Cartoon ideas for kids: 31 Cartoon Crafts for Kids
Posted on31 Cartoon Crafts for Kids
Hello, DIYers!
The pandemic has been rough on us all! That includes kids and the parents who are at home with them! And with everything going virtual, there is no doubt that there has been a heavy increase in screen time for everyone. But why not take a break and commit to doing one of these fabulous cartoon themed crafts for kids? Not only can your kids interact and engage with their favorite cartoon characters, you can both spend some time together and get creative!
Happy Crafting, everyone!
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Do you and your little one’s love Despicable Me? Then this craft is for you!
Found Glued to My Crafts Blog
You can’t go into the night to save the day without having the perfect costume!
Found Simply Real Moms
Do some fun paper crafting with this great origami craft!
Found DIY Art Pins
Cogsworth is a beloved Beauty and the Beast character that can function to learn to read a clock, or just be adorable! It’s up to you!
Found DIY with Holly
This is such a cute twist on a traditional paper plate craft!
Found Pinterest
Paw Patrol is on a roll! And your little one can be too!
Found Kids Activity Blog
If you’ve got a Minnie Mouse fan in the house, it doesn’t get any cuter than this Minni Mouse paper plate craft!
Found I Heart Arts N Crafts
This is a great no-sew craft project that everypony can enjoy!
Found Somewhat Simple
This craft is adorable and functional for your kid’s desk!
Found Big Family Blessings
You can make this great collection of characters from Inside Out and then put on a puppet show!
Found Meaningful Mama
You can recreate your favorite monsters with this adorable potato stamp craft!
Found I Heart Arts and Crafts
You can create a tasty marshmallow Baymax to snack on while cartoon crafting!
Found I Heart Crafty Things
Get the party started with these super cute troll magnets!
Found Fun Learning Life
If you’re feeling really ambitious, why not try to recreate the batmobile? This model is based off of the Lego Movie!
Found The Craft Train
These Jellyfish can be seen swimming along Bikini Bottom and now in your own home!
Found Nickolodean Parents
Your little one can create their very own heart of Te Fiti necklace!
Found Taylor Joelle Blog
Have fun rhyming and being silly while creating this adorable Cat in the Hat craft!
Found I Heart Crafty Things
Chip is an adorable side character from Beauty and the Beast! You can make this little guy with a K-cup and some creativity!
Found Artsy Momma
Use the free download template to create your very own Frozen themed crown!
Found First Palette
Forky is a beloved character from Toy Story 4! Your little one can recreate him with this fun project!
Found Simple Everyday Mom
Recreate your favorite pups from Secret Life of Pets with this cute and easy DIY!
Found Today’s Creative Ideas
Bring dory home with you by making her this great fish bowl craft!
Found Mess for Less
Upcycle some wooden spoons to make these fabulous and fun puppets then put on a show!
Found I heart Crafty Things
Baby Yoda has become a sensation! Celebrate by having a Star Wars family night complete with this cute craft project!
Found Simple Everyday Mom
Ready, set, go! To making this super cute popsicle stick craft!
Found Glued to My Crafts
Frosty, move over! Olaf is in town!
Found I Heart Arts N Crafts
Have a magical afternoon creating Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage!
Found Artsy Momma
Cloud Guy is a great side character from the popular film, Trolls! Now you can hang him up in your home!
Found The Pinterested Parent
Enjoy a piece of Mario Brothers with this sweet origami craft!
Found All For the Boys
Collect them all with these great pokeballs!
Found Frog Prince Paperie
You can make these adorable coconuts from Moana with ease and they turn out looking great!
Found The Pinterested Parent
35 Fantastic Kids Crafts for a Cold Winter Day
40 DIY Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids
37 Fun and Festive Christmas Crafts for Kids
30 Nature Crafts for Kids for All Seasons
14 Cartoon Crafts You’ll Love • In the Bag Kids’ Crafts
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Cartoon crafts are not only fun to make, but they’re also so much fun to play with afterward. You can tell the stories that you’ve seen over and over again from these cartoon characters or make up your own stories. Create several of them and let them interact…like a tv crossover event all your own.
