The Animated Short Films of SXSW 2015

If you’re a big time film fan who takes interest in all of the various film festivals that take place throughout the year, you may know that the annual SXSW (South by Southwest) film festival is being held next month in Austin, Texas. For those of you unfamiliar with the festival, it’s a venue that highlights discovery, creativity, and innovation in the world of film. It brings together industry figures and fans alike to celebrate a common passion. The interesting thing about the festival is that almost anybody can take part in it, one way or another. Even festivals like Sundance seem to exclude true indie films nowadays, so if you’re trying to get your work seen, SXSW may be up your ally.

The festival showcases an assortment of films from documentaries, to traditional live action films. There are even music videos thrown into the mix. You really get a taste of everything, and there is certainly something for everybody. If you’re familiar with Bubble Blabber, you may have a rough idea of what festival category we’ll be diving into today… animation!

At SXSW this year there will be eleven animated shorts to check out. Animated shorts can sometimes be better than full length features. Being able to tell a full story in a short period of time, it can be tricky. Let’s go over the entries, and perhaps something will stand out to you?

“All Your Favorite Shows!”

Making it’s world premier at the festival this year is “All Your Favorite Shows!” Directed and written by Danny Madden, the official synopsis goes: “Anything you want to watch in the palm of your hands! Crazy convenient, crazy…”. The synopsis leaves a lot to the imagination, but combined with the film’s title and still, it sounds like it could be something very creative. Maybe the kid in the still finds a remote that allows him to watch anything he wants, anywhere, anytime? Guess we’ll know when we see it, but the animation style screams imagination! Could be a fun watch. This short will run for five minutes in length.

“Bottom Feeders”

Also making it’s world premiere is an odd looking short called “Bottom Feeders”. Directed by Matt Reynolds, the official synopsis goes: “Divided by a barrier of fog, two disparate species fight to adapt and survive in a deliciously unsympathetic world. A glimpse into an imagined ecosystem generated from subconscious doodlings.” This one looks like it could be a head-scratcher. It seems like the creatures in the short will be shown trying to survive in a crazy, sad, barren world. The short only runs for two minutes, so I imagine this may be quick paced. The animation style is also very interesting.

“Butter Ya’Self”

“A banana and a hot dog are famous.” is the official synopsis given. Directed by Julian Petschek, this one actually isn’t making it’s world premiere. It’s available to watch on Vimeo. I checked it out myself writing this entry, and it’s basically a music video featuring a rapping banana and hot dog bun. By the end I was left feeling hungry, because there is a lot of food involved in this video, but it’s pretty funny to watch. This one runs for three minutes in length. You can check out the short for yourself at this link: http://vimeo.com/97088156

“Half Wet”

Coming from across the pond is this short from the U.K is this short directed by Sophie Koko Gate. One of the longer entries at the festival clocking in at seven minutes, the official synopsis goes “A soon to be 25 year old man with large pores tries to escape the realization that he is very slowly evaporating. At the same time he pines over his ex girlfriend; who turns out to be incredibly dull.” It seems as though this story will deal with themes such as death and love. This entry may end up being one of the more sophisticated entries at the festival, and may make some people buy that cream that tightens your pores.

“LAVA”

This may be the one to keep your eyes on. “LAVA” comes straight to you from the animation beast, Pixar. CG animated and directed by James Ford Murphy (who worked on Bugs Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and other various Pixar films). The official synopsis goes “Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, “LAVA” is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years”. With “Inside Out” and “The Good Dinosaur” coming out this year, many think this will be the year Pixar takes back the thrown of animation. Perhaps this short could be the cherry on top? This one also clocks in at seven minutes. You’ll also be able to see this short when it plays before “Inside Out” which is set to premiere in theaters on June 19^th, this year.

“Palm Rot”

Another entry clocking in at seven minutes, the official synopsis of “Palm Rot” goes: “Investigating a wreckage out in the Florida Everglades, an old crop-duster named Bill discovers a crate filled with unearthly beetles.” This one was also shown at Sundance this year, and is directed by Ryan Gillis. You’re able to watch the trailer for this online, I’ll leave a link below. It looks like it could be a fascinating watch. The animation is vibrant and colorful, it could end up being one of the more popular shorts on this list. Trailer: http://cargocollective.com/gillizama/PALM-ROT

“Pig”

“Pig” is directed by Steven Subotnick. It looks like it could be really weird, but in small doses, that can sometimes be a fun thing. The synopsis goes: “The pig is everything.” There isn’t too much to say here with this information, but oddly enough I can’t wait to see this one. This short clocks in at three minutes.

“Roadtrip”

My most anticipated entry on this list. “Roadtrip” is directed by Xavar Xylophon. This film comes from Germany, and tackles many issues. The official synopsis goes: Julius can’t sleep. To get his head empty he decides to go on a roadtrip, but somehow he can’t manage to leave. A hand drawn film about failure, insomnia, a red motorbike, pretty bargirls, the desolateness of Berlin (even in summer) and waterproof socks.” I really like the animation style of this one, and I feel this one may stand out from the rest. This one clocks in at a whopping twenty minutes. Beware, the film is in German, but has English subtitles. If you can’t stand reading subtitles, stray away from this one.

“Teeth”

This one is a collaboration of artists from the U.K, USA, and Hungary. Directed by Tom Brown and Daniel Gray, the official synopsis goes: “Things of lasting value are often neglected in favour of that which might be more immediately gratifying. Unfortunately, the things that are neglected are often lost forever, irreplaceable. This is the story of a man with a misguided and intense focus – one which started in his youth and carried on to old age. His life events are chronicled through the loss of his teeth – and how his obsessive efforts to amend what was damaged bring on yet further destruction.” If you’re child fusses over brushing their teeth, it sounds like this may be the short to show them! (Please don’t, I watched the trailer. It’s pretty creepy). The moral of this short will most likely transcend teeth, and we’ll all think of something we can relate this message to. This one is six minutes long.

“Whole”

Another one coming from Europle, this time Denmark, the official synopsis goes: Mira has heartache and feels hollow inside. Her friend Ingeborg attempts to fill out Mira’s whole with vodka and other men, but as Mira meets the shaman Uhlrik, a more holistic solution arises. Mira must find her inner power animal. But after being put into a drum induced trance, Mira meets something entirely unexpected.” Not a lot to say about this, the premise sounds interesting. This one wasn’t accompanied by a still, so I can’t comment on the animation style. I’m curious to see what it’s like though. This one is twelve minutes long and it’s directed by William Reynish.

“World of Tomorrow”

Another long entry, clocking in at sixteen minutes. “World of Tomorrow” is directed by Don Hertzfeldt. The synopsis goes: “A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future.” I really like the animation style on this one. It seems simple, but complicated. The story sounds like it could be a cool one as well. This may be another one to check out!

Well, that’s it. Those are all of the animated shorts that will be available for your viewing pleasure at SXSW next month. If you aren’t able to get to Austin, Texas. These all eventually become available to view one way or another, or if you really want to see something on this list, you’ll most likely be able to.

What are your thoughts on these shorts? Anything in particular you want to check out? Let us know in the comments!