I’ve really enjoyed working with animated shorts in a variety of ways this year, and I promised the teachers that I support that I’d share some of our favorites here, where they can access them easily. These are our three favorite ways to use quick clips like these in the classsroom, and for the record, my favorites are Lifted and Papa. If you have favorites to share, let me know. I’ll add them here.
- Text can be inconsiderate for some readers. Animated shorts provide a nice scaffold, enabling readers to enjoy thinking and talking about great stories in complex ways without allowing the surface of the text to get in the way.
- Animated shorts make for great mentor texts. Quite a few teachers used them in writer’s workshop this year.
- Those who teach in the disciplines enjoy using these quick pieces to introduce new concepts and challenge learners to explore them out of context.
French Roast
A pair of rock friends discover the key to human progress. Thanks to Tom Fuke for sharing!
Oktapadi:
No risk is too great for true love. Thanks to Kennedy Schultz for sharing!
A Brain Divided:
Two young people. A blind date. Logic goes to war with emotion. It’s adorable.
The Hobbit:
This is an odd little interpretation with a very interesting history. Worth a watch and careful analysis.
Slow Wave
3-D animation brings sleep disturbances to life in this short.
Papa
In this feel-good short, a father grapples with his imperfections by trying to create the perfect papa.
Lifted
Anyone who has ever been evaluated for anything will appreciate this one. From Pixar.
A Boy and His Atom
The world’s smallest movie.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
If you love words and writing and reading, you must see this.
Troll
A must-see for anyone who engages online. It’s uncomfortable to watch, which makes it all the better.
Alma
So. Creepy.
Don’t go away just yet! Have you seen the animations created from Story Corp stories? You could spend a chilly weekend getting lost in these archives. Lovely.
