Best Short Films
by IMAlec | created - 01 Oct 2014 | updated - 23 May 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Red Balloon (1956)
Not Rated | 34 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
A red balloon with a mind of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.
Director: Albert Lamorisse | Stars: Pascal Lamorisse, Sabine Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, Vladimir Popov
Votes: 20,130
2. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,804
3. Hedgehog in the Fog (1975)
11 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A little hedgehog, on the way to visit his friend the bear, gets lost in thick fog, where horses, dogs and even falling leaves take on a terrifying new aspect.
Director: Yuri Norstein | Stars: Vyacheslav Nevinnyy, Mariya Vinogradova, Aleksey Batalov
Votes: 8,080
4. The Old Man and the Sea (1999)
20 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
An old fisherman goes out on his fishing trip and makes a huge catch, the biggest of his life.
Director: Aleksandr Petrov | Stars: Gordon Pinsent, Kevin Duhaney, Yôji Matsuda, Rentarô Mikuni
Votes: 4,580
5. Balance (1989)
7 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A group of fishermen on a precariously balanced platform fight over a trunk.
Directors: Christoph Lauenstein, Wolfgang Lauenstein
Votes: 5,667
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 TV Movie)
TV-G | 25 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
Depressed at the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find a deeper meaning to Christmas.
Director: Bill Melendez | Stars: Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer, Bill Melendez
Votes: 44,102
7. Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Not Rated | 14 min | Short, Fantasy, Mystery
A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.
Directors: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid | Stars: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid
Votes: 15,211
8. Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1961)
Not Rated | 28 min | Short, Adventure, Drama
In 1862, during the American Civil War, a Southern civilian is about to be hanged for attempting to sabotage a railway bridge. When the execution takes place from the bridge, the rope breaks and he begins his escape toward home.
Director: Robert Enrico | Stars: Roger Jacquet, Anne Cornaly, Anker-Spang Larsen, Stéphane Fey
Votes: 4,261
9. Vincent (1982)
G | 6 min | Animation, Short, Family
Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams which annoys his mother.
Director: Tim Burton | Star: Vincent Price
Votes: 24,322
10. La Jetée (1962)
Not Rated | 28 min | Short, Drama, Romance
The story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Étienne Becker, Jean Négroni, Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich
Votes: 37,070
11. The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)
30 min | Animation, Short, Drama
The story of a shepherd's single handed quest to re-forest a barren valley.
Director: Frédéric Back | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 6,112
12. Paperman (2012)
G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
An office worker meets the girl of his dreams and uses a fleet of paper airplanes to get her attention.
Director: John Kahrs | Stars: John Kahrs, Kari Wahlgren, Jack Goldenberg, Jeff Turley
Votes: 35,389
13. El empleo (2008)
7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A man prepares and goes to work in a bizarre world, where the meaning of human workforce is taken to another level.
Directors: Santiago Bou Grasso, Patricio Plaza
Votes: 3,990
14. More (1998)
6 min | Sci-Fi, Short, Animation
A worker in a factory learns a lesson about life. When is enough?
Director: Mark Osborne
Votes: 6,117
15. Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)
TV-PG | 29 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Gromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 57,408
16. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2011)
23 min | Animation, Short, Drama
Don Hertzfeldt closes his trilogy as Bill struggles to piece together his shattering psyche.
Director: Don Hertzfeldt | Stars: Sara Cushman, Don Hertzfeldt
Votes: 3,225
17. Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)
TV-PG | 30 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Wallace's whirlwind romance with the owner of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin; Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Anne Reid, Justin Fletcher, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 43,422
18. Un chien andalou (1929)
Not Rated | 16 min | Short, Fantasy, Horror
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Pierre Batcheff, Simone Mareuil, Luis Buñuel, Pancho Cossío
Votes: 53,812
19. Feast (I) (2014)
G | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The love life of a man as told through the meals he gives his adopted dog, Winston.
Director: Patrick Osborne | Stars: Steve Apostolina, Kirk Baily, Ben Bledsoe, David Cowgill
Votes: 24,034
20. Everything Will Be Ok (2006)
17 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A series of dark and troubling events forces Bill to reckon with the meaning of his life - or lack thereof.
Director: Don Hertzfeldt | Star: Don Hertzfeldt
Votes: 3,073
21. Winnie-the-Pooh (1969)
11 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A Soviet version of Winnie-the-Pooh. His first adventure is a desperate attempt to get to honey in a bee hollow. He is ready to take decisive action.
