Best German animation movies

Animals United (2010)

A group of animals waiting for the annual flood they rely on for food and water discover that the humans, who have been destroying their habitats have built a dam for a leisure resort. The animals endeavour to save the delta and send a message to the humans not to interfere with nature.

Monster Family (2017)

The Wishbone family are far from happy. In an attempt to reconnect as a family, they plan a fun night out. However, the plan backfires when they are cursed and all turned into Monsters.

Tehran Taboo (2017)

The lives of three strong-willed women and a young musician cross paths in Tehran’s schizophrenic society where sex, adultery, corruption, prostitution and drugs coexist with strict religious law. In this bustling modern metropolis, avoiding prohibition has become an everyday sport and breaking taboos can be a means of personal emancipation.

Balance (1989)

The setting is on a floating platform where a group of evenly and carefully placed men live. Each man is aware that the platform is not stable and in order not to fall to their deaths, they maintain a careful balance of weight to prevent the platform from tipping too far and cause them all to fall.

The Snail and the Whale (2020)

A half hour animated film for all the family based on the much-loved book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The Snail and the Whale is the much loved classic that shows us a restless young snail who has ambitions to travel the world. The other snails think she should stay put, but she puts out a call for a “Lift wanted around the world”. Eventually her call is answered by a great big grey-blue humpback whale! She sets off with him across the seas. On their journey the snail and the whale discover towering icebergs and far-off lands, fiery mountains and golden sands. The snail is delighted by the wonderful world around her, until she realises how small it makes her feel.

Ring of Fire (2000)

Animated short of a Cowboys' psychedelic Odyssey.

R'ha (2013)

A fight for survival in the solar system where no one can be trusted has started.

The Fearless Four (1997)

Four aging animals, a dog, a cat, a donkey and a rooster escape from their former homes because they weren't as productive and useful for their owners as they used to be. To avoid death, they all move out on a musical journey to Bremen to find a better life.

Back to Gaya (2004)

The beautiful world of Gaya is home to two similar humanoid species: Zeldons who are the furry majority residents, and Snurks, who are goblin-like outcasts. But suddenly all Gayans are facing imminent danger when a magic stone which protects their world, "the Dalamite", is beamed away by a mysterious force. Three Snurks immediately go after it, hoping to be the heroes for once. They are shortly followed by some standout Zeldons: Zino the trouble-prone popular guy & his sidekick, clever but somewhat cowardly inventor Boo, as well as rebel princess Alanta. Their journey ends up leading them all on a dangerous interdimensional quest to find the stone, while they must also figure out a way to get back to Gaya.

Ellie and the Monster Team (2024)

When a homeless little ghost knocks on the door to the eccentric residents of a Ghost Train on the lookout for a place to belong, she accidentally attracts the attention from the outside world and must team up with the motley crew of monsters on a crazy quest to save not only the future of the Ghost Train but also her only chance to finally have a family of her own.

Ghosts Before Breakfast (1928)

Hans Richter, noted for his abstract shorts, has everyday objects rebelling against their daily routine.

Rocks (2003)

The stone-people Hew and Kew have seen a lot in their everlasting lives on top of their mountain. Therefore they're only mildly amazed by the ongoings in the valley below, they've got their own little problems to deal with - But all of a sudden, Mankind is discovering and inventing, instead of just woozeling, and this new behavior starts to threaten Hew's and Kew's stoic peacefulness...

Snotty Boy (2022)

1960's Siegheilkirchen, a small town in the Austrian hinterland is steeped in reactionary and ultra-Catholic attitudes. The son of a hard-working innkeeper and his wife, called Snotty Boy by all and sundry, is at odds with the narrow-minded confines of his home town. But his unstoppable talent for drawing gives him an outlet for his discontent.

The Egg (2019)

A story about a man that died and met his creator.

Moonbound (2021)

When Peter sets out on a magical journey to rescue his little sister Anne, he needs to travel to mysterious territory: the Moon! Anne was kidnapped by the evil Moon Man when she tried to help the beetle Mr. Zoomzeman in search for his wife. On his fantastic adventure, Peter lands on the Star Meadow where he meets the sleepy Mr. Sandman. He knows, only at the Night Fairy’s dinner in the castle in the clouds, they can find out where Anne is – but there aren’t enough seats for everyone. So they join the wild race along the Milky Way against the five Spirits of Nature: Storm Giant, Lightning Witch, Henry Hail, Rainy Robin and Mother Frost…

Das kleine Arschloch und der alte Sack - Sterben ist Scheiße (2006)

The little asshole's grandfather, the old bag, has fallen into the coffin at a funeral and been buried alive. It's no surprise that instead of going to heaven, the old sack goes straight to hell. The little asshole and his dog Peppi, whom he inherited from Mrs. Mövenpick, try everything in their power to snatch the old bag from the clutches of the devil and do not shy away from dubious cloning techniques and black magic.

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2019)

Paris, 1930. Luis Buñuel is penniless after the scandal surrounding the release of his last movie. Sculptor Ramón Acín, a good friend, buys a lottery ticket and promises Buñuel that he will pay for his next movie if he wins the prize.

Janosch – Komm, wir finden einen Schatz (2012)

The External World (2010)

A boy learns to play the piano.

Dieter - Der Film (2006)

Dieters grandma knew it from the start. This guy will be special one. She should be right. Even as a child Dieter shows an enormous power when it is necessary to enforce his will. He quickly learn that you can not only impress the girls, but also make a lot of money as a musician. He understands that the success is mainly a question of the postage costs and a healthy liver. That you may not always tell the truth, but you should always have something lying on the high edge.

Nuggets (2014)

A 5 minute animation on the nature of addiction.

Video 3000 (2006)

He is thrilled about his brand new "Video 3000" VCR. Unfortunately the stupid thing doesn't work - or does it?

Boys to Men II (2023)

Lichtspiel: Opus I (1921)

Against a dark background, several bright, curved or rounded shapes pulse towards the center of the screen, one at a time. They are followed by many other shapes, some irregular, some pointed, others rounded. The abstract shapes move into or across the screen in harmony with the musical score.

Rabbit Without Ears and Two-Eared Chick (2013)

Felidae (1994)

A domestic house cat named Francis investigates the grisly feline murders taking place in his new neighborhood.

Rabbit School: Guardians of the Golden Egg (2017)

Rabbit Max, a juvenile shoplifter, gets trapped in an old-fashioned school. With rabbit girl Emmy, he acquires Easter Rabbits' secret skills, battles a sneaky fox family and learns about friendship.

This Ain't California (2012)

A retrospective look at the youth cultures born in the German Democratic Republic. A celebration of the lust for life, a contemporary trip into the world of skate, a tale on three heroes and their boards, from their childhood in the seventies, through their teenage rebellion in the eighties and the summer of 1989, when their life changed forever, to 2011.

Copy Shop (2001)

Wordless story about a man who awakes in his bed wearing his clothes (including a check vest). He rises, washes his face, combs his hair, and heads for work across the street at a copy shop. He inadvertently makes a photocopy of his hand, and then the machine beings turning out copies of photographs of himself, the street outside, and his apartment. He unplugs the copier and heads home. He repeats the scene we saw earlier. Copies of himself emerge from bed; baffled, he watches them go to work. Soon, it seems, he's part of a society in which everyone looks like him and wears check vest. Can he get things back to normal?

Composition in Blue (1935)

An abstract film in which every motion of coloured shapes is in strict synchronization with music. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.