"Ember" is "the story of a salamander and a dragonfly who light lanterns." If that description doesn't bring any images to mind right off the bat, join the club.

...if the past few days have been as strange and unsettling for you as they have for me, I can recommend nothing better than watching Frédéric Back's Oscar-winning The Man Who Planted Trees. It is an amazing achievement, technically, visually, and allegorically. Always relevant.

"Discover Détour, a film by Michel Gondry shot on iPhone. Follow the adventures of a small tricycle as it sets off along the French roads in search of its young owner."

If I were asked to identify its chief influence, Kimball's work on Alice in Wonderland would spring immediately to mind. And I recognized the little girl from Gershwin's segment of Fantasia 2000 instantly. (Unsurprisingly, a bit of digging revealed that as Goldberg's.)

Sean (Second Son) sent me this, which is basically my ideal short: mostly wordless, charmingly hand-drawn, funny-yet-touching, and short-yet-powerful. Great, great stuff.

...feels more like a collection of beautifully-shot moments than a traditionally-structured short, but there's definitely a story in there--one of the oldest ever told.

"A weathered sailor finds hope in a new beginning."

From the interesting folks at Blender Animation Studio, something that's more of a scene than an actual trailer. But I'm sold on whatever it's selling.

Basically, "Mr. Carton's" the perfect title, because everything looks like it's been cut from (and is taking place in a universe made of) cardboard boxes. And the way the filmmakers achieved this unique look is almost as much fun as the shorts themselves. Almost.

Director Magali Barbé's short film isn't particularly groundbreaking. Nor is it particularly unpredictable. But it still packs quite a punch.

"The Captain's Tale" is an animated sequence that comes from a movie, Zip & Zap and the Captain's Island. That probably explains the abruptness, since it wasn't really conceived as a "stand alone" piece.

This one's a bit derivative, sure; created to drum up interest in the forthcoming Coco. But the craftsmanship and attention to detail in "Dante's Lunch - A Short Tail" are as excellent as ever.

Yes, I actually do sort-of-think exactly what this title says, but let's move on. Nowhere near enough time (or money) to deal with the psychological consequences (or causes) of that belief. Besides, you'll need that money to pay for the psychological consequences of watching this one.

It's "The Silence Beneath The Bark (Le silence sous l'écorce )" by Joanne Lurie, and it's both wonderfully playful and beautifully animated. Seems to exist more as a mood than as a story, but that's not a criticism.

"A 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."

"Predictably enough, these mini-masterpieces never perform quite as expected, and it is down to Wallace's long-suffering dog Gromit to pick up the pieces."

"Jake is trying to do something he wouldn’t do when he’s sober and can’t do when he’s drunk. 
An audaciously ordinary love story!"

 I realize that it's yet another short film about the effects of memory and death in (and on) our lives—I keep stumbling across these topics, don't I?—but it's powerful and wonderfully-made made.

"An artistically spare depiction of the Greek myth of Sysiphus, sentenced to eternally roll a stone up a mountain. The story is presented in a single, unbroken shot, consisting of a dynamic line drawing of Sysiphus, the stone, and the mountainside."

"The theme of ‘The Light Bulb’ is a process of creation of a short film. It is about a struggle of a student who is not able to convey his original idea to the tutors who constantly interfere in the process. As such, it is also about the transformation of a protagonist - a stickman - and his personal path towards independence and integrity."