The short films are audiovisual pieces that, thanks to their brevity, are very useful to visualize in the classroom and to be able to treat subjects as important as friendship, solidarity, love, respect for others, teamwork... We continue to expand this article with your proposals. We already have 85 short animated films to educate in values!
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We compile an extensive list of short films to educate in values such as love, friendship or empathy in the classroom.
We show you a selection of the best short films to educate in values.
A different view of bullying from the perspective of a porcupine that, due to its spines, is rejected by the rest of its peers. Through empathy and friendship on the part of his environment, he manages to be accepted by receiving a curious gift from his friends.
It is focused on the relationship between an elderly person and a girl. Its objective is to offer a healthy and fun vision of friendship between people, regardless of age. The short also demonstrates how emotional education is of great importance in the expression of emotions or how patience is also essential to cultivate this value with others.
A reflection on bullying from the point of view of those who observe bullying situations but do not decide to act. In this case, the witness of the abuses perpetrated by a child towards the rest of his classmates is a kind of ‘lost objects’ monster that lives in a box in the schoolyard. Her name is Lou and she decides to carry out a plan to teach the stalker a lesson.
To be honest with the people around you, you first have to be honest with yourself. This value is manifested through a game of chess in which an old man plays against himself. Who will win? It is essential to show students the value of not deceiving themselves and showing themselves as they are.
The Mexican government has launched a series of short films to educate on equality and reject discrimination based on race, culture, or gender. In one of them, for example, a student does not want to play soccer with his classmates, who remind him that they have always been friends and that this type of behavior does not contribute anything positive to coexistence. Each video ends with a speech on these values for students to reflect on in the classroom.
Shot in 1987, this Canadian animated short is an adaptation by director Fréderick Back of the self-titled short story written by Frenchman Jean Giono. In addition, in its day this work was recognized with different awards, including the Oscar for best animated short films. It reflects the ability of human beings to achieve their goals and never give up.
In an abandoned fishing village, invaded by sand and wind, lives a lonely old sailor who dreams of his trips aboard his ship. Until one day he receives an unexpected visit: he is a wounded bird. The sailor will take care of it and a beautiful and intimate friendship will arise between them, to the point that when the bird has recovered and the sailor decides it is time to start his flight, he will return in search.
It is part of a campaign that wants to eliminate the negative message behind the expression “doing things as a girl”, thus promoting the value of equality between people, regardless of whether they are women or men. To do this, he presents his participants with a series of situations that they must develop, and then asks them about their perception of how they feel when they hear these words.
Without dialogue, but with the music around you as soon as you hear the first musical notes, this animated short film reminds us that, despite the bad things that sometimes happen to a person in their life, you don’t have to give up: a Sometimes life gives you the opportunity to meet people who want to be by your side and help you.
Lebo M, a well-known South African composer and producer, signs animated short films by Walt Disney that as soon as he begins, he ‘catches you’ with his immersive melody. It shows us a group of young children who live in a neighborhood with limited resources and how friendship involves close and beautiful moments, as well as sharing what you have. This animated short film begins with the discovery one of them finds one morning: a coloring pen.
A fun animated proposal that to show the benefits of teamwork has selected three animals that due to their nature tend to act in groups: the penguin, the ant and the crab.
This proposal, shot with the technique of stop motion, talks to students about discrimination and the ability to overcome people to recover from bad times and adverse situations. In Zero, when a person is born he has a number that will accompany him forever and according to this his destiny is established. Therefore, the one born with the number 0 knows that she will end up being marginalized by others. But life can always surprise you …
“The important thing is not the position in which it is played, but the effort of each player because despite the difficulties if the team is united, they never quit.” This phrase is an excerpt from the dialogue that appears in this animated short film. It takes place in a classroom and the message that is transmitted is that the family is a great team whose members, by staying together, cope better with the adversities and problems of everyday life.
This French animated short film tells the story of a caterpillar that will become a pretty butterfly. But it will not be easy, because entering the cocoon will be more difficult than you thought. Fortunately, the collaboration of two small insects that passed through the area will be of great help to your plans.
This animated 3D short film begins on the outskirts of the city, where Jimmy – a young boy – has to say goodbye to the tree house where such good times have happened because his parents move to the city. The tree house ‘wakes up’ and decides to go in search of his great friend. The two meet again and they will be joined by two other children from the neighborhood.