Director: Fyodor Khitruk | Stars: Evgeniy Leonov, Iya Savvina, Vladimir Osenev
Votes: 4,815
22. My Love (2006)
26 min | Animation, Short, Drama
In nineteenth-century Russia, a teenage boy in search of love is drawn to two very different women.
Director: Aleksandr Petrov | Stars: Aleksandr Palamishev, Aleksandra Zhivova, Evgeniya Kryukova, Nina Ruslanova
Votes: 1,641
23. Duck Amuck (1953)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The short-tempered Daffy Duck must improvise madly as the backgrounds, his costumes, the soundtrack, even his physical form, shifts and changes at the whim of the animator.
Director: Chuck Jones | Star: Mel Blanc
Votes: 9,436
24. The Tale of Tales (1979)
29 min | Animation, Short
Distant, well-worn memories of childhood are inhabited by a little gray wolf. Through astonishing imagery, the memory of all of Russia is depicted.
Director: Yuri Norstein | Star: Aleksandr Kalyagin
Votes: 4,135
25. The House of Small Cubes (2008)
Not Rated | 12 min | Animation, Short, Drama
To save his house from rising flood waters, an old man uses bricks to build it higher, then he relives events from his past while searching for his dropped pipe.
Director: Kunio Kato | Star: Masami Nagasawa
Votes: 11,655
26. The House Is Black (1963)
20 min | Documentary, Short
Set in a leper colony in the north of Iran, The House is Black juxtaposes "ugliness", of which there is much in the world as stated in the opening scenes, with religion and gratitude.
Director: Forugh Farrokhzad | Stars: Forugh Farrokhzad, Ebrahim Golestan, Hossein Mansouri
Votes: 5,567
27. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 26 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
A grumpy hermit hatches a plan to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville.
Directors: Chuck Jones, Ben Washam | Stars: Boris Karloff, June Foray, Dal McKennon
Votes: 59,034
28. Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989)
Not Rated | 23 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
To replenish their depleted supply of cheese, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit travel to the moon in a homemade rocket-ship.
Director: Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Peter Hawkins
Votes: 36,581
29. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966 TV Movie)
TV-G | 25 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin.
Director: Bill Melendez | Stars: Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Sally Dryer, Cathy Steinberg
Votes: 22,004
30. Presto (2008)
G | 5 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A stage magician's rabbit gets into a magical onstage brawl against his neglectful guardian with two magic hats.
Director: Doug Sweetland
Votes: 25,736
31. Pas de deux (1968)
G | 13 min | Animation, Short, Musical
Two ballet dancers perform a dance enhanced with surreal multi and after-image effect visuals.
Director: Norman McLaren | Stars: Margaret Mercier, Vincent Warren
Votes: 1,765
32. The Cow (1989)
10 min | Animation, Short, Drama
In the outback, on the railway station there lives a family. 4th grade schoolboy Vasya Rubtsov is experiencing the death of his beloved best friend the cow. The boy remembers how they used ... See full summary »
Director: Aleksandr Petrov | Stars: Nikolai Gusarov, Lyubov Teplova, Kostya Panov
Votes: 1,077
33. Father and Daughter (2000)
8 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A father says goodbye to his young daughter. Time passes and the daughter moves through life age by age, but within her there is always a deep longing for her father.
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit | Star: James Laufer
Votes: 6,922
34. Dimensions of Dialogue (1983)
12 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Three surreal depictions of failures of communication that occur on all levels of human society.
Director: Jan Svankmajer
Votes: 4,889
35. Creature Comforts (1989)
TV-G | 5 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A humourous and thought provoking view of what animals in zoos might be thinking about their captivity and surroundings.
Director: Nick Park | Star: Julie Sedgewick
Votes: 6,878
36. Harvie Krumpet (2003)
TV-14 | 23 min | Animation, Comedy, Short
The odd biography of a man who has Tourette's Syndrome, chronic bad luck, menial jobs, nudist tendencies, and a book of "fakts" hung around his neck.
Director: Adam Elliot | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Kamahl, John Flaus, Julie Forsyth
Votes: 9,022
37. The Old Lady and the Pigeons (1996)
25 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
In seductive central Paris, an undernourished gendarme willing to go to great lengths to feed himself hatches a desperate, yet utterly cunning plan.
