Spike & Mike. Adult Swim. Don Hertzfeldt. While usually considered a form for children’s films, there is some great animation that explores adult themes, situations, and content. Join us for some recent great examples.

1981
Narrative • USA • 2026 • 8 Minutes

In 1981 in suburban Long Island, New York, the mullets are long, the metal is heavy, and 14-year-old Douglas gets a birthday surprise that will change his life forever.

Writers: Andy London, Carolyn London
Directors: Andy London, Carolyn London
Producers: Andy London, Carolyn London
Cast: Minnie Tonka, Alexei London, Carolyn London, Tony DiMurro

Jay & Bee
Music Video • Austria • 2026 • 6 Minutes
Musicians Bobby Conn and Monica BouBou retreat to the astral plane, leaving their imaginary companions DUKS and L.A.R.R.Y. behind. Alone, the curious pair discovers a mysterious bottle and drifts back from the astral plane through crude TV dreams into Earth’s fast-food gravity.

Director: David Kellner

Brush Me
Narrative • Comedy/Animation • Austria • 2025 • 2 Minutes

In a bustling bathroom, amidst the chaos of everyday life, two toothbrushes, find themselves drawn to each other in this heartwarming tale of love, loss, and the resilience of the toothbrush spirit.

Director: Nikolaus Jantsch

Hell
Narrative • Drama • USA • 2025 • 5 Minutes

A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone.

Director: Parker Croft
Writer: Parker Croft
Producers: Nolan Gould, Parker Croft, Erika Totoro
Executive Producers: Mitzi Johnson
Editor: Erika Totoro
Composer: Ian Chase
Cast: Sean Marquette, Sharon Powers, Bill Welden

The Nest
Narrative • Fantasy • France • 2025 • 7 Minutes

A shy young luthier, Aurore returns to work in the family’s prestigious workshop. As she reunites with her beloved mother, she uncovers a monstrous family secret. What seemed like a safe haven may in fact be the most insidious of traps. Will she find the strength to break free from her mother’s nest?

Director: Aurélien Coquery, Léa Kermanach, Soline Mauguin, Abel Tixador, Jean Baounon, Romane Selter-Fiette
Writer: Aurélien Coquery
Producers: Philippe Meis (Supinfocom Rubika)
Editor: Aurélien Coquery
Composer: Aurélien Coquery

Pas De Deux
Narrative • United Kingdom/USA • 2025 • Minutes

The chaos of a flashback is transformed into a visceral performance as two bodies struggle for control in this grotesque dance for two.

Director: Nathan Koranda
Writer: Nathan Koranda
Editor: Carlos Roques & Nathan Koranda
Composer: Tongyu Wu

Wolf Rayet
Narrative • France • 2025 • 5 Minutes

Director: Emma Corbillon, Julie Demelle, Alexandra Ventouras, Mélanie Sthehlé, Perryne Crevier
Writer: Emma Corbillon, Julie Demelle
Producers: Pierre Le Pivain (Supinfocom Rubika)
Editor: Perryne Crevier
Composer: Tristan Alexandre & Benoit Capelle

And I Would Be Beautiful
Narrative • France • 2025 • 10 Minutes

My boobs? They’re too small, even Fanny said so. My butt? I hate it! My face? In a trash can…Thanks to Muse, I could become someone else. In just 30 days, I’d have slimmer legs, higher breasts and a firmer bottom. And finally, I would be beautiful.

Director: Mathilde George
Writers: Mathilde George, Laurent Galandon, Yacine Badday, Lisa Angot
Producers: Cécile Lestrade, Elise Hug, Christophe Camoirano

Look Out!
Narrative • USA • 2026 • 7 Minutes

A once-peaceful community is thrown into panic when a cartoon criminal escapes from a neighborhood watch sign. Word travels fast and the entire local message board knows the truth: he will do a crime. Many even two. LOOK OUT! Only through the power of local paranoia and super-funding the police force can any sense of white upper middle class normalcy be restored. But can this mad criminal be stopped before he spray-paints the property value off every single-family home? LOOK OUT! An animated satire about public safety based on a neighborhood near you.

Director: Brian Carroll
Writer: Brian Carroll
Producer: Brian Carroll
Cast: Brian Carroll, L. Stephanie Tait

Addicted To It
Narrative • Argentina, Ireland, USA • 2026 • 6 Minutes

Dace attempts the unthinkable: To go for a short walk without his phone. Unfortunately, his phone (“Phoney Bunny”) has other plans, coming to life and chasing him through the park. As he dodges his phone’s attempts to suck him back in, he encounters other screen-junkies and encourages them to do the same. Addicted to It is a fast and ridiculous metaphor for how we literally can’t do anything without our phones.

Directors: Nigel Tierney, Federico Heller
Writer: Jeff Marx, Andrew Hawkins
Producer: Nigel Tierney, Jeff Marx, Andrew Hawkins, German Heller
Cast: Jeff Marx, Dixie D’Amelio

Three Words

Narrative • Canada • 2026 • 2 Minutes

A confession propels Todd into a surreal and unexpected journey.

Director: Franie-Éléonore Bernier
Writer: Franie-Éléonore Bernier
Producer: Marie Amiot
Cast: Larissa Corriveau, Steve Laplante

Living With a Visionary

Narrative • USA • 2026 • 15 Minutes

Narrated by Academy Award® nominee James Cromwell, and based on John Matthias’ memoir, Living with a Visionary is a soulful, bittersweet reflection on John’s fifty-year marriage to Diana, an art curator grappling with Parkinson’s. As Diana’s medication besets her with vivid, often beautiful hallucinations, John, now her caregiver, adapts to her imaginary world.

Director: Stephen P. Neary
Writer: Stephen P. Neary
Producer: Stephen P. Neary, Mireia Vilanova
Executive Producer: James Belfer, Adam Belfer, Stephen P. Neary
Composer: Simon Panrucker
Cast: James Cromwell, Katherine LaVictoire