Love animation? We’ve got you covered at NZIFF! This year’s lineup features the freshest animated flicks of 2025 plus the return of a Japanese classic.

Endless Cookie

Colourful, wacky, comically offbeat and slightly psychedelic, Endless Cookie looks at the lives of First Nations people in Canada. It’s a personal story for animator Seth Scriver and his Indigenous half-brother Pete, as they mix absurdist moments with acknowledgement of mistreatment of First Nations people, lessons from the past and ongoing challenges in the present. 

Angel’s Egg

Described as ‘visual poetry’, this 1985 Japanese sci-fi fantasy follows a young girl with no belongings except a large egg she believes will hatch into an angel. When she meets a boy who challenges her outlook on life, the pair journey through the dystopian landscape together, looking for answers in a monochrome world. Experimental and packed with symbolism, audiences around the world have long debated the meaning of this cult classic.

Maya Give Me a Title

When master of whimsy, Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), spent long stretches overseas for work, he started making cutout stop motion animations as a creative way to keep in touch with his daughter, Maya. Guided by Maya’s ideas, these surreal, nonsensical and family-friendly narratives include everything from oceans of ketchup to volcanic eruptions, at times reminiscent of Gondry’s music video work for artists like Bjork and Daft Punk. 

Mirumiru

From filmmaker Allan George (Ngāti Kahungunu), short film Mirumiru looks at a family’s journey with mate wareware (dementia) through a te ao Māori lens. Without dialogue, the story follows loving older couple Shorty and Lena as they grapple with the day-to-day challenges of Lena’s ailing memory, represented in the film as thoughts bubbles escaping her mind. Made with compassion and meticulous attention to detail, Mirumiru draws on George’s own personal experience of losing his Mum to dementia.

Lesbian Space Princess

A candy-coloured musical comedy adventure through queer space, Lesbian Space Princess features absurd plot lines, adult jokes, and glitter and ‘space goo’ galore. The directorial debut of Aussie creators Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, the film was partly inspired by American fantasy series ‘Adventure Time’, and stands as a loud, proud and slightly messy shout-out to queer youth.