Best Of MetaFilter

A man sits in a chair and delightful things happen in this post shared by dick dale the vampire

Hey, did you know about that time when the Idaho Fish and Game program relocated 76 beavers by flying them to central Idaho and then parachuting them to the ground? No? Then let community member sawdustbear tell you all about it via folk musical puppet documentary done with stop motion animation.

Dragon, Dragon, the Clangers are your special friend (video screenshot)

Directly from the Department of Strange Bedfellows, Iron Maiden's (re-scoring of) The Clangers (1969 episode of "The Egg"). Confused? Just grab yourself a bowl of soup, and have a look-see at Major Clanger's eponysterical post. (PS, yes, we have reports of Clangers fan fiction, too!).

That guy, doing his thing!

It's been thirty years since overly muscled, blue spandex clad superhero known as The Tick first proffered profound platitudes of righteous justice over the sugary sweet Saturday sac of morning cartoons. But what was the origin of this ridiculous and beloved cartoon? Community member Shepard has all the fun details in a post as the creators reminisce on how it all began!

It's been 25 years since SpongeBob SquarePants first appeared and Rhaomi made a fantastic megapost in celebration! Come check out all the various origins of characters, behind the scenes information and more about everyone's favorite sponge! Photo by Paul Wilkinson via Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/eepaul/)

Studio Ghibli logo

🎟️🎥🍿 What anime would you recommend for someone who just got into the medium via Studio Ghibli? 'Cause lizard2590 is looking for suggestions, so come check out what’s been recommended or add your own!

Screenshot via bleuje.com

Oh, look, it's a rabbit hole! Or vortex! Or swirling, snaking, spinning, curling, looping, rippling, throbbing, tumbling, bubbling, pulsating, erupting sinkhole of digital diversion. AlSweigart posted random computer and mathematical animations by Etienne Jacob.

Screenshots from the project An absolutely amazing animation, highlighted by Seekerofsplendor, where over 130 artists have collaborated to recreate a single episode of the American sitcom 'Fraiser'.

Screenshot from the animation, Atreides has a wonderful post about the Missour French Creole folk tale of 'Chasse Galerite', which has been beautifully animated by Brian Hawkings.

Screenshot showing animators Yuri Norstein and Francheska Yarbusova

"The Animators Who've Spent 40 Years on a Single Film": Rufous-headed Towhee heehee posts about the beautiful, unfinished stop-motion film that has taken the record for longest animation production of all time. (and trig links to the fantastic "Hedgehog in the Fog" by the same duo in the comments)

screen capture from video

JHarris posts The Hole of Cartoon Badness, The Best of the Worst Cartoons Ever, with many illuminating notations!

"The 30-minute Russian animated film Tale of Tales has been more than once voted the greatest animated film of all time. Here it is with English subtitles ..." So lovely. And several great links in the comments.

screenshot from "Top 100 3D Renders from the Internet's Largest CG Challenge, Alternate Realities"

Animated fabulosity from jontyjago: "Based on the same 3 second model, 2400 CGI artists submitted their own interpretation. These are the 100 best."

Still from Sesame Street animated short 'Cracks'

Check out the mystery of Sesame Street's creepy lost short, and read along as Mefites tell tales of other kids' programming that scared the stuffing out of us.

The Letter Carrier short film

Furnished: Film and Furniture furnishes you with fascinating facts about the décor in your favourite films

Unfurnished: This Is The Most Filmed In Alley In NYC

Selling the sizzle: This Is Why You Can't Stop Watching Movie Trailers

Selling the steak: Why Dwayne Johnson is the new Schwarzenegger

Crossed: "A Report Of Connected Events," short film blurs the lines between reality and our favourite stories

Double-crossed: Wild Things ... 12 double-crosses in a movie with a runtime of 108 minutes

Defining: Polish Radio Experimental Studio influenced animation soundtracks for generations to come

Redefining: a three-part essay series on costume design for heroic female characters

Time and space: This May Be Stanley Kubrick Explaining the End of 2001

Time and place: "The Letter Carrier," exquisite, chilling fable in a short film