Short film written and directed by the Brazilian Fáuston da Silva, this short film tells the story of a boy named Lucas who lives in the favelas and how his life begins to change when one day he begins to read ‘Thus spoke Zarathustra’, encouraged by the advice that gives him a cardboard collector. The desire to excel and the desire not to give up are some of the values projected in this proposal that captures the essence of these marginal neighborhoods and their inhabitants.
The American filmmaker and composer Kurt Kuenne is the author of this piece shot in black and white, after which several important messages emerge, such as facing life with a positive attitude, believing in people (and in oneself), Empathizing with those around us or as someone with a simple smile comes to comfort you. The photography and the setting are exquisite.
Through this suggestion, it is possible to work and deepen family values in the classroom. The common thread of this story, by Samuel Salazar, is a housewife who, while preparing gazpacho, receives a call from her husband in which he explains that he will not be able to leave before work. From here, the woman unleashes her anger against him, making clear any lack of assertiveness, and all this in front of her young son.
Students of the CRA La Sabina (Zaragoza) of Monegrillo and Nuez de Ebro are the protagonists of this story that talks about bullying and that was part of the innovation project “We are shooting”. It was recognized with the award for the best experience at the EDUTOPIA 2015 meeting.
Nominated for the Oscar for best short film in 2009, this animation of French origin brings to the audience themes of various kinds such as mistrust, solidarity, generosity or the ability to put yourself in the other person’s place. Appearance is also about. It takes place in a Parisian café and its protagonist is a man dressed in an elegant way but whose attitude attracts attention due to his arrogance. When it comes to paying, he realizes that he has no money and from here situations begin to occur that, on the other hand, also invite laughter.
This short animation shows us one of the most important lessons in life: knowing when it is time to give up and that this is not a failure. And it is sometimes not worth continuing a path if the expected results are further and further away or if you suffer too much in the attempt. In the video, the protagonist weaves and weaves without stopping, almost leaving life to it and, once she manages to abandon her goal, she breathes.
This Pixar short film, directed by James Ford Murphy and inspired by Hawaii, tells the story of two volcanoes, Uku and Lele, one submerged in the depths of the ocean and the other on the surface who fall in love but cannot be together due to distance. . The film creates a climate of love, hope, patience and reward.
Created by three graduate students from National Taiwan University of Arts, this animated short tells the story of Chico, a blind girl who is mugged one day while walking her guide dog Gogo. By stealing her bag, Gogo runs after the criminal, leaving Chico alone. This will make you know the world differently through the senses.
This animated short by Sebastián Baptista tells in a fun way the importance of recycling and the need for all of us to do our bit in this task in order to live in a more sustainable world. It is a good way to instill in children respect for the environment and encourage habits so that they learn to recycle both at home and in class.
Teddy Newton is the director of this animated short that is about two very curious characters who represent day and night. For example, when Day is happy a rainbow appears, while at Night fireworks appear. And although at first they feel uncomfortable together, over time they learn to see the positive in each other: how day turns into night and vice versa. A story to learn how to live with our colleagues and keep the good things of those around us.
This short animation makes us reflect on the value of being oneself in a world full of indifferent people who lose their identity, absorbed by the system, by routine or by the rhythm that society marks for us. Our children, full of energy, do not deserve to live in a gray world without illusion. The love and interest of a father towards his son is the only thing that will return the joy and enthusiasm for life in this place, where every day there is more disenchantment. You are the only one who can change the course of your life and that of your loved ones!
Through this short film we meet the child we all have inside, reflected in the snowman. One night Lily makes a snowman that comes to life. Both of them will become very good friends and share great moments together. However, as he grows older, he forgets about his friend, although he always hopes to see her every night. One day, when she is older, she reopens that ‘fridge’ and shows her true interior to her daughter.
This little bird from Pixar is Piper, a peasant who is afraid to leave the nest and join his companions to hunt clams on the beach. Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, he reflects on how to grow in a world that seems so big and you so small to face the fears that face you and move on. It was released next to the movie ‘Finding Dory’.
