A film about the human drive to destroy things, from the relatively innocent act of bursting a balloon, through to the horror of war and the ecological disaster of polluting the planet. Xaver Xylophon is a student of visual communication at KHB Berlin.

A mustache gets in the way of during a kiss but shaving it off leads to some steamy sex. Nils Knoblich is an animator, illustrator and comic book artist living in Kassel, Germany. This is his first animation short produced at the School of Arts and Design Kassel.

A film about hair made with pencil, paper, markers, and after effects. This is Tiffany Cooper’s Second Semester Animation final at Rhode Island School of Design.

This is a melodrama performed by desklamps. Director Carlo Vogele said, “I shot this film in my apartment in San Francisco. The idea came to my mind while wandering around the local IKEA store trying to find the exit! And the incredibly slick and stylish JANSJO Desklamp instantly attracted me, her slick design makes her arrogant and haughty like a proud goose! Thus a new character was born.

More info: carlovogele.blogspot.com

Director, Yoho Hang Yue developed the story about a pair of Plum Flower Deer, who are separated by an act of man but are rejoined in spirit. The Plum Flower Deer is one of the most auspicious, divine animals in Chinese culture. The Plum Flower Tree itself has been the subject of innumerable paintings and poems, representing courage and elegance. Story, design and animation by Yoho Hang Yue with additional story and art direction by Queenie Zhu. The production company was Crush.

A family portrait session goes horribly wrong as secrets and jealousy bubble to the surface under the photographer’s watchful gaze. Written and Directed by Joseph Pierce and made with the support of Film London and Channel 4. The animation process included filming live actors, printing out each frame, drawing and coloring every frame, and then scanning and recomposing the sequences digitally.

More info: josephpierce.co.uk

Last night’s leftovers battle for their lives when the fridge begins to envelop them in ice. The animation of real food makes compelling viewing, with an award worthy performance from the ham sandwich.

A dress, jeans and socks escape from the clothesline and go clubbing. Made at CalArts. Carlo Vogele is a former Gobelins School of Animation student who now works at Pixar as a CG animator.

More info: carlovogele.blogspot.com

A serendipitous journey in which a lone fisher is united with a form of estranged matter. It was produced at the Royal College of Art and was BAFTA nominated for Short Animation 2011.

More info: daveprosser.co.uk

This was the finalist for the Valentine’s Day joke contest on the Paper People Jokes app. Brandon Ray said, “I’m a self-taught animator that likes cheese tasting, beard grooming and pretending to be a musician.” The joke is told by Amy Vanderhill. Paper People invite you to send in your jokes.

More info: paperpeoplejokes.com