A factory worker is living in a fantasy world where things seem to be going well. As the story progresses reality starts to take over. It uses a mixture of traditional animation and 3D animation to great effect. 2D animation by Nadav Nachmany and 3D animation by Dror shpatz. They are graduates of the Bezalel Academy for fine art and design in Jerusalem, Israel and this is their final project.

This jolly Christmas spot was made entirely with the free Blender software. It was shown a number of times on French television over the holiday period. It was directed by Geraldine Karolyi at her own company, 17mars with the help of members of the Blender community. Geraldine tells the story behind the production at blendernation.com.

A meditating Ninja is challenged to show his skills. Directed by FlojoArt in Germany. It is an interesting example of work made with the free Blender animation software.

If you are interested in trying the software see my review: Blender – free software to rival the industry giants.

Here is a video to get you in the Christmas spirit. Animated lego moves around a Christmas tree playing a giant Pack-Man style game. It is set to the music of In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg. Production by Andrew Jive in Brooklyn, New York, USA. It was shot with Dragonframe stopmotion software.

Mytho Logique is a cg animation short film directed by 5 students during their last year at ESMA (Ecole Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques, Montpellier, southern France): Jessica Ambron, Amandine Aramini, Alexandre Belbari, Guillaume Poitel and Yannick Vincent. The short was completed in one year: pre-production went from September 2009 to January 2010, then production in itself from January to August 2010.

More info at mytho-logique.com

This is a lovely story with great music and animation. In 1930s New York Harry, a racist barber, changes his mind at the arrival of a magical trumpet in his barber shop. A Graduation short film directed by Harmony Bouchard, Andy Le Cocq, Joakim Riedinger and Raphael Cenzi. Produced at ESMA School of Arts (Ecole Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques), Toulouse, France.

Music by Denis Riedinger. Jean Christophe Mentzer (trumpet), Stephane Fougeroux (percussion), Renaud Bernad (trombone), Sébastien Lentz (horn), Michael Cortone (tuba).

This amazing music video, by Katarzyna Kijek and Przemysław Adamski, was hand drawn frame by frame with markers on paper. Approximately 1850 drawings were produced in about two months. The track is by the Irish group ‘We Cut Corners‘ who write short songs on drums and guitar.

You can see behind the scenes images of the production at kijekadamski.blogspot.com

How to eat your Apple is an extension of Erick Oh’s recent illustration series in the form of an animated poem. It is without a protagonist, a defined narrative, set point of camera view or any other aspect of mainstream film language; How to eat your Apple surrealistically portrays human nature and its essence in the circle of life, its change and death as shown by re-compositing various symbols and objects. This piece flows more like a moving illustration than an animated film, and connects to Erick’s other static illustration pieces and written stories which finally culminates to one big quintessential question on life.

Erick Oh is a Korean animation artist based in California, USA.

Streamschool is really charming with beautiful design and animation by Péter Vácz. I particularly liked the water effects. A little girl has an adventure with water as she travels from a small brook to the sea. A tale of growing up based on a Hungarian poem.

The film was made in (MOME) Moholy- Nagy University of Arts and Design, Budapest, Hungary in 2010 as Péter Vácz’s BA graduation in animation.

Find out about the making of Streamschool at vaczpeter.blogspot.com

Pythagasaurus starts off looking like a maths education film but soon reveals humour aimed at a more mature audience. When a volcano threatens to blow two prehistoric men enlist the aid a mathematician dinosaur. Directed by Peter Peake at Aardman Animations studio, with the voices of Bill Bailey, Martin Trenaman and Simon Greenall.