There are so many different nooks and crannies of the internet where precious gems can be found, waiting to be discovered by an audience. Here are ten examples of bizarre, beautiful but brilliant online animations that deserve a far wider audience. Take time out and discover the work of some very clever people that will leave you in a variety of states of mind!
Emmeline
You may not want to show your children this story for, well, children! To be honest this serves as a reminder to parents that they neglect their children at their peril. Emmeline is a little girl who has everything she could ever need – except attention. In fact, everyone forgets that she exists. The child eventually wishes upon a (dark) star and gets herself a friend all of her own. However, when it is announced that her parents are expecting another child, Emmeline takes things in to her own, childish, hands. Spooky, haunting and beautifully animated and narrated – you will want to share this with everyone who has children!
The Inner Life of a Cell
This is quite amazing. It is made by the Biovisions section of Harvard University. The inner life of a cell as animated using flash technology. There is a somewhat eerie beauty about the bulk of this animation and the music that accompanies it is also very effective. A combination of weird psychedelia and biology that will no doubt get you scratching your head and trying to work out if this is based on scientific fact!
Firefly
At night the fireflies come out and this short film captures the ethereal wonder of the creatures perfectly. It is one of those animations that doesn’t do a great deal – certainly in terms of plot and action – but stays with you for a long time afterwards. The sort of dream you might like to have on midsummer night!
El Despertar
If you like Pied Piper stories but are also equally entertained by zombies and flamenco then this will suit you down to the ground. Possibly not one to show the little ones just before bed time, a town is plagued by zombies and only a little girl and her dark flamenco powers can rid the town of the plague. How, though, will the townspeople repay her and will this be sufficient? Great animation and a dark sense of humor, combined with the music of Spain – brillianto!
Another Fantasia
A volcano is erupting and this short film starts with a single drop of magma (or is it?) hitting water, before rolling back to see the volcano in all its glory. Then, again, it focuses on another small molten drop and follows its journey. It evolves in to many different animals and plants in a great mix of animation and imagination. Some wonderful and evocative music accompanies this flash-based animation. One to wonder at – even if it does turn out to be an ad!
Bird in Flight
This one is a beauty. A single bird explores it environment – overcoming one or two dangers on the way. This is a simply stunning combination of flash animation and photography – and with a rather bizarre soundtrack by what at least sounds like our Icelandic friend Bjork – is a clever re-imagining of the world around us. You will want to watch this more than once!
Strange Meeting
Relationships can start anywhere – and this three minute long film by Patrick Smith is an example in case. A simple handshake leads to all sorts of complications. Whether this is a parable about how one personality in a relationship can overwhelm the other or something a little stranger, less meaningful but certainly odder is down to you to decide. Again, a lovely, quirky and appropriate soundtrack adds to the overall joy of this animation.
Color Clash
Some relationships are born from conflict and this is no truer when Sir Violet and Lady Rose live next door to each other. The mutual annoyance is immediate and electric! Will they resolve their differences and live happily ever after? Take a look at this superb little animation and find out for yourself! If you do like a happy ending, then – ah – but that would be telling you!
Salad Fingers
One of a series of shorts featuring the eponymous ‘hero’, Salad Fingers is an oddity and then some. You may find yourself pondering what world Salad Fingers actually inhabits. Is it some post-apocalyptic world where only a few survivors live – mostly in a daze? Or is this a take on modern society. Either way, this short animation will possibly leave you a little chilled – but not chilled out!
Strange Visitors
Some strange visitors arrive at a primitive settlement. Does this mean the end of the world as we know it? This is a most peculiar flash animation and it will probably leave you scratching your head. For a long time.
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:01 am
RJ,
I do so enjoy your articles but I must say I did find a few of these clips somewhat well… disturbing… lol…
Gordon
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:06 am
Thanks RJ. Nice work. Too a while to Download, well worth it. J
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 am
Some weird and wonderful clips. Great research. I will try to have a look at them
November 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 am
I love the bloody people.
November 22nd, 2008 at 7:21 am
Mmmm zombies, I seem to be bumping into some lately. I loved the bird and cell one. You did a brilliant job as usual RJ. Thumbs up.
November 22nd, 2008 at 7:47 am
Great stuff,and varied to suit all tastes, good job.
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 am
Good. Haven’t had time to look at them all yet but will definitely come back. Love the fireflies.
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I wish I could do that
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Salad Fingers is the coolest!
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
The Inner Life of a Cell, the full version, has audio commentary explaining what you are seeing(and not the music included in your clip), and is much longer, showing you many important processes in cell biology, and is indeed based on science fact.
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I’ve seen that Inner Life of a Cell movie in my Cell Biology class. By the end of the class, we had learned almost all of what’s going on in the clip. It’s truly amazing how complicated and busy our cells are at all times. It’s a very detailed clip, and all true.
November 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Ahhh! Emmeline is frigging creepy. And I’m not so sure I like Mr. Creahzel either..lol! The El Despertar was creepy too. Thanks for the nightmares, ha-ha RJ!
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 am
Great research! Really awesome online animations!
November 23rd, 2008 at 2:28 am
you missed this one; http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/408967
most beautiful animation on the net in my opinion.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:17 am
“Strange meeting,” caught my eye. Totally fascinating!
November 26th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Ah, that Finnish coffee commercial. It really is beautiful, I see it on TV almost every day but I think they just show it roughly cutted.. Which is why I loved to see full version of it
Others r great too, expanding my curiosity again
November 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved them!!!!
Are there going to be any more?
ive always been fascinated by animation and it is my dream to be a computer animator