For the third straight year, The Rio Theatre is excited to welcome the return of one of our favourite annual movie events – the 19th edition of Ron Diamond’s wonderfully curated ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS, an eclectic mix featuring 16 exceptional and inspiring animated shorts from around the world. At a time of increasing social instability and global anxiety about a range of issues, the works in this year’s show have a special resonance, presenting compelling ideas about our place in society, and how we fit into the world.

The 19th ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS represents the work of artists from eight countries, including nine women. Funny, moving, engaging, and thought-provoking, the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS not only has something for everyone, but is a remarkable and insightful microcosm of our world.

For more information on the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS, including details on all of this year’s filmmakers and their films, go HERE.

To join their mailing list and to receive future updates, go HERE.

Sunday, February 25
Doors 2:45 pm | Movie 3:15 pm

Tickets $10 advance HERE | $12 at the door
*Minors welcome in the balcony! Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

For 19 years, the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS has been presenting new and innovative short films to appreciative audiences at animation studios, schools and, since 2015, theaters around the world. Over the years, 36 of the films showcased in the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS went on to receive Academy Award^® nominations, with 10 films winning the Oscar^®. Founded and curated by producer Ron Diamond, the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS is funded by major studios, companies, schools and hundreds of animation lovers around the world.

16 animated short films presented in order of appearance:

• Can You Do It – Quentin Baillieux, France
• Tiny Big – Lia Bertels, Belgium
• Next Door – Pete Docter, U.S.
• The Alan Dimension – Jac Clinch, UK
• Beautiful Like Elsewhere – Elise Simard, Canada
• Hangman – Paul Julian and Les Goldman, U.S.
• The Battle of San Romano – Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland
• Gokurosama – Clémentine Frère, Aurore Gal, Yukiko Meignien, Anna Mertz, Robin Migliorelli, Romain Salvini, France
• Dear Basketball – Glen Keane, U.S.
• Island – Max Mörtl and Robert Löbel, Germany
• Unsatisfying – Parallel Studio, France
• My Burden – Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Sweden
• Les Abeilles Domestiques (Domestic Bees) Alexanne Desrosiers, Canada
• Our Wonderful Nature: The Common Chameleon – Tomer Eshed, Germany
• Casino – Steven Woloshen, Canada
• Everything – David O’Reilly, U.S

“Because animation is such a natural medium for dealing with abstract ideas and existential concerns, the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS has always included a number of thoughtful and engaging films,” says founder and curator Ron Diamond. “However, more than in previous years, I believe that this year’s program really offers contemporary animation that expresses deeply felt issues in our own country and around the world.”

These films include Niki Lindroth von Bahr’s Annecy Grand Prix-winning “The Burden,” a melancholy, funny and moving film that explores the tribulations, hopes and dreams of a group of night-shift employees, uniquely capturing the zeitgeist of our time. At the other end of the spectrum, David OReilly’s playful and profound “Everything,” based on the work of the late philosopher Alan Watts, explores the interconnectedness of the universe and the multiplicity of perspectives that underlie reality.

Perhaps the most relevant film in the show is a 50-year-old short that was restored by The ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS with grants from ASIFA-Hollywood and The National Film Preservation Foundation. “Hangman,” by Paul Julian and Les Goldman, and based on a poem by Maurice Ogden, explores themes of injustice and personal responsibility in its tale of a town whose residents, afraid to speak up, are methodically executed by the title character.

Other program highlights include “Dear Basketball,” Disney veteran Glen Keane’s animation of a poem by Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, written on the occasion of his imminent retirement; Academy Award-winning Pixar director Pete Docter’s 1990 CalArts student film “Next Door”; and “Casino,” the latest film from director Steven Woloshen, who, for some 30 years, has been creating award-winning experimental films by drawing directly on film stock.