5 Animated Short Films That Will Leave You Speechless

2. Motion Pictures - Matthew Incontri

The final images of Motion Pictures would bring anyone to tears. It’s a cocktail of emotions built over a nine minute runtime that is entirely intoxicating.

Following the story of a young boy and his best friends, he is unfortunately faced with a terminal illness which begins to manifest as a floating eye/cancerous cell shape. It watches him, growing in size and threat as he himself grows weaker, and it’s hard not to be affected by the obvious ticking clock this image becomes.

Nor is it easy to resist feeling as helpless and adrift as the main character as he realises that his childhood is being stolen from him. Luckily the short manages to pull out of this emotional tailspin with something quite unique. Instead of a catch all “the hero lives at the end” close, it shows instead the boy surrounded by his friends, making the most of his remaining time.

It’s emotionally raw and a positivity shrouded by darkness, but one much more in keeping with real life than the animation style first leads you to believe.