Created by Jiaqi Xiong, it’s about a girl who has a magic doll that does her homework. From then on, she stops doing her homework to dedicate herself to playing on her console, but not everything is as beautiful as it seems. This animated short reflects on effort, self-improvement and daily sacrifice.
It tells the story of two loving octopuses who are separated as the female acquired by a seafood restaurant. This will take the male on a journey to rescue his mate. It’s about values like friendship, love and perseverance. It was produced by students in the last grade of the French animation school Les Gobelins in 2007 and nominated for the Oscars in 2008 as best animated short.
It tells the story of Tamara, a deaf girl who wants to become a dancer. Despite his disability, the passion for dance runs through his veins and although he cannot hear the music, he feels it, without this being an impediment to pursuing his dream. It is a true example of self-improvement and that, in the end, every effort has its reward. Created by House Boat Animation Studio.
When we are little we have many dreams thanks to the power of our imagination we believe that we are capable of doing anything. However, as we grow we lose that perspective that we so need when it comes to being creative, innovating, changing our lives and transforming our environment. This video aims to remove that child that we carry inside and invite us to leave our comfort zone to dream again.
Created by the French Superior School of Art (ESMA), this 3D animated short film tells the story of a father’s effort to save his daughter, who falls ill. It perfectly reflects the mood and emotions of each one through a theme that touches on certain very painful aspects that sometimes have to be faced. Highlight the love father and daughter.
Its author Aidan Gibbons creates this short animation during his second year of degree in animation at the University of Hertfordshire (Ireland). It deals with the power of music through the image of an old man who, as he plays a beautiful melody on his piano, remembers his life accompanied by his wife, now disappeared. It is an example of how a simple song can make us relive the past. He was nominated for Best Animation at the Bradford Animation Festival in 2005 and won the audience award during the University Hertfordshire Film Day in the same year.
It is an animated short film of French origin, created by the students of the Supinfocom Valenciennes animation school: François-Xavier Goby, Edouard Jouret and Matthieu Landour. It tells the story of Jorge and Elba, two famous and talented tango dancers. However, one day Jorge suffers an accident and will be bedridden. Elba’s love will show her that life goes on.
Under the translation of ‘Partly Cloudy’, Pixar Animation Studios has created this animated short about the value of friendship. Here we discover that the clouds are, in fact, the creators of babies, while storks are only in charge of leading them to their destination. Both characters will create a very special bond, difficult to break.
Although the original idea arose in 1945 by the filmmaker Walt Disney and the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, it will not be until 2003 when this short film comes to light, due to the financial problems in the industry after the Second World War. Not only the dreamlike and abstract character of Dalí invades the short, in it you can find how several of his paintings come to life, creating together a true work of art.
This animated short directed by Yezi Xue, delves into such important values as creativity, flexibility or intergenerational grandfather-grandson collaboration, through playing with these particular ‘soap’ bubbles. This video is ideal to encourage the development of the imagination of the little ones.
It tells the story of an adult who sees a rubik’s cube in the window of the store, which takes him back to his childhood, with the feeling that ‘any past time was better’. With this short film, students will learn to get the good side out of things, while appreciating the present.
This animated short aims to promote reading among the little ones, through the story of a boy who is transported to the fictional reality of a book. Reading develops the imagination, improving creativity, so it is very important that children catch this habit.
The director Jacob Frey, has achieved 180 short awards at different festivals and a great impact on social networks with this short film. In it, he invites to reflect on disability and the values of overcoming. The protagonists are a boy passionate about video games with an amputated leg, and the gift that his mother gives him, a dog that also has one less limb. At first, the puppy is not well received by its new owner due to the injury it presents. But the insistence and perseverance of the pet for wanting to play, despite their situation, manage to infect the little one and get up from the sofa with their crutches to take a walk together.
Ahmed Elmatarawi shows in this short film the value of altruism and solidarity. It aims to make young people aware of the importance of these moral values, and that every good action ends up having its reward.
This edition the traditional announcement of the Christmas Lottery resorted to animation. In addition to promoting the raffle, the creators extol the values of generosity and fellowship in the figure of Justin.
Diego Jiménez praises in this illustrated animation short the importance of valuing oneself as it is. It tells the story of how the complexes that are created in a person throughout his life can lead him to live a situation of abuse due to the feeling of inferiority.
