Like childhood, animation is full of wonder and simple pleasures. This carefully chosen programme for our littlest and most special audience contains 13 of the best, most recent wonderful short animated films, full of joy, from all around the world. There’ll be talking animals, seriously fun adventures and wondrous tales to spark those little imaginations.
This programme contains several cheeky, loveable humans and animals in all sorts of mad, lively adventures. A hungry rat in search of cake, some noisy bunnies, a timid mouse scared of the outside world. All this and more.
Adults can only come if they’re bringing a child, and children can only come along if accompanied by an adult.
Total running time: approx 70 mins
Grounded – Chris Callus, New Zealand
As dawn breaks, a loveliness of ladybirds take to the sky… all except Bug. Left behind and unable to fly, Bug and a sympathetic Spider wrestle against an invisible weight that feels heavier than gravity alone.
2026 4’05 min
Bwgan – Hywel Prytherch Roberts, UK
Six year old Betti isn’t used to sharing her Mam, especially on her birthday. But when a baking disaster sends them into town for a new cake, an unwelcome gatecrasher turns a simple trip into an unexpectedly difficult adventure.
2026 8’05 min
Cloud Fish – Noe Garcia, Belgium, France
A very tiny fish sails in a vast underwater city. Is he too small to see the world like the big ones do?
2025 5’35 min
Prout – Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Belgium, India, Vietnam
On the strange and beautiful planet Prout, Earth’s discarded junk rains from the sky, turning paradise into a hazardous dumping ground. When a friend is crushed beneath the debris, two tiny emergency workers, Bean and Spaghet, race into action to save him.
2025 7’45 min
Spiorad na Báistí (Spirit of the Rain) – Samira Sikder, Ireland
The story of Síofra, a young girl who isn’t very fond of the rain until an unexpected journey pulls her to go and explore it.
2026 4’30 min
A Piece of Cake – Chaofan Zheng, USA
A hungry city rat embarks on a daring journey from the sewers to a charming bakery in pursuit of the perfect slice of cake.
2026 2’40 min
Slow Down, Look Around – Linh Van Nguyen, Australia
From the rush of movement to the stillness of the natural world, a dreamlike journey unfolds through shifting rhythms, light and landscape.
2025 1’50 min
Home Mouse – Chia Hui Lei, Taiwan, Estonia
An introverted little mouse lives a cosy, solitary life, until “that day” arrives, when he must face the moment of going outside.
2026 8’15 min
? – Anastasia Shtolko, Ukraine
Turning his questions into clouds, a Yellow Angel reaches out to another angel, facing silence until the last cloud.
2026 5’10 min
Illuminate – Max Hogg, UK
As the sun sets over a once-bustling theme park, a small duck finds himself lost in an unfamiliar world. The duck discovers he’s not alone, a small glowing lightbulb sparks to life named Glint.
2026 5’00 min
The Rabbits’ House at Number 968 – Jai-Xin Wu, Taiwan
An ordinary day is turned upside down when a mysterious visitor arrives, sending the youngest bunny bouncing through the house with excitement. But the moment the visitor appears, the noisy household falls strangely silent and nothing feels quite the same.
2025 5’20 min
A Sunny Story – Masha Rumyantseva, Portugal, Russian Federation
A naive squirrel wants the sun to continually shine.
2026 6’20 min
Experiences and Learning. And Parenting – Malgorzata Rybak, Poland
A lively kid named O is very curious and busy discovering the world around. Despite all the obstacles O manages to gather some personal experiences and to gain some new skills. Will they prove useful?
2025 4’40 min
This film does not screen in our online programme.
Our Funding Partners
With Special Thanks to The Elf Factory, official sponsor of LIAF 2026.
With Special Thanks to the Arts Council England
Event supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery.
Venue
The Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and education events. For more information about The Barbican and how to get there, find out more.
Barbican, Online
