04:33 This wonderful animation presents a synthesis of Campbell’s foundational framework for the stages of the hero’s quest, illustrating its timeless potency in illuminating the inner workings of so many of our modern myths and contemporary real-life heroes.

03:16 This compelling, powerful animated PSA was produced to draw attention to the urgent issue of elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade, which is predominantly funding many terrorist organizations in Africa.

02:45 In this mesmerizing stop-motion animation, different light beings – including camels, snakes, and skeletons – explore the wilderness of California by night. Locations featured include Mono Lake, Big Sur, Trona Pinnacles, Death Valley, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. At each spot, the photographer pulled out his camera gear and LED lights and then shot long exposure photos while waving his lights through the frame.

03:31 In this wonderful stop-motion film Elastika uses push pins, elastic bands, and a cork board to tell an age-old adventure tale — one that involves fast cars, fireworks, and the high seas.

03:52 The adorable sneaker-wearing shell has a number of big moments. He braves the rain, sings a heartfelt song about friendship, laments his plant allergy, takes a dig at shrimp, and reveals the “hot zone” where he needs to apply deodorant. For the uninitiated, Marcel is a near-microscopic, talking shell (with shoes on), whose childlike awkwardness and earnest nature make for some hilarious observations on his life surroundings.

03:42 Known for bringing to life such legendary Disney characters as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Ariel, animator Glen Keane has crafted a touching story about a young boy and girl (and their dog) growing up, weaving together their life stories through stunning animation. The original score matches the movements of the characters and paces the story accordingly, while the color scheme brings a unique, softer touch to the film.

03:36 A quite amazing, disturbing, and in some ways inspiring animated video that takes a critical look at the negative impact man is having on our planet. It depicts the destruction we have wrought against ourselves and our planet. And in the end, man, sitting on his throne, is dealt a karmic blow. He is destroyed by beings from another planet who land on earth, squish him into a welcome mat, then shuffle off in their spaceship.

02:45 In this adorable allegorical animated short four animals who try to cross a narrow bridge at the same time end up being obstacles to each other. Pride and obstinacy lead to defeat for the two big ones while the little ones creatively solve the problem and succeed.

03:22 Set to an eerie rendition of Fiona Apple’s Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory this animated masterpiece follows a sad scarecrow as he travels through a dystopian factory city run by a conglomerate called ‘Crow Foods.’ The scenes of dark devastation offer a stark contrast between the world of pure imagination of the lyrics and the factory-farmed animals being processed.

04:02 A remarkable humorous and surprisingly insightful animated conversation between a sperm whale and a man. The whale does most of the talking as they each try to convince the other that his brain is bigger and his approach to life is the better one. This short was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

06:01 When a pink flamingo falls in love with an elegant white crane he has to pull out all the stops to woo her. This beautifully crafted animation is hilarious and spectacular.

10:31 Apolline, the keeper of summer, is a girl who helps nurture the forest through spring and summer. She doesn’t know Able, the boy in charge of winter. A chance encounter between the two (and their little dogs) triggers a chase through the forest that make both aware of the power of the seasons and the importance both bring to the delicate balance of their idyllic surroundings. The beautifully animated film has a charming fable-like quality that constantly draws you in.

01:22 Cute animated short starring a blowfish fighting for his life and a Japanese chef just trying to put a meal on the table. The blowfish inflates himself and tries to return back to the sea, but alas, his plans are thwarted.

03:13 This fun, visually appealing wordless animation tells a powerful story, set to mystical music. A girl paints over a cute colored dragon who comes to life and leads her on adventures in a magical realm.

03:41 A very cool cinematic short that offers a fictionalized interpretation of M.C. Escher’s desk and the various objects that informed his art: mathematical formulas, impossible objects, and sketches of optical illusions. The visuals are accompanied by the beautiful “Lost Song” composed by Ólafur Arnalds, an Icelandic musician.

03:56 This adorable animated short is reminiscent of the Wile E. Coyote Looney Tunes classics. As you’ll see the methods he employs to try and get to them are anything but simple.

04:32 An absolutely amazing 3D animation of the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece showing exactly how it is inside and out, furniture, staircases, fireplace and all.

06:40 A delight for the imagination. Animated Picasso-like imagery creatively capturing the emotion of Beethoven’s Symphony No 2 in D Major.

05:25 This beautiful and touching stop-motion animation details a transoceanic conversation between two characters – one living on a beach and the other in the snow – via objects in a bottle.

14:32 A lovely animated 3D short about attaining the unattainable and always finding the good in something. The main characters are two flowers that grow on the edge of a clearing. One is old and jaded by a mysterious history, the other is young, vivid, and curious. One day a fawn arrives at the clearing, bringing the unexpected to their lives. It ends dramatically when one flower makes the ultimate sacrifice to allow the other flower to live out her dreams.

01:46 This clever animated short shows an alternative version of the Olympic Torch Relay starring London’s squirrels, pigeons, rats, and other urban creatures. Their destination? A trashcan outside of the Olympic Park.