Director: Sylvain Chomet | Stars: James Pidgeon, Michoue Sylvain, Andrea Usher-Jones
Votes: 2,962
38. I Am So Proud of You (2008)
22 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Dark shadows are cast over Bill's recovery, in this second chapter to "Everything Will Be OK".
Director: Don Hertzfeldt | Star: Don Hertzfeldt
Votes: 1,965
39. Toy Story of Terror (2013 TV Movie)
TV-G | 22 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Woody and the gang are held up at a roadside motel and members of the group start to disappear. Woody sets about getting to the bottom of the mystery.
Director: Angus MacLane | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Carl Weathers
Votes: 17,727
40. Mermaid (1997)
10 min | Animation, Short, Fantasy
An elderly monk, while training the young novice who will succeed him, recalls the mysterious lost love of his past - just as his young successor appears to be encountering her himself.
Director: Aleksandr Petrov | Star: Evgeniya Smolyaninova
Votes: 1,213
41. Knick Knack (1989)
G | 4 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A snow globe snowman wants to join the other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but the glass dome that surrounds him gets in his way, despite all his efforts.
Director: John Lasseter
Votes: 15,280
42. Lineman (1972–1991)
3 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
When artist draws a magic line, it takes on a life of its own, becoming a silhouette of a living hot-tempered person. This "Mr. Line" wants more things drawn so he can enjoy himself, but the artist loves having fun on Mr. Line's account.
Stars: Carlo Bonomi, Osvaldo Cavandoli
Votes: 3,130
43. Padal proshlogodniy sneg (1983 TV Short)
20 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Surreal misadventures of a lazy drunkard with speech impediment trying to get a New Year tree on a short notice. Loosely based on folk fairy tales.
Director: Aleksandr Tatarskiy | Stars: Liya Akhedzhakova, Stanislav Sadalskiy
Votes: 2,082
44. Steamboat Willie (1928)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey Mouse is a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete.
Directors: Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney | Star: Walt Disney
Votes: 11,257
45. The Blue Umbrella (2013)
G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Drama
Amidst the rain in a singing city, two umbrellas - one blue, one not - fall eternally in love.
Director: Saschka Unseld | Star: Sarah Jaffe
Votes: 11,175
46. Day & Night (2010)
G | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Day encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods. But their suspicions soon turn to curiosity, and they are delighted to find the joys of their budding friendship.
Director: Teddy Newton | Stars: Muneer Lyati, Wayne Dyer
Votes: 20,065
47. The Dam Keeper (2014)
TV-G | 18 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A little pig, who keeps his town safe from a cloud of pollution with his windmill dam, is ignored by a thankless public and bullied at school. When a new kid arrives, things begin to change.
Directors: Robert Kondo, Daisuke 'Dice' Tsutsumi | Stars: Lars Mikkelsen, Courtney Lockwood
Votes: 2,496
48. The Grandmother (1970)
Not Rated | 34 min | Animation, Short, Horror
A young boy plants some strange seeds and they grow into a grandmother.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Dorothy McGinnis, Richard White, Virginia Maitland, Robert Chadwick
Votes: 7,361
49. Rejected (2000)
Unrated | 9 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A hilarious collection of animated television commercials that were rejected because of their creator's failing grip on sanity.
Director: Don Hertzfeldt | Stars: Robert May, Jennifer Nyholm, Don Hertzfeldt
Votes: 8,885
50. Partly Cloudy (2009)
G | 6 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Babies both human and beast are created up in the stratosphere, by the clouds themselves. One cloud specializes in "dangerous" babies, creating a challenge for his loyal stork that has to deliver them.
Director: Peter Sohn | Stars: Tony Fucile, Lori Richardson
Votes: 23,436
51. Logorama (2009)
R | 16 min | Animation, Short, Action
Police chase an armed criminal in a version of Los Angeles comprised entirely of corporate logos.
Directors: François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, Ludovic Houplain | Stars: Bob Stephenson, Sherman Augustus, Aja Evans, Joel Michaely
Votes: 6,277
52. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011)
TV-G | 15 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
Morris Lessmore, a young writer, wanders into a mysterious library after a storm devastates his city. The library is home to magical flying books that literally come to life.
Directors: William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg
Votes: 5,804
53. Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014 TV Movie)
TV-G | 22 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
It's a post-Christmas play-date and the toys have to go up against the fearsome and aggressive new dino toys.
