I've been meaning to put together a list of some great animation resources from the web, and was inspired to push forward by a similar post over at Art Junction. Below I have compiled a list of 10 great animations that I've used in my video or cartooning and animation classes.



1. Fell in Love With a Girl. This now famous music video by The White Stripes features an unbelievable and unique rotoscoped animation using only legos. You can read about how it was done here.


2. Bathtime in Clerkenwell is an animated music video that was included in Don Hertzfeld and Mike Judge's Animation Show, an excellent collection of new animation shorts.


3. Speaking of Don Hertzfeld, this list wouldn't be complete without the inclusion of his award-winning Rejected; unfortunately, it is not available on the web (not legally, at least), but you can read about it and his other work at his website.


4. The creative partnership of the Three Legged Legs produces a strange fusion of retro-anime-pop for some incredible results. Humans is a great Public Service Announcement about environmental Awareness, and Los Angeles Lets Be Friends is a crazy music video which mixes live action with 3D animation based on the work of artist Jeff Soto.

5. Exploring a similar combination -in a very different way - is Tyger, an amazing blend of puppetry and animation (both 2 and 3D) based on the poem of the same name by William Blake.



6. Yet another music video animation, is this creative rendition of Radiohead's Creep. The bleak and engaging animation matches the tone of the song perfectly.

7. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the Xiao Xiao stick figure death series, and all the parodies and sequels that followed, but many of my students sure are. Many of them come down to the computer lab to make their own in their spare time. However, Animator Vs. Animation is a fun little parody and a great example for students who already know their way around Macromedia Flash- it is one big in-joke for flash animators.



8. Homestar Runner. If you haven't seen this yet, your time has come. Don't miss Strong Bad's Emails. Everybody! Everybody!



9. Making Fiends is a great little episodic flash cartoon about the happiest little girl in her wonderful new school where everything is great and her bestest friend in the whole wide world is trying to kill her.



10. Finally, one of my favorite flash animation websites is Angry Alien Productions' 30 Second Bunny Theater, which features some of your favorite movies. In 30 seconds. With Bunnies. What could be better? Be sure to check out the 30 second classic Exorcist and new addition Casablanca. I've used this website as the basis of a lesson in learning Flash. Students first chose their own favorite movies and animals. Then they identified key scenes and plot points. Finally they created their own animations.

But wait! There's more! The recently redesigned Cold Hard Flash offers resources, news, and just about everything else you could want for learning about Flash.

Please feel free to post your own links to your favorite animations in the comments!