Move over Mickey Mouse and Fritz the Cat. In no particular order, I’d like to offer up five contemporary animated shorts that each offer powerful opportunities to explore the lives of non-human protagonists.
Animals have, for obvious reasons, proven extremely popular subjects in animation. Whether these features possess either the intent or ability to actually reorient our anthropocentrism is, of course, entirely up for debate.
The selection of animated shorts collected together here attempt to focus upon the lives of our scaled, furred, and feathered companions for just such purpose. All are available to watch right now and collectively showcase the artistry of animation, implemented as activism.
5. A Trail of Lies (2021)
A Trail of Lies is one of many films that mixed-media animator Ben Sinclair has made through his production company, Fire Lily Studio. Much of this work is designed to support various animal rights and environmental issues. Released on Christmas Day, 2021, A Trail of Lies was produced in collaboration with Keep the Ban, an organisation dedicated to exposing popular fallacies surrounding trail hunting and campaigning for its end, as well as attempting to face off against the reintroduction of fox hunting.
Voiced by activists Chris Packham and Peter Egan, Sinclair’s painterly mix of gouache-style digital animation is sure to evoke the ghastly beauty of Richard Adams adaptations such as Watership Down (1978) and Plague Dogs (1982). Peeks into the behind-the-scenes processes through which he creates his remarkable animations, as well as the films themselves, can be found at Fire Lily’s website. Importantly, Keep the Ban continues their work under the name Protect the Wild, and their current petition to end hunting with hounds can be found here.
4. Save Ralph (2021)
Released in the same year as A Trail of Lies, Save Ralph is a stop-motion mockumentary framed around the eponymous Ralph, a rabbit who explores the horrors of cosmetic animal testing through its terrifying banality. Ralph explains to viewers the suffering he endures in his ‘day job’ while variously sat in his living room, eating breakfast, and after staggering back to his locker after a round of tortuous experimentation.
If the short reminds you of Wes Anderson’s stop-motion features, that’s because its incredible puppets were made by Andy Gent, who worked with the director on Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Isle of Dogs (2018). Save Ralph was written and directed by Spencer Susser in cooperation with Humane World for Animals, with voice work provided by a cast that includes Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, and Olivia Munn. Susser’s work can be found at his website, Blue-Tongue Films, as can videos that document both Ralph’s cause and the painstaking work that goes into stop-motion animation. Humane World for Animal’s ongoing campaign to ban animal testing and research can be found here. This includes coverage of their current initiatives, as well as options to sign their active petition and give a much-needed donation.
3. The Turning Point (2020)
Part Orwellian fable of ecological disaster and part thumping pop-rock music video, The Turning Point flips the tables by depicting a dystopian world where it is our animal brethren who unthinkingly exploit human lives and careen towards environmental disaster. The activism of its animator, director, and writer, Steve Cutts, is well known for its biting satire and anti-capitalistic themes. Here, his work provides a suitably baleful accompaniment to Wantaways’ song of the same name, an artist otherwise known as the Melbourne-based musician Ken Soto.
Cutts’ impressive array of work can be found at his website, while Wantaways equally moving music can be followed on various platforms such as Soundcloud. AlthoughThe Turning Point was not produced with any direct support from environmental agencies, Climate Action Network International acts as the world’s largest network of organisations committed to combating climate change and their website offers various opportunities to provide donations and engage with a wide variety of global initiatives.
2. Super Cow (2022)
Super Cow is the heart-wrenching story of a cow that makes a bid for freedom as she approaches what seems to be inevitable slaughter. The toyetic stop-motion design of the short is an appropriate fit for both its hero’s fantastical flight of fancy and the grisly circumstances of the abattoir she attempts to escape, both rendered here in miniature. No words are used for narration, only a reprise of vegan activist Moby’s ‘Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?’ (1999).
Dustin Brown, Super Cow’s writer and director, swept up a number of awards for the short, as well as several other equally impressive productions. His first upcoming feature, Solidarity (2026), explores the lives of a Mexican seamstress and a Lithuanian butcher who struggle to survive in LA’s Fashion District, which can be tracked on his website. Super Cow was produced with the support of Last Chance for Animals and directly designed to showcase the plight of creatures who lose their lives to the meat and dairy industries. You can pledge to go meat-free and keep up to date with their ongoing campaign on their affiliated Super Cow link here.
1. Kitbull (2019)
Kitbull is the third film to come out of Pixar’s SparkShorts initiative, a program designed to give the company’s animators both independent reign and financial support. Rosana Sullivan, the film’s director, had worked on numerous Pixar features as a storyboard artist, with Kitbull singling her out as a talent to watch in the industry. Animated traditionally, rather than through the computer-generated imagery the studio is more well known for, the short picked up numerous accolades, including a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, as well as being exhibited before the also-phenomenal feature Turning Red (2024) in cinemas worldwide.
Sullivan’s film is surprisingly hard-hitting, despite its generally heart-warming nature. As its title suggests, audiences watch the blossoming friendship of a feral kitten and a pit bull that is being abused by its owner. It’s a simple story that relies on recognisable archetypes, but Sullivan’s gritty, yet adorable, designs are profoundly endearing. Although stylistically distinct, fans of the sublime Flow (2024) are sure to be enamoured. As well as acting as an obvious point of reference for Pixar’s upcoming Gatto (2027), rumours are that Sullivan’s successes are leading to directorial duties on her first upcoming feature for the studio. As with The Turning Point, Kitbull was not produced with the support of any non-profit agencies, but consider supporting both Dogs Trust and Cats Protection, two organisations specifically designed to care for stray and abandoned animals.
Creature Features: Animal Welfare on Screen 
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