Prepare Your Craft Supplies
As with all of the crafts that we make here (and in our shop), the cartoon crafts on this list use supplies that are from our master list. It’s a list of 27 basic items that fit into one bag. It’s like a capsule wardrobe, but for kids’ crafts instead of outfits.
Once you fill your bag, you can mix and match the items for hundreds and hundreds and fun and simple crafts. We give you all of the inspiration that you could want here, but feel free to let your imagination run wild and make your own creations from the items in your bag too. You will never regret the time you spend making things with your kids…trust me.
Save These Cartoon Character Crafts for later. Pin them to your favorite Pinterest board…
Combine Reading and Crafting
All activities require adult supervision.
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The absolute best way that I can think to elevate the crafting experience is to combine it with reading a good book. Here are some of our favorite books to pair with these cartoon crafts…
Our Favorite Cartoon Crafts for Kids
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Spread the loveThis Clifford the Big Red Dog craft is just simply fun. I mean, Clifford simply brings joy. I remember reading the books as a child and then reading them to my sons when they are little and now he gets to be loved by a whole new generation. Of course you know there…
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Spread the loveThere are so many reasons why Curious George has stood the test of time.
First of all, he’s adorable. And he just really brings out the child in all of us with his curious nature and knack for getting into mischief. This Curious George craft is fun and simple to make with the…
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Spread the loveThese shark crafts for kids can be any shark you want. It can be a great white or you can turn them into the colorful characters from Baby Shark like we did. It just takes a few tweaks, and we have provided free printables to make crafting with your kids super easy. These…
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Spread the loveThese Mickey Crafts are more than just another Disney craft because today we will use recycled newspaper to make these adorable creations. And I say Mickey crafts, but really, what is Mickey without Minnie. So, there is also a template to make her signature hair bow too.
That is really all you need…
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Spread the loveThis Pete the Cat paper plate craft is more than just your typical crafty project. It’s a fun mobile that you can hang in any room to remind you of the story of Pete the Cat and his White sneakers. Plus it combines a love for reading with the fun of doing arts…
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Spread the love“Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil, If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will…” I know that you are singing the song in your head. Because you just HAVE to sing the song. This Cruella craft is so fun to make and comes with a free template to get you started with…
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Spread the loveAfter seeing the Cruella movie I just had to make a dalmatian craft.
From the classic cartoon to the newest Disney movie, the dogs are always the stars. Not only is this a great craft for 101 Dalmatians, but it can also be custom made into some of your other favorite dalmatian characters…such…
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Spread the loveThis Minnie craft is so fun and simple to make when you use the printable template. And if you prefer, you can make it a Mickey craft instead of Minnie. Once finished, it is a fun little pouch for your kiddo to carry around their cherished toys and other little goodies. Add as…
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Spread the loveThese Cinderella activities are the perfect easy crafts to use to share a fairy tale. You can tell the Cinderella story or make up a story of your own with these fairy tale characters. Each of these Cinderella craft ideas come with a free printable template to make creating so much easier.
If…
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Spread the loveThis Horton Hears a Who craft is perfect for celebrating Dr. Seuss Reading Week or really to make any day at all. “Horton Hears a Who” is a classic story by Dr. Seuss with such a wonderful theme for kids of any age (and adults for that matter). Horton, the elephant, comes to…
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Spread the loveThe Princess and the Frog story is beautiful, full of hope and love and magic and so much more. It’s both a classic and timeless fairy tale and a story that has been retold in modern day as a Disney fairy tale. Our collection will include the princess, the prince, a frog (which…
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Spread the loveThere are lots of Peppa Pig craft ideas out there but none quite this one.
This little Pepp Pig paper craft is perfect for preschoolers. It’s not only simple but is also great for working on fine motor skills. Encourage your little one to pinch each tissue paper square as it is put…
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Spread the loveI admit it…I am guilty of spending too much time on Facebook. It is a habit that is hard to break. Most days it sucks me in, and I spend way too much time scrolling. But then there are those moments when the scrolling pays off, often in unexpected ways. And today’s craft…
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Spread the loveWhen did Paw Patrol come out anyway? It seems like it is one of those classic cartoons that have been around forever. And yet, it is also new and fresh and loved by preschoolers around the globe. These inspired Paw Patrol paper crafts are made from simple paper bags turned into puppets.
