Web Animation Watch: "Sleep Awake", '"Dirty Paws" and More

Welcome back to another edition of Web Animation Watch, where we feature the best in online animation new, and not so new. As Pride Month comes to a close for another year, we've dedicated this edition of WAW to LGBT+ themed animation.

If you've created or found something you think we should feature in a future edition of Web Animation Watch then drop us a line today.

Sleep Awake

Nora Meek's  short Sleep Awake is about " longing, compassion, and being there for someone who needs you." Made as Meek's fourth-year thesis film, it went on to win accolades at several film festivals, including Outfest and  MetroCAF Animation Film Festival. Without a word of spoken dialogue, the film conveys its universal themes effectively. See more of her work here.



Sleep Awake from Nora Meek on Vimeo.

Dirty Paws

This (mostly) cute short by Karina Farek centres on a gay couple- one of whom happens to be a werewolf. How do you cope when your other half turns into a wild animal every full moon?  Contains some gory imagery. See more of Karina's work here.

Sam's Story

This short, made to promote The You Inside Project, a campaign designed to support transgender youth and "stop transphobia before it starts". It's very moving stuff.

New Bodies

In this short from New Zealand's Bo Moore, humanity has colonised Mars, but it seems that they weren't the Red Planet's first inhabitants. The film's official description says it best: "A sci-fi/fantasy story set on Mars about girls, queer family and monsters." It boasts some really spectacular imagery and real heart. You can see more of Bo's work on her personal site.

From The Archive

Another chance to see popular shorts featured on previous editions of Web Animation Watch.

In A Heartbeat

What We Said: "This beautifully made CG short has been making a lot of waves online, earning plaudits for its positive representation of LGBT themes. And it's no wonder- Beth David and Esteban Bravo's film featuring a young boy who falls for a classmate features some lovely design work and animation and features a kind of story you wouldn't expect to see in a mainstream Studio animation anytime soon."

kanamewo

What We Said: "This is an absolutely beautiful piece of animation from Japanese animator Rapparu, which puts a fresh spin on a story that recalls Ponyo and Lu Over The Wall. A young woman finds a magical creature and takes her home. However, the woman is no clean-cut anime heroine and this goes to some places that those films would not (making it somewhat NSFW too)."

Rock and Riot

What We Said: "Based on the ongoing web comic by Chelsey Furedi, Rock and Riot tells the story of two teenage gangs in the 1950s with a bit of a LGBTQ twist. The animated pilot (animated by the comic creator herself) is an adaptation of the first episode of the comic, which follows the initial meeting of characters Connie and Carla. While the 1950's setting and character designs are already delightful, the animation brings a lot of great energy to the narrative which flows smoothly from one scene to the next. Like any classic cartoon, Rock and Riot has humour, heart and a whole lot of style."