A school project with the initiative to stop bullying in classrooms. Its director, Alexia Zonca, expresses the feelings of loneliness and rejection that are generated in the victim and the importance of detecting and eradicating this problem in time.
A cute story about the value of adopting a pet from a kennel or shelter. Shows the feelings of sadness that animals feel when they do not have a home
A 2013 Big Lazy Robot VFX tale with its moral, is a critique of consumerism and sedentary lifestyle caused by technology. We have everything, especially telephones that make any type of virguería except a voice call to others. Stop motion with Japanese robots.
Animated short film from the Pixar studios in Redmond directed by Ralph Eggleston, who won an Oscar in his category in the year 2000. Various reflections can be drawn, about tolerance and the importance that each person has for himself, or so that we do not laugh from no one and let’s learn from the difference to get the virtues that each one has.
I work for an advertising agency, which demands more time in an economic culture of more for less, and for this it uses those who know the most, a Primary class. The experiment is simple: in ten seconds, the children have to complete a drawing with the first idea that comes to mind (and practically the same in all of them). If they have ten minutes, the miracle will work, since no two results are the same. Creativity is not inspired by the pressure of time, but by freedom, fun and joy.
2014 short film by Carlos Cuarón (brother of the most well-known Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón) who joins a campaign against bullying. That yes, from a riskier point of view in which it is the executioner who in turn is a victim, or how compassion can be born from understanding … despite suffering abuse, making us stronger. An essay to reflect on the chain of violence in our society.
Galician short film by Alfredo Varela (made in 2011), with a script by Clara Groba, who has the collaboration in the drawings of his son Iván (8 years old) and Alba Añón (7). It tells a story with a very simple moral: “you are suddenly a monster … and you don’t know languages … fuxide! Non hai outra solution ”(“ if you suddenly encounter a monster, and you don’t know languages, run away! There is no other solution ”). With this they want to understand the importance of the effort to learn and know how to speak more than one language to succeed in various situations. In his day he received first prize in the CinEOI Coruña Curtas contest.
The screenwriter and director Pedro Solís García directs this small work of art that has recently been recognized with the 2014 Goya Award for Best Animated Short Film. Tenderness, friendship, innocence or generosity are some of the values discussed.
This animated short raises different questions around which students have the opportunity to reflect: consumerism, picaresque, how we sometimes give too much importance to appearances …
The Pixar animation factory is the author of this short film (also animated) whose plot reflects the importance of working in a group. Likewise, it reflects that rivalries are not always good, especially when they are taken to the extreme and this implies damaging the rest of the teammates.
Coke Riobóo directed in 2006 this animated musical short film made with plasticine. It raises the issue of immigration, and also wants to educate in values such as solidarity.
Endorsed by different prizes and knowledge, Pipas reflects the importance of learning and shows the school failure of society through the eyes of two young girls.
Short Films ‘The World’s Greatest Flower’ is based on a short story written by the Nobel Prize for Literature José Saramago. It so happens that this animated short (made with the stop-motion technique) has the collaboration of Saramago himself, who gives voice to the story being told and, in addition, has his own character. It calls for solidarity and human relationships, in a world where lack of ideals, selfishness, or individualism prevail over other feelings.
Interesting proposal that will surely attract the attention of students. Values such as respect or dignity are dealt with in this short film, which also raises other fears and fears that all of us (on some other occasion) have had to face: the need to feel accepted by others, to break through the barriers that many times we put ourselves and that prevent us from achieving our desires …
Educating in diversity. This is the message transmitted by the short film ‘El Cazo de Lorenzo’, a proposal based on the story of the writer Isabelle Carrier: it relates the life of Lorenzo, a young boy and different from the others who one day discovers that people good ones also exist. The red saucepan that always accompanies you represents the difficulties and obstacles to overcome.
The message it transmits is similar to that of ‘El Cazo de Lorenzo’: accept people who, for one reason or another, are different from us. We must be tolerant and supportive of them and integrate them into our environment, not change their way of being. In this case, its protagonists are not people but geometric figures; specifically, a square and several circles.
