The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS returns for its second year in theaters (and at the Rio!) with 12 charming family-friendly films. Highlights include About a Mother, a new folktale with echoes of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, Disney/Pixar’s sweet Piper, and the latest in 360º storytelling in Google’s touching father-and daughter-journey Pearl by Academy Award® winner Patrick Osborne. The show also features a second-part “bonus” of four provocative shorts exclusively for more mature audiences.

This year’s show includes an expanded selection of fresh student films from leading animation schools in the U.S., Belgium, Canada, Korea and Russia. This is not surprising, since the most interesting and groundbreaking work is being done at these hotbeds of creativity.

Featuring techniques ranging from hand-drawn to stop-motion to the latest computer-generated imagery, the 16 extraordinary films in this program were created by animators from Belgium, Canada, France, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Scotland, the U.K., and the U.S. Their themes range from gay issues and civil rights, to deeply felt personal stories, to the wacky humor that animation does so well. Many have garnered awards from prestigious festivals around the world.

For the first time this year, in addition to regular shows, there will also be a number of screenings specifically designed to be family-friendly and appropriate for viewers of six years and up. Those who attend the later evening screenings will have the opportunity to see four films – Corpus, Blue, Manoman and All Their Shades – that approach their mature subjects in more graphic detail.

Largely crowd-funded through a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, this year’s Animation Show of Shows represents the enthusiasm and commitment of 550 individual contributors from around the world. We are extremely grateful for their support and it is thanks to them that we are able to share these treasures with the world.

For 16 years, The Animation Show of Shows, founded and curated by Ron Diamond, has been presenting new and innovative short films to animation studios, societies, schools and festivals around the world. Over the years, 32 of the films showcased in the Show of Shows went on to receive Academy Award® nominations, with nine films winning the Oscar®.