"The Little Boat" by Nelson Boles

Found via CartoonBrew (thanks Amid).



Beautiful film by Cal Arts student Nelson Boles. 

It’s become a cliche reaction now, but I still feel compelled to say that when I see work like this (and Nelson’s other student film: “This one time…” http://vimeo.com/4566083) I can’t understand why the major studios are not grabbing these artists and putting them to work on fresh, new hand-drawn films. This sensibility could truly reignite interest in hand-drawn animation.  Films like this, or Ian Worrel’s shorts (http://vimeo.com/user407933/videos), and the various Gobelins shorts, among many other examples which could be named, show that stylistically and thematically there is still so much new ground to be covered with both hand-drawn short films and features which are not merely re-treads of earlier Disney or Warner Bros. styles.

"EAT!" by Jeff Liu

"EAT!" by Jeff Liu, made at Cal Arts. (third year film)

Chris Chua - "The Gift"

"The Gift" , animated by Chris Chua at Cal Arts.

Not a "grad film" , but I thought this was a nice example of a short solo student film that reminds us of how effective a well-drawn "pencil test" format film can be.


Chris's sophomore year film "The Gift" -

Two short films by Ian Worrel

Two short animated films by Ian Worrel , made at Cal Arts.

First is "Icarus & the Tree Herder" , made during Ian Worrel's second year at Cal Arts.

Icarus & the Tree Herder from Ian Worrel on Vimeo.

Second is "Second Wind" , Ian Worrel's 4th year film made at Cal Arts.

Second Wind from Ian Worrel on Vimeo.