They…
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Make Even More Crafts with Your Kids (You’ll be so happy you did)
Save these Cartoon Craft Ideas for later. Pin to your favorite Pinterest board…
25 Best Christmas Cartoons — Lifehacker
Best Foreign Christmas Cartoons
1. Pluto’s Christmas Tree
Pluto’s Christmas Tree
- USA, 1952 year.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 7 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.7.
Mickey Mouse and Pluto the dog go to get the Christmas tree. The little mouse does not suspect that two impudent chipmunks found themselves in the house along with the felled tree. And the faithful Pluto is ready to protect the holiday from enemy encroachments at all costs.
An instructive cartoon reminds young and old viewers that the holiday is not the time for hostility. And traditional Christmas songs Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls add animations of festive charm.
2. Snowman
The Snowman
- UK, 1982.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 26 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.2.
Still from the cartoon «Snowman»
An adult man recalls how he once made a snowman as a child, and at exactly midnight the snowman magically came to life. With this began the most extraordinary Christmas adventure in the life of the narrator.
The short fairy tale The Snowman, based on the book of the same name by Raymond Briggs, has become an integral part of British Christmas culture. Also thanks to the cartoon, the song Walking In The Air became very popular. It is also curious that the narrator is voiced by none other than David Bowie himself.
3. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
- USA, 1983.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 26 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.0.
A frame from the cartoon «Mickey’s Christmas Carol»
On Christmas Eve, everyone happily expects the holiday, and only miserly Ebenezer Scrooge does not stop thinking about money.
But everything changes thanks to magic: the hero is visited by three Spirits of Christmas, thanks to which Ebenezer begins to see clearly and radically changes his life.
Iconic Disney characters are portrayed in this special Christmas edition of Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol. The role of Ebenezer Scrooge, as you might guess, went to Scrooge McDuck, Bob Cratchit’s servant — Mickey Mouse, and Jacob Marley — Goofy.
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas
- USA, 1993
- Animated musical fairy tale.
- Duration: 76 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.0.
Halloween resident Jack Skellington is fascinated by the spirit of Christmas. The hero falls in love with this holiday so much that he decides that he can replace Santa Claus.
Witty dialogue and dark humor made the film directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton a cult classic.
And thanks to the universal plot, the cartoon can be watched both at Christmas and on Halloween.
5. The Polar Express
The Polar Express
- USA, 2004.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 100 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.6.
A boy disillusioned with the existence of Santa Claus suddenly gets the opportunity to travel by train to a magical land. During the journey, the hero finds new friends and learns a useful lesson about the need to believe in miracles.
When creating a painting by Robert Zemeckis, ultramodern computer technologies were used at that time. But first of all, this is a spiritual fairy tale that miracles exist for everyone who knows how to believe.
Watch on iTunes →
6. Shrek frost, green nose
Shrek the Halls
- USA, 2007.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 27 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.4.
Shrek is going to have a perfect Christmas with his family. But here’s the bad luck: right in the midst of the holiday, uninvited guests appear — Donkey, Puss in Boots and others.
The plot can hardly be called original: the theme of the hero’s unsociableness and his dislike for noisy companies was raised in every full-length cartoon about Shrek. But fans of the franchise should still see familiar characters in a Christmas setting.
7. Christmas Madagascar
Merry Madagascar
- USA, 2009.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 28 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.7.
Due to the fault of the Madagascar four, Santa Claus crashes and even temporarily loses his memory.
And the heroes have to take over the delivery of gifts. In the process, they face a difficult choice: save the holiday or return home to New York.
In Christmas Madagascar, events take place between the first and second feature films. The creators of the short film wisely managed a little screen time, so the audience is waiting not only for their favorite characters and good jokes, but also for a valuable moral lesson.
8. A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
- USA, 2009
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 95 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.8.
Still from «A Christmas Carol» cartoon
In one night, the life of grumpy miser Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed by the Spirits of Christmas. They come to open the eyes of the rich man to the fallacy of his former life and force him to change for the better.
Thanks to Zemeckis’s favorite motion capture technology, already used in The Polar Express, viewers will easily recognize their favorite artists in the computer characters: Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Bob Hoskins.
True, many of the cartoon’s visual solutions look too gloomy and can seriously frighten children. But this instructive tale will fascinate and delight adults.
