothing ever happens,” begins the tagline for Sean Pecknold’s new short film, “TENNIS, ORANGES.” But all of that is about to change when a robot vacuum quits its job at a nearby hospital and wanders down the street on a mission to make a difference. For two lonely rabbits whose daily routines are stuck in a perpetual, repetitive loop, things will soon get pretty interesting.

The trailer for the new film, which premiered this month at SXSW, features captivating sets designed in collaboration with Adi Goodrich and stunning stop-motion animation by Pecknold, who has worked on projects for clients like The New York Times, Sony, Netflix, the BBC, and many more. Find more on Pecknold’s Vimeo channel, and keep an eye on his Instagram for updates about future screenings.

All images © Sean Pecknold

Animation

Curiosity Gets the Best of ‘Ashkasha’ in This Otherworldly Stop-Motion Short

Animator Lara Maltz adds new meaning to “losing one’s head” in her lauded short, “Ashkasha.” Made from clay, textiles, and beads, Maltz brings her unique characters and peculiar aquatic world to life in stop-motion.

The film follows its eponymous protagonist through a whirlwind of uncanny events, initially guided by her curiosity to glimpse into a mysterious pool. Suddenly, the surface erupts into a mess of splashing tentacles. Ashkasha is dramatically decapitated, and she falls into a strange underworld, awakening to a new reality. She sets out on a mission to find her missing head, facing numerous challenges during her transformative journey.

See more on Maltz’s Vimeo, and follow updates on Instagram.

All images © Lara Maltz

Animation Craft

‘Visible Mending’ Weaves Tales of Emotional Repair, One Stitch at a Time

“I think people, they need something that’s for them, just to concentrate on,” says the voiceover in the opening scene of the short documentary “Visible Mending,” published recently as part of the Op-Docs series from The New York Times. Another adds, “There’s something about, you know, when your life is sort of falling apart, you need to have—create a purpose in it for yourself. And if that purpose is quite small, it doesn’t matter. It’s important. It’s something tangible.”

The voices belong to members of the Merrymakers, a small group of older knitters in rural Shropshire, England. Cue the delicate swishing and clicking of knitting needles and a yarn ball on the loose, and we’re welcomed into a charming, thoughtful reflection on the craft of healing.

Shrewsbury-based filmmaker Samantha Moore (previously) began interviewing participants five years ago, spurred to make a documentary after her mother developed dementia in her early 60s and forgot how to read patterns. “After years of having her knit for me, I taught myself how to knit by watching YouTube tutorials,” Moore says in an article accompanying the film. “As I learned more, and my mom’s health declined, I began to understand the solace that knitting brings.”

Filmed at a studio in Birmingham, Moore’s stop-animation brings knitted characters to life, including a teddy bear, mice, birds, and a sweater in various states of unraveling. The interviewees are represented by personalities of their choice, reflecting backgrounds that range from academia and healthcare to community volunteering and activism—like the work of artist Lorna Hamilton-Brown, MBE.

In visiting the social group, Moore learned about individuals’ lives and why the craft provided much-needed focus or respite from anxiety or adversity. “All the members had their own stories illustrating the therapeutic power of textile arts and how knitting granted them the time and space to process grief, frustration, or health struggles,” Moore says.

Participants share their experiences of dealing with stress by learning to knit loosely and be more relaxed or the wonder and sense of accomplishment sparked by a two-dimensional chart full of “k’s” and “p’s” transforming into a three-dimensional object.

Go behind the scenes on the film’s site.

Animation

In This Award-Winning Short Film, Two Birds Race to Save Their Eggs When the World Goes ‘BOOM’

It’s just another pleasant day on the island among a flock of feathered friends when the earth comes literally crashing down. In a desperate bid to save their four eggs, two sparring bird parents try to reconcile their differences while making a grand escape down the side of an erupting volcano, attempting various ways to keep their offspring out of harm’s way. Whether tossed up into a tree or clutched with both wings, getting the awkward orbs to safety proves quite the feat.

Directed by students at the École des Nouvelles Images, “BOOM” has been shortlisted in the best animated short film category for an Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards. The piece has screened at numerous festivals and won thirty additional awards during the past two years, including a gold medal at the 2023 Student Academy Awards.

All images © École des Nouvelles Images

Animation

Dizzying Gifs by Etienne Jacob Infuse Mathematical Equations into Endless Loops

“Rotating dandelion.” All gifs © Etienne Jacob, shared with permission

Paris-based software engineer Etienne Jacob (previously) takes a creative approach to coding with his mesmerizing animations that fall at the intersection of art and math. Gravitating toward space-filling curves and spiral equations, Jacob designs engrossing geometries that twirl around a central axis, coil into parallel black holes, and disperse into individual dots.

Looping is an essential part of each animation, he tells Colossal, noting that the constraint influences the shapes and movements he’s able to create. Most designs are planned, although Jacob diverges when a new technique or method seems appealing. “When I start to code a loop, I give the project a name that sums up the main idea I’m planning to work on, and it seems that the end result always matches that initial project name (and idea), despite the experimentation and unplanned features,” he shares.

Jacob shares much of his work on Tumblr, along with tutorials on his website.

“Sphere wave”

“Torus curve”

“Cubes camouflage” made in collaboration with jn3008

“Circle to double spiral”

“Fractal sliding 2d”

“Path with 2 holes”