The Les Gobelins Annecy 2013 Lineup - SeeSaw, The Fancy Family, Copernicus, Sawa

Continuing their yearly tradition of contributing signal shorts to the yearly Annecy International Animated film festival, this year was no different for the students at Les Gobelins animation school. As part of their curriculum, 5 teams contributed their own unique 30-50 second animated bumpers to the festival. We featured The Retake individally yesterday thanks to it's creators reaching out with their extensive making of, so here are the other 4 submitted to the festival this year.

A soft NSFW for stylized nudity in the See Saw and Sawa shorts. The short above was created by Marlène Beaube, Marion Bulot, Thibaud Gayral, Guitty Mojabi and Raphaëlle Stolz

The Les Gobelins Animation Archive

The folks at the prestigious French animation school Les Gobelins just recently opened up an archive of the last four years or so of animated one minute shorts created for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, a prestigious event that has been going on since 1960. As an interesting assignment for students at the school, Les Gobelins has contributed unique little 60 second animations as 'stubs' in between shorts and presentations to the festival for the last few years.

The archive is still being filled with more animations, but it was really cool to see some shorts that weren't widely distributed in public. Check out a few of our favorites after the break: Soapy Trip, Dodudindon and Junk Space.

Animation Roundup - Gingerokalypse, Neighbors, Pretty Little Things

Gingerokalypse was created over a one month period by Will McKenzie and his classmates at the University of Bristol, showcasing the explosively badass imagination of a rather unassuming little redheaded boy. Very He-man, with a dash of Conan the Barbarian.

Animation Roundup : Onion, Sanguine, Two Chips

'Onion' is a charming animation by Erin Kim following the strange misadventures of an onion in a kitchen. Using an awesome aesthetic which mixed a paper cut out style and wtercolor, this short is all about a vegetable trying to find some friends with a similarly pungent disposition. Garlic it is!



Tracy Munch's 'Sanguine' is a pseudo-animated film around a red headed seductress putting her skills to use in a dark, moody bar. However, it's not men's hearts she yearns to win over, but something else entirely.



Based on a true story, 'Two Chips' is a humorous short based off of animator Adam Patch's wife drunkenly telling him a story following a few too many glasses of wine. Short, sweet and to the point.

Corridor Digital's After DayZ

If you haven't played the Arma II mod, DayZ, you should probably look into it, there's never been a survival game quite like it. While the game is heavy on Zombie survival, other players force you to watch your back for the constant threat of being shot, it's honestly the most stressful multiplayer game I've touched. The never-wracking nature of DayZ is something that immediately stands out, which is why I'm so impressed with this short created by the at Corridor Digital. I honestly didn't think it was possible to properly reenact the events of DayZ, but this 10 minute short perfectly sums up one's typical playthrough of DayZ without being your typical "LOL, VIDEO GAME YOUTUBE HUMOR" video.

I've always been incredibly jealous of the groups knack for both cinematography and in-house created CG, it's consistently top notch. Take a look at the video bellow for a better look at the guys' work process and be amazed at the amount of work put into a single gunshot wound.

Pockets; An Incredible Short In Every Aspect

Straight up, Pockets is an incredible short. While the beginning may lead you to believe that you're in store for a decent drama, things quickly take a turn for the unexpected. While I don't want to spoil much of the video, I will say that the effects used are simply amazing. I can safely say this is unlike anything you've ever seen, if it doesn't leave you wanting at least a little bit more I don't know if I  want to be your friend (we can discuss these things later in our relationship). I wouldn't mind seeing an expansion on this idea, Fight Club ending and all.

Scout Vs Witch - More Source Filmmaker Goodness

Most people predicted that it would take a few months for people to become equated with Source Filmmaker before we started getting professional looking videos from the general public and it's oh so true. Scout Vs Witch is a simple idea but showcases the kind of powerful tools that Valve has placed into the hands of Steam users. This franchise mashup features the Scout from Team Fortress 2 facing off against the zombies & infected from one of Valves other big hitting franchises Left 4 Dead. This stylish video has got it all: action, great animation and special effects, coupled with top notch clever usage of already existing voice clips from the games.

It's an entertaining, fun watch, and a taste of even better things to come as people get more acquainted with using the software. If you're by any chance familiar with the South Korean revenge flick called 'Old Boy,' a certain sequence in this short will definitely put a smile on your face.