9. Kung Fu Panda Holiday Edition
Kung Fu Panda Holiday
- USA, 2010.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 21 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.8.
Every year, Po and his father arrange a noisy and cheerful holiday for the people of their village. But it suddenly turns out that the hero is obliged to organize a luxurious celebration in the Jade Palace. Poor Po is torn between his duties as a Dragon Warrior and family tradition, but in the end he makes the right decision.
The creators carefully treated the traditions of ancient China, so the cartoon will not meet Santa Claus, a festive fir tree and other attributes of Western Christmas.
Instead, Po and his friends are celebrating some kind of winter holiday (perhaps they mean Dongji, the winter solstice), but this does not make the short film less fabulous and magical.
10. Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury
Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury
- USA, 2011.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 22 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.6.
The action takes place some time after the events of the first full-length cartoon. The Vikings are preparing to celebrate the traditional winter holiday — Snogletog. But suddenly the dragons, whom everyone managed to tame and fall in love with, fly away from the island. And Hiccup is taken to unravel what’s the matter.
A short film from the creators of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise tells more about these fabulous creatures and their way of life, sure to create a festive mood and in between times remind you to be able to let go of those you love.
11. Santa’s Secret Service
Arthur Christmas
- UK, USA, 2011.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 97 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.1.
The active Santa is getting ready to retire, but the well-established delivery system fails. It turns out that one child never received the gift. And the youngest son of Santa, the good-natured klutz Arthur, unexpectedly takes up the matter.
Aardman’s Christmas cartoon, which presented the audience with Wallace and Gromit, lifts the veil of mystery over how Santa Claus manages to deliver gifts to all the children on Earth in just one night. And he does it with great humour. Rise of the Guardians
The mysterious Dream Keepers — the charismatic Nick Northerner, the household Tooth Fairy, the stern Easter Bunny and the silent Sandman — unite to thwart the plans of the villain Kromeshnik.
But first, the heroes will have to win over Ice Jack, a mischievous spirit of winter who remembers nothing about his past.
Although Christmas itself does not appear in the film, the Dreamkeepers are full of magic and set you in a festive mood. And thanks to the imagination of the creators, the good old legends and folklore characters look very fresh and interesting.
Watch on iTunes →
13. Solan and Ludwig’s snow adventures
Solan og Ludvig — Jul i Flåklypa
- Norway, 2013.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 76 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.8.
The inhabitants of the Norwegian town of Floklip are exhausted in anticipation of a real winter. Most of all, the absence of snow upsets the editor of the local newspaper, who craves sensational headlines. The evil journalist first asks the mechanic Reodor to assemble a snow cannon, and then kidnaps it in order to cover the entire town with snow.
The inventor’s friends, the gander Solan and the hedgehog Ludwig, have to save the day.
The Russian audience has hardly heard of Solan and Ludwig, but in Norway everyone knows these characters. «Snowy Adventures» is strongly reminiscent of «Wallace and Gromit», and puppet animation makes this cartoon extremely sincere and charming.
14 Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
- USA, 2017.
- Musical fairy tale.
- Duration: 21 minutes.
- IMDb: 5.3.
Still from Olaf and the Cold Adventure
Princess Anna and Queen Elsa grew up with no family Christmas traditions. Wanting to give his friends a real Christmas miracle, the resilient snowman Olaf, along with the reindeer Sven, sets off in search of the best holiday customs in the kingdom.
Before watching «Olaf and the Frozen Adventure», you should definitely see the full-length cartoon «Frozen». Otherwise, much in the plot will not be clear — for example, why Elsa has so many gloves.
Watch on iTunes →
15. Grinch
The Grinch
- USA, 2018.
- Animated comedy fairy tale.
- Duration: 85 minutes.
- IMDb: 6.3.
The gloomy Grinch hates holidays and fun, but in the neighboring Ktogorod they love Christmas and traditionally celebrate it on a grand scale. It is not surprising that the closer Christmas Eve, the worse the mood of the green grumbler.
In the new film adaptation, the cult hero of Dr. Seuss has acquired a new backstory that quite plausibly explains all the features of his bad character. By the way, if possible, the cartoon should be watched in the original for the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch, who voiced the main character.
