Tall Time Tales

Animated cartoon, in which philosopher and scholar Alexander Zuckerkandl proposes the view that detached, uninvolved existence is the best.

On the one hand, a healthy child who has enough to eat. On the other hand, a poor, undernourished kid. On the one hand, a quarter of the blue planet's children. On the other hand, the remaining three quarters.

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

Of Stars and Men is a 1964 animated film from the Hubley family of animators, based on the 1959 book of the same name by astronomer Harlow Shapley, who also narrates. Made in the style of a documentary, it tells of humankind's quest (in the form of a child) to find its place in the universe, through themes such as outer space, physical matter, the meaning of life and the periodic table. There are no character voices; instead, they "talk" through their actions. It has been cited as an example of an "animated documentary".

A boy and his dog take a wondrous trip under the earth's crust and through the geological eras of time, introducing children to geology in the form of a musical fantasy.

Witch Madness depicts a neglected chapter of human history: Europe’s three centuries of fanatical witchhunts, which resulted in the genocide of perhaps as many as two million women. But ultimately, the film communicates a message of love and hope.

John and Faith Hubley combined animation with the voices of their preschool daughters Georgia and Emily to make this award-winning short (New York Animation Festival), similar in concept to their earlier work "Moonbird".

A comic allegory in which a runaway "city" on legs matches wits with a wily farmer. A farmer has an encounter with a runaway "city" (which devours its environs). He deserts his rural home for the imagined joys of urban life.

Inspired by the writings of the 13th century Indian poet Kabir, "Upside Down" shocks the audience from its torpor. Lost in a maze of contradictions, its characters search for a way out... Death is befriended and the eternal yearning for harmony, beauty and balance are realized in the final sequence.

A grandmother discusses past and present attitudes toward menstruation.

Set against the backdrop of a community mourning the recent MLK assassination, Black militants building up an arsenal of weapons in preparation for a race war are betrayed by one of their own.

Extraterrestrials contact earth in this delightful fable. Their message is "HELLO" in many languages, and there is a celebration.

The spirits of life and death go for a drive in this darkly humorous fantasia featuring an original score by Quincy Jones.

"Everybody Rides the Carousel" invites the viewer along on eight "rides" through the different stages of life. Based on the work by Erik Erikson, one of the most influential psychoanalytic theorists of this century, the film explores the inner feelings and conflicted emotions experienced during each stage of personality development. With distinctive and poetic animation, John and Faith Hubley visualize the conflicts, joys, problems and delights we all experience on the carousel of life.

Earth is visited by a race of aliens, who issue an ultimatum: either peace or complete destruction.

Two little girls muse on marriage and babies, love and death as they create and act out plays in their backyard. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2006.