04:19 In this awesome stop motion animated film the sunlight cast through a bedroom window breaks free and takes on surprising new shapes as it journeys around the room.

04:11 The classic underdog story takes in new meaning in this simple, magical animation that tells a very visual story through shape and composition. A clever mouse runs into a hungry lion who spares his life on the condition that he find him bigger, better food. But the lion’s tastes can’t be satisfied.

01:53 An adorable animated treat.

05:20 Stunning close-up animation of a moth being caught in a spider’s web, perfectly scored. It’s essentially a dramatic vision of insect life at its cruelest. Although that doesn’t sound particularly involving, wait until you see the film. Struggling for an escape, the moth’s panic movements only lessen its chance of survival. The spider appears, claims its prey and feeds on it. The close-up POV creates an intense relationship between hunter and victim.

04:11 The second video of Marcel, the impossibly cute seashell, is even more adorable and heart-warming than his first viral hit. You’ll be enchanted by his musings and riffs. If you don’t feel fuzzy inside when he says, “Guess why I smile a lot. Uh, ’cause it’s worth it,” then maybe check yourself for a pulse.

03:16 A young yogi challenges an old master to a yoga battle in this animated short, thinking he can take on the master and not realizing that there’s more to yoga than the physical postures.

01:57 Richly hued, captivating animated paintings come alive, transforming in color and rhythmic tempo to reveal the full seasonal spectrum.

09:40 Magical animation set to the music of Stravinsky telling the story of a spring sprite and an elk who accidentally awake the Firebird, a fiery spirit of destruction in a nearby volcano. The Firebird proceeds to destroy the forest, and seemingly the sprite, who doesn’t die but instead restores the forest to its former state.

00:57 This stunning CGI spot features fruit, vegetables, quartz crystals, and other objects in slow-motion flight – some even shattering – intercut with scenes in a kitchen.

05:22 In this captivating peek into a world beyond logical reasoning a black bear shaves off his fur, which falls in polygon shards that take flight into the forest, leading a growing group of hooded characters through landscapes and seasons. Winner of the Best Animation award at Vimeo’s first Film Festival.

05:25 An inspired, fabulous montage of animated delights celebrating 25 years of Pixar by showcasing clips from 12 feature films and 20 short films.

02:15 Surreal bovine dance choreography that gets progressively weirder and more freaky. Set to electronic music, it’s strange, trippy, and kinda of cool.

01:04 A playful film of little birds creating music as they pop out of socks, boots, and cups.

02:41 Watch how a circle, a line, and numbers can create a powerful graphic story which visualizes the soundtrack.

06:35 Set in a mysterious world, this poetic and beautiful animated short explores the relationship between an old man and his cat.

01:47 Ant and Len are mischievous and very funny little monsters who find themselves in trouble. Len gnaws his foot and literally vanishes, and Ant has to find a way to bring his friend back to the surrealistic world in which they both live.

08:33 Simonova uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination, and her sand painting skills to interpret Germany’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII. She won Ukraine’s Got Talent 2009, watched by over 18 million people.

01:54 This giant is a force of nature – huge, strong, and friendly – who wanders through the countryside, creating magical natural elements using clean tech resources.

01:38 An imaginative narrated animation of episodes from Edward the Hamster‘s life paired with musings on his immortal soul.

03:25 This adorable Pixar animated short tells the story of a flock of small birds who are perched on a telephone wire when a larger bird that tries to join them. The unwelcome bird upsets the flock, and they decide to get rid of him. The film won the Academy Award in 2001.

12:39 A remarkable film illustrating architectural art around the world through a cinematographic lens. It’s a montage of enchanting slow motion shots of cameras, chairs, explosions, stairwells, bulbous water drops, and a trillion other things. It’s all computer generated and will blow your mind. Watch!

02:09 A clever animated short showing a plant’s growth, starring an apple seed. The seed is ‘born,’ germinates and grows, then it travels through mazes until it’s captured by a bird and the cycle starts again.

01:01 It’s very cute.

06:14 A rookie secret agent fights to save himself and the world from the chaos reigned down by a hungry pigeon in this hilarious, prize-winning animated romp through the streets of Washington D.C.

05:53 A fantastically shot, magical CG stop motion film set in the forest at night. A family of rabbits is having a birthday party under a big tree, unaware that a mischievous wolf is approaching.

03:13 A quirky narrative history of the city of Charlotte, NC using stop motion video animation to physically manipulate aerial still images of the city (both real and fictional) creating a landscape in constant motion with objects and overlays flying in and settling into the cityscape.

03:10 A kiwi is a bird that cannot fly; this cute little guy spends his whole life working towards achieving his dream of flight, nailing trees to the side of a cliff and soaring down through the sky from the top of a cliff. There are several powerful messages behind Kiwi, but mainly it makes you realize that no matter how absurd and seemingly out of reach your dreams are, there’s nothing stopping you from achieving them.

05:33 An abstract film which tells the story of a soul who is seeking the meaning of his existence. It features surreal animations. a simple but beautiful world, and fantastic sound effects.

02:39 An adorable hippo sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight while his doggie friend dances and prances to the tune.