This is hardly a list of the 25 best animated shorts ever made; there are far too many to make any kind of definitive statement. But these 25, listed in alphabetical order, are the ones that I like best, the ones I remember most, and the ones I like to re-watch. For the sake of clarity, I'm eliminating cartoons made for television, such as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Scooby-Doo, The Simpsons, and South Park. I've also tried to balance things fairly: not too many entries by Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, or Walt Disney. Some of these, by copyright, are not allowed to be posted online, but wherever possible I've included a link to watch the actual cartoon.
Balance (1989)
This brilliant short haunted me from the moment I first saw it at a Spike & Mike festival. Not only does it have a mathematically brilliant zinger of an ending, but its creepy use of empty space and echo-y, droning sound gives the impression of a bottomless pit, of absolute nothingness. (Watch it here.)
Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969)
I watched this many times with my friends as a teen, and the name "Marv Newland" is now burned in my head forever. It's arguably the greatest 90-second movie ever made. (Watch it here.)
Bunny (1999)
It's hard to believe that the maker of this remarkable, heartbreaking short went on to make the crappy Ice Age features. I think I like best the way that a bunny's natural movements are incorporated into this sad old character. Of course, Tom Waits' music helps the mood a great deal. (Watch it here.)
The Cat Concerto (1947)
Produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at MGM, this is by far the best Tom and Jerry cartoon; it won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. It's the most brilliantly contained and endlessly inventive of all their cat and mouse chases. And, of course, no dialogue. (Watch it here.)
Creature Comforts (1989)
I'm sure my jaw hit the floor when I first saw this stop-motion film, Nick Park's debut (made the same year as the first Wallace & Gromit short). The use of raw sound is absolutely amazing, making it look and feel as if it were an impromptu documentary. The hilarious little bits of background business are great too. (Watch it here.)
Day & Night (2010)
This may not be a popular choice, but Day & Night -- shown in front of Toy Story 3 -- is my favorite of all the brilliant Pixar shorts. Some of them have been technological breakthroughs and many others focus on humorous, twisty endings, but this one strikes me as the most perfect combination of form and content, a truly imaginative idea used with creativity and beauty. (Watch it here.)
Duck Amuck (1953)
One of the best of all the post-modern cartoons, this one has Daffy Duck endlessly humiliated -- in some truly bizarre ways -- by an unseen cartoonist. It doesn't even have a plot; it's totally immersed in its meta-ness. And it has a great ending. (Watch it here.)
Fast and Furry-ous (1949)
If I could only choose one character or series to take to a desert island, it would probably be Wile E. Coyote and his constant nemesis, the Road Runner. Chuck Jones created them and directed each of the installments. Many of them are great, and they all make astounding use of huge, open spaces and surreal sight gags, but this one was the first. (Watch it here.)
Fast Film (2003)
Austrian-born filmmaker Virgil Widrich is probably best known for Copy Shop, made two years earlier, but I like this one better; he transfers old movies and movie clips to paper and films them a frame at a time, telling new stories and forming new themes by physically manipulating the paper. Then, on top of this intricate process, the movie begins to charge ahead at breakneck speed. It's hard to describe, but you won't quite believe your eyes.
Feed the Kitty (1952)
Many cartoonists could make us laugh, but Chuck Jones could make us laugh and choke us up in the same cartoon. This is amazing one-shot short has Marc Anthony, the bulldog, falling in love with a tiny kitten and finding that protecting it is not such an easy job. (Watch it here.)
Felix in Hollywood (1923)
Felix the Cat was one of earliest of all cartoon stars and one of the only ones to make the transition from silent to sound, though this silent era short is arguably his best. Even before sound came in, this one is a canny and clever take on Hollywood dreams. The simple, black and white line drawings are almost inspiring to look at today. (Watch it here.)
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
Gloriously detailed and nearly psychedelic, Winsor McCay was one of the greatest of all newspaper cartoonists, and was one of the first to begin making animated cartoons. Only a handful of his short works exist today, but they're far more than just historically relevant. Gertie the Dinosaur features a unique and funny melding of real-life and animation.
Hell's Bells (1929)
Disney is still known for being cute and sweet, but this very early Silly Symphony short, directed by Ub Iwerks, demonstrates his dark side. It's rather astounding to even describe it: Satan and some demons have a party in hell. Yep. It's Disney. And kids probably saw it on the big screen. (Watch it here.)
