Animal Behaviour (2018)

Alice Snowden and David Fine show us that animals need therapy too in Animal Behaviour.

During a group therapy session, animals talk about their deepest feeling and problems. Led by Dr. Leonard, a dog (Rayan Beil), his patients consists of Linda the cat (Alison Snowden), Lorraine the leech (Leah Juel), Jeffery the bird (James Kirk), Todd the pig (Toby Berner) and Cheryl, a praying mantis (Andrea Libman). They attempt to get to the heart of their issues, sharing about being too clingy in a relationship, eating lovers, and regressing to the nest to revisit a traumatic experience. When Victor (Taz Van Rassel), an angry and judgmental ape, comes to the session, things go sideways. His pent-up emotions take over during the appointment, and animal mayhem ensues.

Using animal habits as a basis for tongue-in-cheek therapy, Animal Behaviour is a cute take on how our furry friends’ natural behaviours inevitably take over. Written and directed by Fine and Snowden, the 14-minute film was nominated for Best Animated Short in 2019 for the 91^st Academy Awards.