Prior to about the late 1960s or 1970s, animation short films were relatively tempered and rarely personal. The tones ranged from sentimental and slapstick to educational or abstract. Rarely did you see artists tackle sensitive personal or political issues with unharnessed honesty.

Since that era, there has been a steady increase in animated short films dealing openly with personal issues: addiction, rape, racism, mental illness, post-partum depression, isolation, surveillance, the impact of social media and internet, along with more unapologetic expressions of female sexuality and gender identity.

These personal explorations are a big leap forward for an art form that has too often played it safe, but has animation steered too far towards ‘navel gazing’ and away from addressing the chaos of the surrounding society?

Presented by: Chris Robinson, Artistic Director (Ottawa International Animation Festival)