Motor Mania (1950)
I'll never forget seeing this Goofy short, directed by Jack Kinney, in traffic school of all places. The creators of the Goofy series hit upon the brilliant idea to use their dog-like star in a series of "instructional" films, and this one -- about remaining calm behind the wheel -- is arguably the most socially astute of the series.
Northwest Hounded Police (1946)
Droopy is one of my very favorite characters; the otherwise maniacal Tex Avery was smart enough to create him almost totally as a still life. He barely moves and when he speaks, he speaks slowly and calmly. He sounds sad, but he's really happy. And he seems to be everywhere without actually racing around. He drives the bad guys insane, but Droopy always remains in his zen place. (Watch it here.)
The Pink Phink (1964)
When Friz Freleng left Warner Bros., he developed a memorable animated title sequence for the Peter Sellers movie The Pink Panther (1964). It was so popular that an entire series of cartoons came of it. This first entry, a simple, but surreal contest of pink paint versus blue paint -- with no dialogue -- won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. (Watch it here.)
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936)
Once upon a time, Max and Dave Fleischer were serious competitors for Walt Disney. They lacked Disney's business sense, and they also lacked the vision to move into feature films like Disney did, but their short films remain proof of their exceptional talent. This super-deluxe Popeye short, twice the length of a normal one and shot in color, shows off their rich, smooth movement, and jaw-droppingly detailed, 3D backgrounds. (Watch it here.)
Rejected (2000)
Don Hertzfeldt makes all other animators look healthy and normal. This series of bizarre segments, which grow increasingly strange, disturbing, and violent, was supposedly developed for rejected by "The Family Learning Channel," which is fake, of course. Somehow, this hilarious thing was nominated for an Oscar! ("My spoon is too big!")
Santa's Workshop (1932)
No list of great cartoons is quite complete without a Christmas short, and this beautiful Walt Disney Silly Symphony is wonderfully warm, fuzzy, and nostalgic; it even depicts a workshop full of old-fashioned toys. It's almost the cartoon equivalent of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." (Watch it here.)
The Skeleton Dance (1929)
A companion piece to Hell's Bells, this is another dark, spooky Silly Symphony, from Walt Disney. Basically, skeletons dance, take off their heads, climb in and out of graves, etc. It's a weird mixture of beautiful, unhinged and nightmarish -- perfect for Halloween viewing. (Watch it here.)
Snow-White (1933)
Max and Dave Fleischer started in the silent era with their "Out of the Inkwell" and "Koko the Clown" cartoons, but they perfected their craft with Betty Boop; these sexy, surreal, jazz age cartoons are still ahead of their time. Betty's take on the Snow White tale has to be seen to be believed. Cab Calloway sings a song, first as a creepy clown, then as an even creepier ghost. (Watch it here.)
Superman (1941)
After cutting their teeth on Betty Boop and Popeye and trying their hand at a couple of features, the Fleischer brothers ramped up their budgets to make this amazing series of exciting, full-color Superman cartoons, just 17 of them. I was lucky enough to see this first one on the big screen in a restored film print. (Watch it here.)
What's Opera, Doc? (1957)
Widely considered to be the best Bugs Bunny cartoon -- and in some quarters, the best cartoon ever made -- and even if it's not quite the funniest, it's still absolutely amazing. Chuck Jones went all-out with shadows, space, shapes, sound, motion, and colors to make this operatic, emotional roller coaster that's almost too good to be a mere comedy. (Watch it here.)
Who Killed Who? (1943)
If you want proof of Tex Avery's genius, it's here in this truly mind-boggling spoof of "whodunit" pictures. It's hilarious and pointed, but also moves with a kind of slippery dream logic that is far better seen than described. And yes, Santa Claus is in it. (Watch it here.)
Your Face (1987)
Bill Plympton's twitchy line drawings have graced dozens of shorts and a few features, but this Oscar-winner truly captures all that's beautiful and terrible about him. Your Faceis mesmerizing and often quite eerie, with its slowed-down vocals. But it's also a groundbreaker for its uninhibited stretching and morphing of matter, and it's unforgettable besides. (Watch it here.)
Please feel free to post your own favorites!
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