Top Story: ‘The Wild Robot’ And ‘Arcane’ Lead 52nd Annie Award Nominations

The United States has surprisingly few animation festivals for a country of its size, but increasingly we are seeing smaller local events that serve as a substitute for the traditional festival experience. Animation Breakdown is an ongoing series in Los Angeles, and Chicago animation fans, who already enjoy the Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation, will see the arrival of Animation Torrent next month.

Animation Torrent is a one-night event that focuses on narrative shorts. The inaugural edition will take place on Thursday, April 17th, at the historic Pickwick Theate in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge. It will be comprised of two 90-minute blocks of independent and alternative animated shorts, with the first program being appropriate for a general audience, and the second one featuring mature content.

For tickets and further info, visit AnimationTorrent.com. Below are the line-ups for both programs:

Animation Torrent Program A – 7:00PM
Fallt – Chadwick Whitehead
Dji Death Fails – Dmitri Voloshin
Green Acres – James Beck
Bless You – Philip Watts
Bam! Kapow! Meow! – Sean Malony
Hero – Jennifer Yoo
Papel – Mariel Sayuno
Bridge Wish Love – Jonathan Hance
My Heart Belongs To You – Lev Polyakov
Norm & Cory – Andrew Kaiko
Overboard – Paul Zeke
Star Light, Star Bright – Liam Newton
Baxter – Ty Coyle
Frabbits – Charlie Kothe
Monkey Rag – Joanna Davidovich
In The Beginning – Arthur Metcalf
Yellow Sticky Notes | Canadian Anijam – Jeff Chiba Stearns
Lime – Sean Carrow
Laundry Day – Jeremy Stewart
Helium Harvey – Daniel Savage
The Final Straw – Ricky Renna
The Fog of Courage – John R. Dilworth

Animation Torrent Program B – 9:15PM
(WARNING – Features some content NOT APPROPRIATE for Children)
Jimmy Loves Juice – David Yee
Two Heads – Marissa Dorman
Cow-Pokes Livin on the Edge – John Akre
Mite – Walter Volbers
Mountain Ash – Jake Armstrong
Erotic Short Stories: Infected – Bryan Brinkman
There’s An Octopus On Your Head – Ari Grabb
Old Man – Leah Shore
Wackatdoo – Benjamin Arcand
Made You Cringe: Vivian Wong – Danny Dresden
Tarzan – Signe Baumane
Got Leche? – Tim Urlacher
Domesticated – D. Bonadona
I Love You So Hard – Ross Butter
Pretending With A Patchwork Princess – Patrick Riggle
Eye In Tuna Care – John Lustig
IOA – Gabriel Mohring
The First Time Cee Cee Did Acid – Twins Are Weird
The Trip – Grande Dame
The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray – Steve Baker
Erotic Short Stories: Bone Zone – Bryan Brinkman
Retreat! – Lizzi Akana
It’s Not About The Money – Zach Passero
Light Me Up – Ryan Walton

Amid Amidi

Amid Amidi is Cartoon Brew's Editor in Chief.