When animated films make us feel, think… and take a stand

Animation: a universal language to convey emotion

No words are needed to express a feeling. Animation has the unique power to hit the right note with just a glance, a light, or a movement. It’s a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. At MoPA, students use it to tell stories of love, fear, loneliness, or childhood—with disarming accuracy. Visual choices, pacing, silence, color, and music all come together to express what words often can’t.

Several films made at MoPA beautifully illustrate how animation can convey emotion without saying a word.

• Les Chaussures de Louis follows the perspective of an 8-year-old autistic boy starting at a new school. Through his blue shoes, he shares his view of the world, shaped by the sensitivity and uniqueness of his perception.

• Après Papi explores grief through a child’s eyes. Loup, who’s fascinated by insects, is haunted by the ghost of his grandfather. The film blends fear and tenderness to address absence, memory, and the things we inherit without ever speaking them.

• In Feeling Blue, an entire family tries to find light again after a loss. Without dialogue, the film manages to express sadness and resilience through a delicate and restrained approach.

When emotion becomes a tool for engagement

But stirring emotion is also a way to spark reaction. At MoPA, many films go beyond pure feeling—they question the world, challenge assumptions, or shed light on difficult truths. Animation becomes a tool for engagement: sometimes direct, sometimes more subtle, but always deeply sincere. By creating empathy, these films encourage reflection—on the environment, inequality, society, excess, and more.

And when emotion serves a cause, the result can be incredibly powerful. Several MoPA shorts show just how effectively animation can deliver a strong message.

• In Hybrids, the ocean is inhabited by creatures made of both waste and sea life. This impactful short imagines a nature forced to mutate in order to survive pollution.

• Farewell, a more intimate piece, tackles addiction. We follow Larry, a thirty-something trying desperately to save his alcoholic father. The tornado destroying their world becomes a metaphor for the destructive spiral they’re caught in.

• Le Bruit du Silence deals with sexual violence and the difficulty victims face in having their voices heard. The story follows Maryline, a young woman trying to file a complaint in the face of a deaf and oppressive system.

MoPA: shaping artists who have something to say

What makes MoPA’s student films so memorable is that the school encourages its students to go deep. It’s not just about doing things well—it’s about doing them with meaning. There are no assigned topics: final-year projects are completely open, supported by mentors, and often deeply personal. Writing, perspective, and authenticity are central to the school’s teaching approach.

Throughout their studies, students take part in workshops designed to feed this creative process—sculpting emotions, character design, collaborative writing… These are opportunities to explore, dig deeper, and define what they truly want to say—and how to say it. The result: every year, the films cover a wide range of themes, all with a genuine intent to communicate something that matters.