The Busy Beavers

Stage Fright

September 1940 •English

The Two Curious Puppies wander into a theater and run afoul of a trickster magician's rabbit, a playful seal and an intimidating little bird.

The Timid Toreador

December 1940 •English

The bull makes short work of the matador, and then turns on Porky, a tamale vendor who wanders into the ring accidentally. But then he makes the mistake of actually eating most of Porky's extra hot tamales.

Holiday Highlights

October 1940 •English

Blackout gags about the holidays. New Year's (the baby speaks to us). Valentine's Day, Washington Day, etc.

Snubbed by a Snob

July 1940 •English

A young horse says hi to little donkey Spunky. But the horse's mother pulls him away, saying we don't associate with that kind. Spunky makes a few more overtures, and eventually they set off on a chase, running across a bull from time to time. The horse stops to eat a lot of apples and drink far too much water; this leaves him too bloated to move much at all. The two continue to anger the bull, which gives chase; Spunky saves the colt, and they all live in harmony.

The Early Worm Gets the Bird

January 1940 •English

A determined bird goes out early to hunt for a worm and the bird gets into trouble.

The Cat's Tale

March 1941 •English

The mouse, tired of being chased by the cat, convinces him there's no reason for it, and that the cat should talk to the dog and convince him too. The talks are not successful...

Walls Have Ears

December 2008 •Polish

Satire branding unhealthy interest in the lives of others and gossip.

Ice Pepper

September 2017 •English

Two penguins friends wander on the sea ice. They discover something that may decide the fate of Antarctica.

Mr. Prokouk, The Inventor

July 1949 •Czech

After a hard day at work, Mr. Prokouk decides to invent a machine to ease his labor. But inventing is work too, and Mr. Prokouk spends more time dreaming about inventions than actually inventing anything. Can he find an easy solution?

Gaslight

April 2022 •English

Gaslight is a CG-animated short comedy about a messy breakup between a smoker, Ryan, and his girlfriend, a sentient lighter named El. Unfortunately for Ryan, El does not take heartbreak well, and Ryan must do all he can to keep this relationship from ending in literal flames.

A Place in the Sun

November 1960 •Czech

Oscar nominated animated short film from Czechoslovakia, 1960. Two characters fight over their claim to a small sunny spot on a beach.

Pornography

April 2016 •French

Everything you always wanted to know about pornography (but were afraid to ask).

Icarus Montgolfier Wright

August 1962 •English

The film focuses on the thoughts inside the head of a man, an astronaut scheduled to go to the Moon. As he ponders the flight, he laments having an “ordinary” name he fears will not resonate throughout history. His thoughts lead him to consider some of the pioneers of flight-Icarus and his wings, the Montgolfier brothers and their balloon and the Wright brothers and heavier than air flight.

The Man In The Case

January 1983 •Ukrainian

The story about one teacher of the Greek language in the gymnasium - Byelikov. He was so distrustful that he turned his whole life into a "case existence".

Bohdanchyk and the Drum

January 1992 •Ukrainian

A funny story about a boy who annoys everyone by playing his drum.

По дороге с облаками

December 1984 •Russian

Chatterbox

December 1980 •Russian

Atomic Love

August 2020 •Spanish

In a city destroyed by mysterious sources, a lonely robot wanders the wasteland searching for love. Suddenly he finds a beautiful lady, hot as an atomic bomb that will make his rusty heart come to life.

Pulcinella

January 1973 •Italian

Oscar nominated animated short from 1973. Pulcinella dreams himself into a wild nightmare of a dream that leads us through an abstract world.

A Favour

January 1983 •Ukrainian

Mistress Hen has a lot of worries every day. She needs to feed the chickens, take them to kindergarten, clean, iron, and prepare dinner. But how to cook something without salt? Hen goes to the neighbor Goose to borrow salt, but she asks to do her a favour. A simple request triggers a whole cascade of favours that must be arranged to get...salt. The cartoon satirically mirrors the rampant barter and blat in the poor Soviet society of the late "stagnation" era.