Watch on iTunes →
The best Soviet New Year cartoons
A frame from the cartoon «When the Christmas trees are lit»
Santa Claus hurries to the city to congratulate the children on the New Year. But here’s the problem: a teddy bear and a cotton bunny fall out through a hole in the bag and remain in the forest. And before getting to their future owners, the heroes have to go through many adventures.
Throughout its 70-year history, the painting by Mstislav Pashchenko has been repeatedly restored, tinted and even re-voiced, but has not lost the main thing — the naive charm of the previous era. Now the cartoon is deservedly considered a timeless classic of animation.
2. The night before Christmas
- USSR, 1951.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 51 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.1.
Still from The Night Before Christmas cartoon
The skillful blacksmith Vakula dreams of marrying the beautiful Oksana, but she sets a condition — to bring her the little laces worn by the queen.
The task seems impossible, but the main character suddenly comes to the aid of evil spirits.
The merits of this work can be listed for a very long time: the classic plot by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, the magical music of Rimsky-Korsakov, excellent animation and a perfectly conveyed national Ukrainian flavor.
3. Postal snowman
- USSR, 1955.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 19 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.5.
A frame from the cartoon «The Snowman Postman»
On New Year’s Eve, children write a letter to Santa Claus with a request to send them a Christmas tree for the holiday. At night, the snowman made by them magically comes to life and, together with a puppy named Druzhok, sets off on a journey to deliver a message to the addressee. But this is not easy to do: harmful forest animals are trying in every possible way to interfere with the heroes.
Both children and adults will enjoy watching this cartoon. The first will enjoy the delightful bright animation and a simple but kind story, and the second will be interested to hear the voice of the honored actor Georgy Vitsin, who voiced the snowman.
4. Santa Claus and summer
- USSR, 1969.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 19 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.5.
A frame from the cartoon «Father Frost and Summer»
Accidentally learning about the existence of summer, Grandfather Frost decides to go to the city and look at an unknown natural phenomenon with his own eyes. True, it turns out that danger awaits the unsuspecting old man — summer heat and heat.
For director Valentin Karavaev, the cartoon «Father Frost and Summer» became his graduation thesis. It must be said that the future director of stories about the prodigal parrot greatly rethought the traditional image of Santa Claus: instead of a majestic wizard, viewers see a comical and vulnerable old man. And of course, speaking of this sweetest cartoon, one cannot fail to mention the perky «Song of Summer», which is remembered for a long time.
5. Twelve months
- USSR, 1956.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 56 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.5.
A still from the cartoon «Twelve Months»
A capricious and lazy young queen promises to shower gold on the one who brings a basket of snowdrops to the palace — despite the fact that there is a severe frost in the yard. Upon learning of the reward, a greedy peasant woman sends her kind and meek stepdaughter into the forest.
She accidentally meets 12 wizards there — the Brothers of the Month — and tells them about her misfortune. As a result, the girl returns from the winter thicket with a whole basket of flowers, but now the wayward queen wants to know where snowdrops grow in the snowy forest.
As soon as it was born, Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak’s play «Twelve Months» became almost the most popular Soviet New Year story. Walt Disney himself wanted to film this magical story, but wartime prevented his plans. As a result, in 1956, a Soviet cartoon was released, drawn in a classical manner and voiced by talented actors, including Erast Garin and Georgy Vitsin.
6. Nutcracker
- USSR, 1973.
- Animated musical fairy tale.
- Duration: 27 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.6.
A still from the cartoon «The Nutcracker»
A hard-working servant girl finds an abandoned nutcracker that was almost broken during the New Year’s holiday. Suddenly, the toy comes to life and tells her new friend about her past. It turns out that the wooden soldier was once the prince of a magical land, until an evil spell was cast on the kingdom and its inhabitants. And now the heroes have to fight the insidious Mouse King and return the prince to his real appearance.
In the kind cartoon of 1973, the Nutcracker ballet was combined with the art of animation. The classic plot was significantly reworked, introducing the motive of social inequality: the main character from the daughter of aristocrats turned into a servant.
But the magical atmosphere remains the same, and the imagination of the authors is amazing: at the beginning of the cartoon, the heroine dances with a broom to the “Russian Dance” from Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake”.
