Animal Shorts
11 Episodes
Horses and foxes and snails, oh my! The wide, wild world of animals is on parade in a menagerie of wondrous, playful, affectionate shorts, which span silent and sound, documentary and fiction, live action and animation. From mammals to birds to reptiles to mollusks, creatures great and small, cuddly and majestic, domesticated and untamed are the natural-born stars of these loving and imaginative tributes to the myriad friends with whom we share our world.
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34:19Episode 1A Dog’s Life
Episode 1
Directed by Charles Chaplin • 1918 • United States
Charlie Chaplin’s first film for First National Films, A DOG’S LIFE revolves around Chaplin’s iconic Tramp character as he navigates the cityscape with ‘Scraps’ the dog. The two go on a journey to help the Tramp have a better life with Edna, a d...
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40:09Episode 2White Mane
Episode 2
Directed by Albert Lamorisse • 1952 • France
Starring Alain Emery, Laurent Roche, Clan-ClanPossessed of the timeless perfection of a fable, this tale about the unique bond between children and animals is Albert Lamorisse’s ode to the awe-inspiring majesty of nature. Amid the vast flatlands of t...
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10:19Episode 3The Magic Horse
Episode 3
Directed by Lotte Reiniger • 1953 • United Kingdom
Lotte Reiniger returns to the character of Prince Achmed for this “Arabian Nights”–inspired fantasy in which our hero takes off on a flying horse.
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11:25Episode 4Les escargots
Episode 4
Directed by René Laloux • 1966 • France
FANTASTIC PLANET was not the first collaboration between writer-director René Laloux and illustrator Roland Topor. Presented here is a short film they made together in the mid-1960s: LES ESCARGOTS.
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27:24Episode 6Pigeons in the Square
Episode 6
Directed by Jean Painlevé • 1982 • France
An enthusiastic man sits on a park bench and explains the behaviors and rituals of pigeons.
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12:41Episode 7We’re Leaving
Episode 7
Directed by Zachary Treitz • 2011 • United States
Starring Rusty Blanton, Veronica Blanton, David MaloneyFacing eviction, trailer-park resident Rusty Blanton is given thirty days to find a new home for himself, his wife, and their nineteen-year-old pet alligator, Chopper.
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Hairat
Episode 8
Directed by Jessica Beshir • 2017 • Ethiopia
Yussuf Mume Saleh journeys nightly into the outskirts of the walled city of Harar to bond with his beloved hyenas, a ritual he has practiced for over thirty-five years. Shot in black and white, HAIRAT is a meditation on this uniquely symbiotic relatio...
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10:57Episode 9In Dog Years
Episode 9
Directed by Sophy Romvari • 2019 • Canada
Old dogs are celebrated in ten short stories about love, loss, and letting go.