Director: Steve Purcell | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Kristen Schaal, Kevin McKidd
Votes: 13,177
54. La Luna (2011)
G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Drama
A fable of a young boy coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. It's the first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. Will he be able to find his own way?
Director: Enrico Casarosa | Stars: Tony Fucile, Krista Sheffler, Phil Sheridan
Votes: 17,013
55. Street of Crocodiles (1986)
Not Rated | 20 min | Animation, Short
Inside a box full of curio, a puppet who is recently freed from his strings explores a dusty and forlorn commercial area. The explorer becomes ensnared into miniature tailor shop by baby-faced dolls.
Directors: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay | Star: Feliks Stawinski
Votes: 3,083
56. Lifted (2006)
G | 5 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A teenage alien is trying to abduct a sleeping human, but doesn't know which switch to use.
Director: Gary Rydstrom | Star: Sheb Wooley
Votes: 20,802
57. One Man Band (2005)
G | 4 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Two buskers engage in a petty feud over a child's donation.
Directors: Mark Andrews, Andrew Jimenez
Votes: 17,024
58. Luxo Jr. (1986)
G | 2 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A larger lamp watches while a smaller, younger lamp plays exuberantly with a ball but doesn't pick up the knack of correct handling.
Director: John Lasseter
Votes: 15,521
59. Kitchen Sink (1989)
14 min | Short, Horror
A woman finds something quaint in her kitchen sink and feels strangely captivated towards it.
Director: Alison Maclean | Stars: Theresa Healey, Peter Tait, Annagretta Christian
Votes: 1,184
60. Geri's Game (1997)
G | 5 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Geri sets up a chess game to play his greatest opponent - himself.
Director: Jan Pinkava | Star: Bob Peterson
Votes: 26,925
61. Alma (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 6 min | Animation, Short, Fantasy
Alma, a little girl, skips through the snow-covered streets of a small town. Her attention is caught by a strange doll in an antique toy shop window. Fascinated, Alma decides to enter.
Director: Rodrigo Blaas
Votes: 2,967
62. For the Birds (2000)
G | 3 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A group of snooty birds roosting on a telephone wire get their just deserts when a goofy bird drops in.
Director: Ralph Eggleston | Star: Ralph Eggleston
Votes: 34,005
63. At Land (1944)
15 min | Short, Drama, Fantasy
Silently, a woman wakes on a beach as the tides go in reverse. Her dreamscape unfolds as she tries to locate a chess piece traveling from the beach to a party to a country road and then back.
Director: Maya Deren | Stars: John Cage, Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid, Hella Heyman
Votes: 3,343
64. Mr Hublot (2013)
11 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mr Hublot is a withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD, scared of change and the outside world. Robot Pet's arrival turns his life upside down: he has to share his home with this very invasive companion.
Directors: Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares
Votes: 5,224
65. Black Rider (1993)
Not Rated | 12 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
A young black man is verbally harassed by an older woman on a streetcar, while the other passengers remain silent. He finally exacts his revenge.
Director: Pepe Danquart | Stars: Senta Moira, Paul Outlaw, Stefan Merki, Klaus Tilsner
Votes: 1,898
66. Burn-E (2008 Video)
G | 8 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
If BURN-E (a welding robot) had known how much trouble he'd be caused by WALL-E's pursuit of EVE, then he'd have taken the day off.
Director: Angus MacLane | Stars: Angus MacLane, Tessa Swigart
Votes: 12,585
67. Toy Story Toons: Small Fry (2011)
G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A fast food restaurant mini variant of Buzz forcibly switches places with the real Buzz and his friends have to deal with the obnoxious impostor.
Director: Angus MacLane | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn
Votes: 8,374
68. Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex (2012)
G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
When Rex finds himself left behind in the bathroom, he puts his limbs to use by getting a bath going for a bunch of new toy friends.
Directors: Mark A. Walsh, Dylan Brown | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, Corey Burton
Votes: 8,396
69. The Key to Reserva (2007)
10 min | Short
Finding an unfinished script written by Alfred Hitchcock himself, Martin Scorsese attempts to recreate it himself as Hitchcock would have.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Simon Baker, Kelli O'Hara, Michael Stuhlbarg, Christopher Denham
Votes: 3,234
70. World of Tomorrow (2015)
G | 17 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future.
Director: Don Hertzfeldt | Stars: Julia Pott, Winona Mae, Sara Cushman
Votes: 10,326
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