And to the sounds of the “Waltz of the Flowers”, lovers take off into the heavens like the heroes of another Soviet fairy-tale cartoon — “Cinderella”.
7. Wait a minute! (Issue 8)
- USSR, 1974.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 9 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.6.
Still from the cartoon «Just you wait!»
Even on New Year’s Eve, the Wolf does not abandon his futile attempts to catch the Hare. Another chase takes place in the building where a merry New Year’s holiday is taking place.
The legendary «Song of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden» was written specifically for the New Year’s issue. And this is the case when the video sequence is in no way inferior to the music, because the best part of this scene is the Wolf in the role of a fairy-tale beauty, which is completely inappropriate for him.
8. How a hedgehog and a bear cub celebrated the New Year
- USSR, Ukrainian SSR, 1975.
- Animated fairy tale.
- Duration: 7 minutes.
- IMDb: 7.0.
A frame from the cartoon «How the Hedgehog and the Bear Cub Celebrated the New Year»
On New Year’s Eve, it turns out that there is no festive tree in Hedgehog’s house. Together with his best friend Bear cub, the hero goes to the winter forest, but the search for the Christmas tree does not lead to anything. And then the friends find a witty way out of the situation.
This short New Year’s story, permeated with poetry and lyricism, was created by director Alla Gracheva. She has also made many more great cartoons, including everyone’s favorite Dandelion Fat Cheeks.
9. Last year’s snow was falling
- USSR, 1983.
- Absurdist animated comedy.
- Duration: 19 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.4.
Still from the cartoon «Last Year’s Snow Was Falling»
One cunning, lazy and greedy man is sent by his wife to the forest to get a Christmas tree, but the hero fails to complete the task.
Instead, he gets into trouble over and over again.
Director Alexander Tatarsky was not allowed to start working on the cartoon for a long time. Instead, he was offered to film something about pioneers collecting scrap metal. In the end, the director went to the trick and said that he wanted to make a film about Lenin. And only then did the officials agree to the initial scenario, so as not to touch on a forbidden topic.
10. Winter in Prostokvashino
- USSR, 1984.
- Animated comedy.
- Duration: 15 minutes.
- IMDb: 8.4.
Still from the cartoon «Winter in Prostokvashino»
Uncle Fyodor’s family decides to celebrate the New Year in Prostokvashino, but without his mother, who is supposed to sing at the New Year’s Blue Light. Meanwhile, things in the village are not going very well due to the fact that Sharik and Matroskin quarreled and stopped talking to each other.
The last cartoon from the trilogy about Prostokvashino has long become an invariable attribute of the holiday, and the song «If there was no winter» is adored by everyone, young and old.
By the way, Eduard Uspensky spied on the famous scene of a quarrel between Matroskin and Sharik in real life when he lived in a village near Pereslavl-Zalessky.
Read also 🧙♂️🎆🎄
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- TEST: Can you guess the New Year’s movie from just one frame?
- What to watch during the New Year holidays: 120 films for any company
- 12 great New Year’s musicals for those who lack the festive mood
- What Hayao Miyazaki and his wonderful cartoons teach us
18 short cartoons with meaning for children and parents
Leisure ideas /
What movie to watch
Short animated films usually «hang out» in the very tail of all nominations. Unfortunately, this sub-genre of animated films receives undeservedly little attention, despite the fact that they are capable of evoking a real storm of emotions in the viewer in just a few short minutes. Touching, exciting, funny and inspiring — these short videos will teach anyone about kindness, determination, love and mercy.
With the advent of the Internet, animated shorts have certainly found their audience. But most of them are still unfairly ignored by the general public. We decided to correct this omission, and have collected for you 18 interesting short cartoons that will surely appeal to both children and adults. Take a few minutes and just relax in the company of the main characters of these wonderful little stories.
1. Loser Jenkins and lucky Lou
He is an incorrigible pessimist, she is an optimist. He is afraid of everything in the world, she rejoices every day. He, like a magnet, attracts trouble, but incredible adventures always «stick» to her. They didn’t know about each other’s existence. Exactly until the day when fate threw them a crazy joint race in an ice cream cart through the bustling streets of San Francisco.
