Shelter is a short anime film/music video capturing the day-to-day events of Rin, a 17-year-old girl who lives within a virtual reality simulation. Every morning she wakes up, checks her tablet, logs in frequently to view her new messages and scans for different places to venture off. Her tablet is essential because it allows her to have control over her environment. Everything changes one day when Rin discovers the origins surrounding her life inside this VR realm. Her shelter from loneliness can no longer hold Rin’s curiosity.

Shelter and La Maison en Petits Cubes heavily rely on their unique and beautiful styles of animation to tell their stories. Shelter is very futuristic and La Maison is classical, but both share intriguing tales. The events that exist in Rin and the elderly man’s pasts are vital components, shaping who they are in the present and guides which paths to take in their future. The films are short but share a captivating and straightforward narrative. Furthermore, viewers are swept into sorrow as the elderly man and Rin are solitary figures, later demonstrating that their happiness rests with specific memories.

The setting of Shashinkan takes place before the war. Viewers are exposed to a beautiful, romantic couple that visits a photo studio. Shy and timid, the photographer tries to figure out how to capture an image of the blushing bride. A talented man, the photographer highlights her personality and beauty through the photos he takes. Months later, the couple arrives at the studio again, this time with their daughter, who also has difficulty posing for the camera. No matter what the photographer does, he can’t get her to smile! As time passes, the mother and daughter, sans father, continue to take their family portraits at this studio. Beyond many years and decades, the daughter has a life and family of her own, continuing this sweet and simple tradition. Donning her trademark grumpy face, she and the photographer have developed a close friendship. Lining up for their final photo, will she finally smile like all others photographed before her?

Shashinkan and La Maison en Petits Cubes are both lovely and heartwarming short films that highlight the importance of family keepsakes and traditions. We often hear that it is easy to forget about what you have until it’s gone. This statement is true for both anime films in that the moments tied to a particular photo or item can provoke strong emotions that grow with intensity when the person or thing is no longer present. Moreover, Shashinkan and La Maison en Petits Cubes show us the immense impact of various people traveling in and out of our lives.

Tabisuru Nuigurumi: Traveling Daru illustrates a child’s imagination and devotion to her first companion, a stuffed toy named Daru. One day, while rushing onto their flight, the young girl accidentally drops Daru. With no chance of retrieving him, the girl is distraught because Daru is her first real friend. Feeling the same way, Daru stows away on another child’s carry-on, trying to find his way back to his owner. Exceedingly determined, Daru travels to many different countries asking various characters if they have seen his owner and BFF. As we are drawn into whether or not Daru will find his pal, we can only hope that the girl reunites with her long lost friend.

Tabisuru Nuigurumi: Traveling Daru and La Maison en Petits Cubes are both captivating shorts that display the significant strength of the human heart. Many years have passed for both the young girl and elderly man and we notice that relationships grow more precious as the value of their memories inflates. With neither film having any dialogue, interpretations can vary with each viewer. Nevertheless, the sweet and simplistic message captured is to treat your loved ones with compassion each day.

Rain Town is set in a grey, gloomy and uninhabited town. In desolation, the overcast seems to make this place drearier than it already is. Broken down machines and junk scattered about, the scene suddenly changes when a young girl in a brightly colored raincoat enters into the spotlight along with her new mysterious robot friend. Together, the girl and the robot bring light and life into this constantly rainy place. They return to one another with a sense of joy and warmth, shedding away the pains of loneliness and former sorrow. Mainly, they are the sunshine in each other’s lives.

Rain Town and La Maison en Petits Cubes are two bittersweet short anime movies that don’t contain any dialogue, but direct viewers to imagine what is said by using beautiful musical accompaniment and animation. Water in both solid and liquid form is a similar theme in both and coincidently is a necessity of life. Furthermore, Rain Town and La Maison en Petits Cubes are simple and easy to follow, but leave a trail of questions to answer once viewers have reached the end.

Iblard Jikan takes us to the vast and picturesque countryside where we observe all forms of life moving at a relaxing and calming slow pace. Accompanied by a variety of musical instruments, we watch the country folk go about their daily routine, combined with modern, futuristic, and dream-like components. Iblard Jikan is visually stunning with vibrant and intricate details throughout each scene. This anime film is an original piece created by the ever-famed Studio Ghibli.

Both set in a fantasy world, Iblard Jikan and La Maison en Petits Cubes are both films that have slid under the radar but are movies that will leave you speechless from start to finish. Viewers feel a wide range of emotions by only audiovisual channels, overall sending a rich and powerful message. The content of each storyline is unique and motivating. Iblard Jikan and La Maison en Petits Cubes are fantastic films that present to viewers the swift and delicate passage of time.

My Life is a short film that documents the timeline of a girl’s life. She recounts her past, seeing herself as she is in the present and ponders her future. All of these events are exposed to her in this 4-minute anime movie. Many of us wonder if we have done enough fulfilling things in our lives to make them worthwhile. My Life helps us reflect on that question, inspiring viewers to do a little more with the only life the cosmos has given us.

Our stories are not all the same, and the life of an individual can be short-lived or an epic tale. We are never confident about what tomorrow holds for any of us, and that is the message both My Life and La Maison en Petits Cubes share. Both the young girl and elderly man reflect on memories that had an impact on their soul. Whether it was a good or bad memory, it is something they long to hold on to because it is a part of them. As My Life and La Maison en Petits Cubes are similar in theme and storytelling style, the characters make us think about the different ways we can define the meaning of life.