Winter Break is officially over and students dive back into the second half of the school year. With upcoming tests, overwhelming schoolwork, and necessary extracurriculars, students have increasingly less free time. Here are some good short films that can be enjoyed during short in-between class periods or during lunch.

Sanjay’s Super Team – Available on Disney+

This 2015 short film explores a young Hindu boy’s dreams about his religion and his passion for comics and cartoons. While Sanjay wants to spend his time watching cartoon shows on his TV, his father wants him to focus on his religious and spiritual practice. Throughout the film, we see as Sanjay melds his culture with his hobby and demonstrates how powerful the Hindu gods truly are.

The colors in this film are truly other-wordly and a perfect extension of Hindu culture and art. It is heart-warming, tender and in many instances, vigorous and intense. The fact that it is also a real, dramatized story only makes it that much more interesting and captivating.

Lava – Available on Disney+

“Lava,” the 2014 short film/musical released after Disney hit, Moana, follows the love story of two volcanoes. Like many of Disney and Pixar’s films, this one is sweet and simple. It is quite charming and the song included is quite catchy. You’ll catch yourself singing it at random times during the day. The animation does not disappoint and neither do the vocals. In 7 minutes, the viewer goes through the entire spectrum of emotions

This short is perfect to watch with children-they are in fact the intended audience, but overall the short film is very loving and shows that it is going to be our turn eventually, we just need to have the patience and the will to keep searching and waiting.

Zion – Available on Netflix

Zion Clark, a boy born without legs, defies all odds and joins his wrestling team–battling against his fully able-bodied teammates. This 11-minute feature truly showcases the importance of perseverance. It is powerful and compelling. It’s evident while watching the film how much thought was poured into it.

Something about films like these is that because there is less run-time, there are better, smoother scenes. The cinematography is amazing; it is almost as if your eyes cannot totally capture the quality of the video itself. The only issue is that with stories like these, longer films feel more necessary if you want something more in-depth. Besides these superficialities and its annoyingly fast pace, it is still incredibly inspirational and concise enough to be enjoyable.

“I believe short films can have their charms. They don’t necessarily have to have detail to be appealing to people to watch. A well made short film can have the same effect and impact on people. Short films are enjoyable,” freshman Rosibel Garcia said.

A Trip to the Moon – Available on Youtube

This one is a little different. This is a rather old film; it came out in 1902 and it is pushing the 20-minute mark, which is a little longer than those previously mentioned. This is a Sci-Fi classic and while it might not have all the high-tech cameras and amazing quality offered by recent films, it is still incredibly captivating. A group of astronauts travel to the moon, hide from the elements and aliens in a cave, and try to get back to planet Earth before they are further endangered.

“A trip to the Moon” is a cool feature and definitely a must for any film geek as it is regarded as a pioneer in the Sci-Fi genre and one of the most important movies in film history.

Good Intentions – Available on Youtube

A woman gets into a car crash and then suddenly spooky, freaky things begin to happen all around her. The animation style in this one resembles stop-motion and yes, it is a psychological thriller.

Everything in this film is made out of felt and it has an almost-homemade feel to it. Also, the tones and color palettes fit really well with the theme of the story. It is well composed, intense and will keep you on edge.