The beauty and plot of the picture compensate for the lack of dialogues and fully convey to the viewer the semantic message of the film: relationships are a frightening and courageous act, but only when we decide on it, we gain more than we could imagine.
2. The Power of Love
«Best Short Film», «Best Animation», Grand Prix at the largest international festival in the Japanese city of Hida — these are just some of the awards that the cartoon «Power of Love» (or «Light») won ). And when you immerse yourself in the action of the picture, it becomes clear that all these awards are absolutely deserved.
In the middle of a snow-covered city road, a street lamp is living its last days. He is desperately trying to resist the elements, but every minute it becomes more and more difficult to do this … Until he finds the purpose to illuminate someone’s new life with his dim light …
3. Gift
After the release released in 2014, this touching short won 81 awards at several festivals and captivated film critics and audiences around the world. Thanks to such attention to the picture, its creators — Jacob Frey and Markus Kranzler — were hired by Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
A 12-year-old boy is completely immersed in the world of video games.
For a while, he breaks away from the exciting shooter to look into the box that his mother brought him. The fluffy «gift» wags its tail in a friendly manner and conquers the young gamer with its love of life and willpower. New friends go for a walk together, and it turns out that they have much more in common than it might seem…
4. Destiny
«Is it possible to change destiny?». Director Fabien Weibel tried to find an answer to this question. The protagonist of the film «Fate» lives strictly by the clock, every minute of his life is scheduled and does not provide time for various minor trifles. But one accident turns the hero’s world upside down.
According to the director himself, the animation concept was heavily influenced by Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day. The final scene of «Destiny» helps to convey to the viewer the main message of the short film — about how important it is to enjoy simple things in life. Even such as the warmth of a sunny day and good weather outside the window.
5. Knitters
Knitters have a very interesting history of creation. The cartoon was developed by three high school students of the graduating class of the College of Design and Arts. The video about the importance of family relationships was supposed to be the thesis work of Allison Rossi, Becky Seamans and Ida Zhu. But the girls did not have the funds to implement the project. Then they asked for help from users of the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. In record time, all the necessary amount was collected.
Aiden comes to visit his grandma, whom he loves very much, but like any teenager, he likes playing games on his phone a little more. All the efforts of the grandmother to attract the attention of her grandson are in vain, and then the «cute» knitted cats of the old woman get down to business.
6. Never give up!
Not so long ago, this cartoon has spread all over the Internet. If you haven’t watched it yet, be sure to check it out, it can inspire anyone.
Moreover, a touching acoustic version of one of the compositions of the contemporary singer Camila Cabello adorns the amazing story.
A little dandelion was born on the wrong lawn. The sun is mercilessly scorching from above, and not a single tree is around. Watching the death of his fellows, the dandelion realizes that he does not want the same fate for himself. Now he has only one goal: by all means overcome all obstacles and get to the opposite, green lawn. Even if it costs him his life.
7. Similar
«Alike» is a short cartoon by Spanish artists Daniel Martinez Lara and Rafa Cano Mendez about creativity and education. The gray, lifeless world of everyday routine activities (including boring school education and monotonous work) is opposed to bright and colorful creativity.
In fact, the meaning of the film is much deeper. His main idea is how important it is not to lose the fire that burns inside, not to sacrifice one’s own talents to please the demands of society and not become part of the «gray mass», losing one’s own individuality.
It is to this thought, in the end, that the protagonist of the sentimental video comes.
8. Umbrella
Only eight minutes and no dialogue. Nevertheless, «Umbrella» captivated audiences around the world, earning recognition and collecting a large number of awards at prestigious festivals. Brazilian animated short tells the story of little Joseph, who lives in an orphanage and dreams of a yellow umbrella. Soon he meets a girl who revives long-forgotten memories in his memory.
The events of the picture are based on a true story. In 2011, director Helena Ilario received a call from her sister about how, at the orphanage she visited on Christmas Eve, one boy did not want any toys, but only asked for an umbrella. It turned out that the last time he saw his father was on a rainy day, and from that moment the kid thought that it was the umbrella that would help him reunite with his own family.
9. Wind
Produced as part of Pixar’s innovative Spark Shorts, Wind is a grandmother and grandson who live in a giant hole surrounded by rocks and work together to find a way out.
