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Small acts can inadvertently inspire big results. A selection of cheeky animations with distinctly Australian sensibilities, featuring vengeful spiders, manipulative cats, pubs and misadventure.

Picture Start 1989

"'Picture Start' inventively reworks film clock leader in a mix of computer generated and cel animation." National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Canberra.

4 minutes | Ages 8+

Move 1976

"A rather light-hearted look at an animator who sketches a figure of a man and then finds it won't move." National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Canberra.

2 minutes | Ages 8+

A Rat in the Building 1989

"Every Thursday, Maud plays hostess to her four friends from Every Street, Lilyfield - amongst them, Irene who has a passion for rats. Together, Irene, Maud, Vera and Mabel assert their geriatocracy as seen through Venetian blinds and polyester lace." Melbourne International Film Festival

11 minutes | Ages 8+

The Huge Adventures of Trevor, A Cat 1985

"Trevor, a cat has his hunting instincts over-revived when he accidentally catches something. He decides to try again." John Taylor

7 minutes | Ages 8+

Redback 1995

"A red-backed spider is kicked out of home and tormented by the human world- then sets out on a course of revenge." Robert Stephenson

8 minutes | Ages 8+

Buckstop 1997

"Buck rides into town looking for action and a parking space, Animated homage to the spaghetti western, using 3,000 still photographs." National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Canberra.

5 minutes | Ages 8+

Flank Breeder 1982

"The myopic Flank Breeder trundles through life filling a small home with small deeds. The world at large is of no consequence…until the accident. A pedestrian duck lays stricken on Flank Breeder’s doorstep. A time has come for action, to quickly lend a hand, but so imprinted is Flank by a small world and its demands, that he finds himself unable to rise to the situation." Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne.

4 minutes | Ages 8+

Feral Television 1989

"In this animation televisions are wild and noble creatures living an idyllic lifestyle in their natural mountain habitat. They graze freely, entertaining each other until they are rounded up and herded into cities. This is the adventure of a television which escapes the captured herd and the eyeballs which want to use it." Melbourne International Film Festival

17 minutes | Ages 8+

The Lecture 2006

Two animation lecturers complain about their students, and realise that some things never change.

4 minutes | Ages 8+