In 2011 this film won the Oscar for best animated short. It is a wake up call to the lifestyle we lead and that, many times, does not let us see what happens to the people around us, their problems …
The Destiny animation short is the work of four students from the French school Bellecour Ecoles d’art : Fabien Weibel, Sandrine Wurster, Victor Debatisse and Manuel Alligné. Visually it is exquisite and the story raises several questions such as the passage of time, the possibility of changing our destiny, the routine of the day to day, the obsessions that we may have and that prevent us from moving forward … Many will remind you of the movie starring Bill Murray ‘Trapped in Time’.
It is a short film that wants to show that people must always be respected and accepted as they are. It also reminds us that we do not have to change our way of being for others to accept us.
It barely lasts two minutes and has no spoken dialogue. Un Conte is a short film (also animated) that tells the social drama of violence in the domestic sphere through a masked gentleman who comes to the rescue of a young woman.
It is another of the animation shorts from the Pixar studios that, on this occasion, treats the problems derived from excess ego with a touch of humor and ingenuity.
It was released in 2005 and is a criticism of the media and the female stereotypes that sometimes transmit. It is important to accept ourselves and accept others as they are, both for their appearance and way of being.
The Hairy Sheep also joins the Pixar factory’s short film list to educate in values. It transmits the message that we have to know how to face the problems that we encounter on a day-to-day basis and overcome the frustrations that sometimes prevent us from progressing and seeing beyond.
Its protagonists are a raccoon, a bear, a council and a deer: it will teach students respect for others and consensus when solving problems and not always looking after personal interests.
It is based on a story written by Óscar Wilde; spread the message of generosity, the need to help others when they need it, to listen, to ask for forgiveness if the situation requires it … It also shows the consequences of selfish behaviors.
The interest in doing things well, the motivation, the desire to start new projects, to transmit magic and a few doses of love in what we do … are some of the themes raised in this short film that tells the story of a teacher and his disciple who teaches how to work clay.
This short film brings us closer to autism through the eyes of a little girl who talks about this neurological disorder that her brother suffers from. And it does it in a special way, emphasizing the idea that you have to respect people.
It is in English and it reflects the culture of silence, bullying and homophobia. Shh! Silence Helps Homophobia speaks of acceptance, respect and help, never promoting values such as violence or racism.
It is an animated short film that has received several awards and whose story is based on the tale ‘A Fish that Smiled at Me’ by Jimmy Lao. The happy fish talks about the value of freedom through a lonely man who finds excellent companionship in his pet (a fish).
It reflects the value of friendship through the story of a boy and a fox in the big city.
This animated short film signed by the Pixar factory tells the value of tolerance and friendship through this endearing and fun story in which responsibility also has a place.
A short film of Malaysian origin that fosters the value of friendship. It does so through the relationship established by a robot and a sick old woman who lives alone.
Directed by the Spanish by Javier Fesser, it tells the life of a Senegalese girl named Binta who comes from a village in southern Senegal, next to the Casamance river. The background of this short film allows us to talk about Education for Development and some of the values that such as social justice, tolerance and solidarity. As counter values would be racism and sexism.
The photography of this proposal, which deals with gender violence, is exquisite. To work with the students values such as educating in equality, tolerance and respect.
Make your students understand the value of empathy through this proposal that you can combine with the exercise that the Teacher Education website proposes. Students are encouraged to take someone else’s old shoes to class and from there answer different questions, but always trying to get them to put themselves in the place of that person to whom those shoes belong and tell how they feel.
It was set in New York City in the 1930s and its protagonist is a barber named Harry who does not accept black people. But one day everything changes and that racist attitude will lead to respect and equality of people regardless of their race.
With a duration of 11 minutes in which music, poetry and color merge to give life to the story of its protagonist, a young princess, who abandons her comfortable life to fight for her dreams.
This proposal, with romantic overtones and a touch of humor, tells the story of a little pig who is passionate about eating eggs. But one day he falls in love with a chicken and will have to choose, the chicken or the egg?
Snickers is a lone mouse found in a pet store whose greatest wish is to be bought. Its large ears are the mockery of children entering the establishment. A good short to work on empathy in the classroom.
Carmen Parets is the author of this story about the friendship of two friends, Héctor and Violeta. Teaching the little ones the value of true friendship through a scarf that unites them, sometimes it seems that it separates them, sometimes it fills them with love and sometimes it is as if they were drowning. A metaphor about the value of true friendship.
