Tops in the Big Top

Circus Drawings

October 2010 •English

Sketches of a Spanish circus made by Richard Williams in 1953 come to life. Williams began the project at the age of 20 and finished it when he was 77. It premiered at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in 2010.

Dumbo

October 1941 •English

Dumbo is a baby elephant born with over-sized ears and a supreme lack of confidence. But thanks to his even more diminutive buddy Timothy the Mouse, the pint-sized pachyderm learns to surmount all obstacles.

Pippi Longstocking

August 1997 •English

Pippi Longstocking is an extraordinary little girl who lives alone in her house, while her father sails the seven seas. Pippi's irrepressibly fun nature makes her easy to befriend, as neighbors Tommy and Annika find, but can also earn ire, especially from social worker Mrs. Prysselius.

Red's Dream

August 1987 •English

Life as the sole sale item in the clearance corner of Eben's Bikes can get lonely. So Red, a unicycle, dreams up a clown owner and his own juggling act that steals the show. But all too soon, the applause turns into the sound of rainfall, as reality rushes back. Red must resign himself to sitting in the corner and await his fate.

A Bug's Life

November 1998 •English

On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere," an inventive ant named Flik hires a troupe of warrior bugs to defend his bustling colony from a horde of freeloading grasshoppers led by the evil-minded Hopper.

The Hunger Artist

June 2002 •English

Set in a city both past and present, on a deserted street where only the distant sounds of life blow by. The Hunger Artist stands alone, locked in his cage. Once famous and adored by the crowds, he now performs alone.

Free Jimmy

April 2006 •Norwegian

Four stoners, five vegans, three mobsters, four hunters and a million reasons to free one junkie elephant.

Tweety's Circus

June 1955 •English

Sylvester Cat pays a visit to a closed-to-business circus and finds Tweety Bird in one of the cages. Tweety escapes and a mad chase ensues. Meanwhile, Sylvester must flee from an uncaged lion he angered earlier.

Boo Kind to Animals

December 1955 •English

Casper the Friendly Ghost helps Spunky the Donkey find a useful job.

Big Top Bunny

December 1951 •English

Bugs Bunny is hired to perform in Colonel Korny's Circus alongside Bruno the Magnificent, the Slobokian Acrobatic Bear, but Bruno doesn't want to share the limelight.

Pinocchio: A True Story

December 2021 •Russian

Young Pinocchio runs away from his genius creator Jepetto. Accompanied by his horse Tibalt, he aims to see the world while joining the traveling circus ran by hustler Modjafocco.

The Girl at the Circus

March 1950 •Russian

The careless and lazy girl went to the circus not fulfilled the homework. In the arena, the clown-magician suggested that the children replace the incorrectly written word "well-known". It soon became clear that this was a very easy task for all the guys except our heroine. It was her who magician invited to the arena and asked to write the word correctly, but she did not cope with the task. Circus performers began to shame the girl, even brought her to tears. But her classmate, an excellent student, could not stand it, ran into the arena and directly stated that she would not allow them to offend her friend. She promised to work with her.

The Merry Circus

January 1951 •Czech

Trnka brings to life a surrealist circus of tightrope-walking fish, musical monkeys, balancing bears, and high-flying acrobatics in this whimsical feat of cutout animation made in collaboration with leading Czech painters of the era.

Sombres Héros

January 2007 •French

Open Season 3

October 2010 •English

Boog, Elliot, and their forest friends return with an all-new adventure, this time in a Big Top Circus! The comedy begins when Boog's pals choose their family obligations over the annual guy's trip, and a disappointed Boog decides to take a trip of his own, which leads him right into the middle of a circus ring...literally. When he switches places with a devious look-a-like circus grizzly and falls for an alluring Russian troupe member, he'll come to realize that maybe you don't have to choose between family and friendship after all.

Artist at work

June 2021 •English

Two egg-shaped clown performers try out new ways to impress audiences.

Wooden Athelete

July 1912 •English

Stripped-back wooden dolls put on the greatest show on Earth via the marvel of stop motion.

Fun and Fancy Free

September 1947 •English

Jiminy Cricket hosts two Disney animated shorts: Bongo about a circus bear escaping to the wild, and Mickey and the Beanstalk, a take on the famous fairy tale.

The Clown and His Donkey

March 1910 •English

A pioneering effort in bringing shadow puppetry to the cinema.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

June 2012 •English

Animal pals Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria are still trying to make it back to New York's Central Park Zoo. They are forced to take a detour to Europe to find the penguins and chimps who broke the bank at a Monte Carlo casino. When French animal-control officer Capitaine Chantel DuBois picks up their scent, Alex and company are forced to hide out in a traveling circus.