"Your Favorite 12 Animated Short Films From the Past 120 Years: 1906–2026" Now Available!
We are delighted to announce that the booklet featuring the results is now complete!
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the 68 contributors who generously shared their selections and thoughts.
The booklet will be available for purchase at Hiroshima Animation Season 2026 (A6 size, JPY 1,000 including tax).
Based on this survey, HAS2026 will also present two special screening programs. We hope you will enjoy them together with the booklet.
1. Contemporary Classics (International)
Saturday, August 22, 12:15 PM
JMS Aster Plaza – Medium Hall
https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/program/00001551/
2. Contemporary Classics (Japan)
Sunday, August 23, 2:00 PM
JMS Aster Plaza – Grand Hall
https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/program/00001521/
Below, we are pleased to present the introduction and overview of Your Favorite 12 Animated Short Films From the Past 120 Years: 1906–2026.
＊ ＊ ＊
Introduction
At Hiroshima Animation Season 2026, we have organized a special feature titled "120 Years of Short Animation (1906-2026)" to celebrate the rich history built by short animation. This commemorates the 120th anniversary of "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" (1906), a work often considered one of the origins of animation.
This special booklet compiles the results of a survey conducted among visiting artists and award winners of Hiroshima Animation Season, primarily those from the Pan-Pacific and Asian regions that the festival focuses on, based on the following theme.
＊
Invitation
Please tell us your "Personal Best 12" short animations from the 120-year history that you "simply love and want everyone to see!"
Setting aside expertise, we want you to share your passion. While putting historical legitimacy and critical acclaim to one side, it would be wonderful if the eras and regions were colorfully scattered in a way that reflects your unique list.
This project does not aim to create an "authoritative list," but rather a "passionate archive" of those who love animation. Therefore, we are asking the experts of the animation world in the Pan-Pacific and Asian regions, which HAS values, to lend us their wisdom and "deep affection."
In this day and age, we are often swept away by information of "this very moment" and tend to forget the rich soil called the past. However, we believe that by sharing the context of the connection between the works you have built and your emotions, the history of animation will vividly breathe again. We hope that this endeavor will be a journey full of new discoveries and joy, not only for the audience but also for everyone participating.
＊
We hope that the "deep affection" lists of the 68 participants will lead you to find your own new favorite short animations in this booklet.
(Please note that depending on the selector, there may not necessarily be 12 films, or feature films may be included, but we hope you will take that as part of the charm...)
Hiroshima Animation Season
Producer: Nobuaki Doi
＊ ＊ ＊
Your Favorite 12 Animated Short Films From the Past 120 Years (1906–2026)
Format / Price: A6 size · JPY 1,000 (tax included)
Survey Contributors (Publication Order)
・Akiko Sugawa-Shimada（Yokohama National University, The Institute of Urban Innovation, Professor）
・Alejandro R. González（Artistic Director, ANIMA - Córdoba Intl. Animation Festival）
・Alexander Stewart（Eyeworks Experimental Animation Series, Co-directer）
・ALIMO（Artist, Aichi University of the Arts Professor）
・Amy Lockhart（Filmmaker, Animator, Artist）
・Atsushi Wada（Animation Director）
・Baku Hashimoto（Video director）
・Chen Xi（Director, Comics Writer, Teacher）
・Chris Robinson（Writer, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival Artistic Director）
・Chris Sullivan（Animator, Performance Artists, Filmmaker, Sometimes Musician）
・Christine Panushka（Professor Emeritus University of Southern California）
・Cristóbal León（Director）
・Dahee Jeong（Animation Filmmaker）
・Daisuke Tanaka（Animation Festival Programmer, New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival）
・Don Hertzfeldt（Director）
・Felix Dufour-Laperriere（Director, Produce）
・Fumio Oi（Animation Artist）
・Gina Kamentsky（Animator, Director）
・Honami Yano（Animation Filmmaker）
・Isaku Kaneko（Independent Animator）
・Janet Perlman（Animation Director）
・Joaquín Cociña（Director and Animator）
・Joe Hsieh（Animation Director）
・Kazuki Sekiguchi（Animation Filmmaker）
・Kazuya Kanehisa（Animator）
・Keita Kurosaka（Animation Arist, Visiting Professor at Kanazawa College of Art）
・Koji Yamamura（Animation Artist, Picture Book Author, Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, Artistic Director of Hiroshima Animation Season）
・Kotomi Deai（Director）
・Koyo Yamashita（Director of Image Forum Festival）
・Leong Puiyee（Programme Head (Film) at Objectifs）
・Lucia Cavalchini（Programmer at ANIMASIVO, Producer at FEDORA PRODUCTIONS SA de CV）
・Mahboobeh Kalaee（Animation and Film Director）
・Masako Kudo（President, Child Film）
・Masashi Kawamura（Creative Director）
・Masataka Kihara（Animation Filmmaker）
・Mirai Mizue（Animation Filmmaker）
・Naoyuki Asano（Animator, Character Designer）
・Nata Metlukh（Animation Artist）
・Nina Tsuji (G-ko)（Animation Filmmaker）
・Nobuaki Doi（Producer, Hiroshima Animation Season）
・Noriko Matsumoto（nori inc. Producer）
・Ryo Hirano（Animation Artist, Mangaka）
・Ryo Orikasa（Animation Filmmaker）
・Ryoji Yamada（Animation Artist）
・Ryotaro Miyajima（Animation Filmmaker）
・Ryuya Suzuki（Movie Director）
・Saki Muramoto（Animation Filmmaker, Illustrator）
・Sarina Nihei（Animation Director）
・Sawako Kabuki（Animator and Illustrator）
・Shinobu Soejima（Animnation artist）
・Shizuka Miyazaki（Hiroshima Animation Season Co-Producer, Animation Director）
・Shohei Ohmae（Animation Artist / Illustrator）
・Sijia Luo（Director, Video Artist）
・Sujin Moon（Director）
・Sumito Sakakibara（Artist）
・Suresh Eriyat（Animation Film Maker, Founder of Studio Eeksaurus, India）
・Taku Furukawa（Illustrator, Animator）
・Tan Wei Keong（Film Director）
・Tarafu Otani（Animator）
・Thanut Rujitanont（Founder of Graphy Animation）
・Tomoko Ono（New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival Chief Director）
・Wang Chi-sui（Artist, Curator, Professor in Animation Department at Taipei National University of the Arts）
・Yantong Zhu（Feinaki Beijing Animation Week Festival Director）
・Yasushi Yamashita（Editor and publisher of the zine Enbanjin. Blu-ray producer. Writer.）
・Yoko Kuno（Director, Illustrator, Comic Artist）
・Yoko Yuki（Animnation Artist）
・Yoriko Mizushiri（Filmmaker）
・Yuki Arai（Animation Researcher）
Issued: August 19, 2026
Editing and Translation: New Deer, Inc. (Nobuaki Doi, Kazuki Ogawa)
Production: PICT-UP Corporation
Title Lettering: Don Hertzfeldt
Design: Shinya Hachioji
Printing: SHINANO Co., Ltd.
＊ Unauthorized reproduction or copying of this document is prohibited.