Watch: ‘Les Bêtes’ – Stop-Motion Fantasy Short Film Full of Creatures
by Alex Billington
July 25, 2025
Source: YouTube
Time for a party with all the creatures of the world. An award-winning animated short film is now online for everyone to watch. Les Bêtes (which is French for The Beasts) is the newest stop-motion animation film created by American director Michael Granberry. It recently premiered at the 2025 Annecy Film Festival and won the Jury Award & Vimeo Staff Pick Award. A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich (who used dead insects & other animals in his films). It’s dark and mysterious and wild – a unique creation. This nice review on SOTW says it perfectly: “Granberry doesn’t chase the polish of CGI; instead, he embraces the type of stop-motion that’s proud of looking monstrous. The kind that isn’t afraid to show its stitches and looks handmade – because it is.” There’s no voices in this, it’s all about the visuals and all the various creature creations. The ending is the best part – a fabulous finale.
Thanks to Short of the Week for the tip on this debuting online. Intro from YouTube: “A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.” Starevich was an innovative Polish-Russian stop-motion animator notable as the author of the first puppet-animated film The Beautiful Leukanida (1912). Les Bêtes is producer and directed by American animation filmmaker Michael Granberry based in Portland, OR – you can view more of his unique work on his official website or follow him on IG @michaelgranberry. He also did work for Apple TV’s “Severance” and has made many other award-winning animated short films. Featuring an original score composed by Lito Velasco. With VFX by Cam Leeburg. It also just won the Jury Award for Best Short Film at Annecy 2025. For more info on the short, visit Michael’s site or SOTW. To enjoy more short films (including animation), click here. Thoughts?