Finds of the Fortnight

From the Diary of a Cow

August 1985 •Swedish

A cow dreams away from the barn routine and goes out into the world, becomes a pop star, talks about world peace in the UN, takes a ride in space before she lands in everyday life again.

Red Ball Express

September 1976 •English

A drawn-on-film train builds itself and takes a trip, set to the bluegrass standard Orange Blossom Special.

Vincent

October 1982 •English

Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams that annoy his mother.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom

November 1953 •English

Professor Owl gives a lecture on the evolution of Western musical instruments, starting with the advent of rudimentary brass, woodwind, string and percussion instruments by ancient cave dwellers at the dawn of history.

Roar

December 2017 •English

A good-natured dinosaur has to stand his ground against a nasty opponent.

Martha the Monster

October 2017 •English

Shy teenage monster making new friends in a new place. In a world where humans live alongside monsters, Martha finds herself stuck with a major identity crisis.

The Circus

October 1923 •English

Silent cartoon.

Agent 327: Operation Barbershop

May 2017 •English

Agent 327 is investigating a clue that leads him to a shady barbershop in Amsterdam. Little does he know that he is being tailed by mercenary Boris Kloris.

Alice in Not So Wonderland

July 2007 •English

The story of Alice in Wonderland, explored in the stop-motion world of the Quay brothers.

About the Hippopotamus Who Was Afraid of Inoculations

April 1966 •Russian

Fabulous animals bathed, rested and had fun on the summer beach of the southern town. Suddenly, the rest was interrupted by an urgent message on a hanging poster: "Everyone needs to vaccinate vaccinations from elephant to fly!". However, all the animals, having read the message, as if nothing had happened, began to rest, dance and sunbathe again. And only Behemoth, worried, began to ask everyone how scary and painful it was to vaccinate.

Thunder

July 1982 •Japanese

A woman’s face disappearing behind, and emerging from, a pair of hands. Flashing lights. An empty building full of dark hallways. Designs drawn in the air with light and long-exposure cinematography.

Fallas 37: el arte en guerra

March 2013 •Spanish

In November 1936, a few months since the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, the government of the Second Republic moves to Valencia. In this situation, several Valencian artists and intellectuals decide to build four fallas — satirical plasterboard sculptures created to be burnt — to mock fascism.

Levelek

April 2005 •Hungarian

Arc

March 2009 •Hungarian

Beginnings

January 1980 •French

An animated film created from pastel drawings by Clorinda Warny, Premiers Jours traces the complete cycle of life, from birth to adulthood, in four seasons, and through the evolution of earthly landscapes that become human bodies. Completed Postumously by Suzanne Gervais, Lina Gagnon

The Ugly Duckling

January 1968 •Japanese

A stop-motion puppet animation adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's tale The Ugly Duckling.

A Grand Day Out

May 1990 •English

Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese, and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday to the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

The Wrong Trousers

December 1993 •English

Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno pants created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

A Close Shave

March 1996 •English

Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.

Lamp Life

January 2020 •English

Bo Peep explains what happened to herself and her sheep between the events of Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 4.