Student Animation Showcase
Mon November 03, 2025
This issue was written and edited by Ben Gillbanks. Ben is a Web Developer with over 25 years experience of creating things online.
Welcome to a new issue of Ninja Sparks! It’s been half term here in the UK, so I took a short break with the family. We went away for a couple of nights, did some trick-or-treating, and enjoyed the slower pace for a bit. It’s amazing how much clearer my head feels after a few days away from screens.
Back at work, I’ve been deep in the Brush Ninja accessibility review. It’s taking longer than I expected, but I’m learning loads and the site’s improving with every tweak. It’s satisfying work, even if it’s a bit of a rabbit hole.
The break also gave me space to think about what’s next. I’ve got a few new game ideas for BeepMini bubbling away that I’m itching to start on once Brush Ninja’s update is done. These last few days I’ve been watching student animations from Gobelins, and that’s what I want to focus on in this issue.
Gobelins Student Animations
Gobelins is a legendary animation school in Paris that’s been turning out incredible talent for over 60 years. It started way back in the 1960s and has become one of the best-known creative schools in the world, especially for animation. Their students don’t just learn how to animate — they learn how to tell stories, build atmosphere, and make you feel something.
Every year, the graduating students release short films. They’re beautifully crafted, full of energy, and packed with style. You can watch them all online, and they cover everything from epic fantasy adventures to tiny, heartfelt stories about everyday life.
Gobelins graduates often end up working at studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, and Cartoon Network — and you can feel that level of talent in their student work.
What I love most is how each film feels distinct. You can tell these are artists experimenting and finding their voice, not just ticking boxes for a grade. They’re playful, ambitious, and sometimes weird. It’s exactly the kind of creativity that inspires me to make new things.
The variety and imagination is so refreshing - very different from commercial animation that we see today. A lot of modern animation feels very safe and formulaic. Anything a bit different seems to be cancelled after a single season. I’d love to see companies like Disney and Pixar taking more risks.
Too many businesspeople appear to consider animation as just for children, and look at it as an expensive waste of time. It’s a shame, because animation is such a powerful medium for storytelling.
Chère Fin
An old postman takes one last trip around the islands he’s delivered to his whole life. Riding his rusty bike across ocean water, he faces the quiet reality of retirement. The animation has a painterly quality, with soft colours and gentle pacing that match the story’s reflective tone. It’s a peaceful film where seemingly little happens, but every shot feels deliberate, like a memory fading. It’s calm, emotional, and leaves you thinking about what it means to move on.
The Famous Last Show
A theatre director tries to stage his own over-the-top birthday play, but his cast - his family - couldn’t be less interested. What follows is a chaotic mix of rehearsals, arguments, and surreal moments that blur the line between performance and breakdown. The animation is loud and expressive, full of big gestures and wild colours. It’s both funny and sad, like watching someone realise too late that life isn’t a stage they can control. I love how unrestrained it feels.
Tears of the Mountain
This one dives straight into myth and emotion. It follows an older sister sent to collect feathers from a mountain spirit, only to be stopped by her younger sister. The story is beautifully told through expressive, hand-drawn animation with stunning lighting and rich colour. It feels like a legend passed down through generations, full of tension, love, and sacrifice.
Niccolo
Niccolo tells its story entirely through music and movement. It follows a gifted violinist torn between pleasing his audience and finding freedom in his art. The animation style is dramatic and stylised - fluid, dramatic, and packed with visual rhythm. The lack of dialogue lets the sound design shine, turning the whole thing into a kind of visual symphony. It reminds me a little of Fantasia - expressive, abstract, and all about the emotion behind performance.
Tumbleweed
In a café surrounded by endless coffee fields, Hurle dreams of something more. When a strange thief appears, she’s thrown into a bizarre sci-fi chase into the eye of a hurricane. The mix of realistic and cartoony characters gives it a unique, slightly surreal vibe - and everything, even the props, has eyes and a face. It’s fun, unpredictable, and full of visual charm. I’d happily watch a whole series in this world.
More?
If you want to see more, check out the full list of Gobelins’ student films on YouTube. There are tons of gems in there, and if you enjoy cartoons it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.