[Figures 20 & 21] Tragedies are best served in the short form as sudden and disastrous final story moments. The slowly unraveling puzzle structure is more appropriate for longer films.

Likewise, formal tragedies are rarely advisable for the short form because they generally require a significant length of time for the audience to fully embrace the protagonist in order to be sufficiently saddened by his demise. Ten minutes or more might give you enough time to do so effectively (f8 or La Morte de Tau); however, within the recommended timeframe of four minutes or less, a tragic twist at the end is usually best served as a less severe (and perhaps sudden) comedic moment, such as the punch lines of Snookles and SOS (see Figure 20).

Significantly rearranging the normal narrative flow of a story is also rather difficult to pull off in the short form. Films such as Pulp Fiction require a lot of screen time to tell the individual stories and then demonstrate how they all fit together. It's usually best to stick with a single, rather linear story-line with only one or a small number of characters. On the Sunny Side of the Street and Tom the Cat are rare short examples that play with standard narrative structure by telling the same short story twice, from two alternative points of view.

The slowly unraveling puzzle structure is yet another long form example that doesn't quite work in the shortest forms because it requires the pieces to be delivered slowly so viewers can sufficiently incorporate them into their evolving understanding of the story. However, a popular and appropriate short story variation on this theme is something we like to call the surprise scenario reveal, in which a single, significant puzzle piece is dropped in at the end, often revealing what the otherwise vague or unremarkable story was really about. Examples include Bunny, Funambule and Oblivious (see Figure 21). This structure can be effectively realized in as little as 30 seconds.

Typical Short Story Types and Structures
Just as a multitude of standard long-form story structures exist, some typical short-form structures seem to crop up repeatedly. Of course, short stories can be structured in any number of ways, and you should certainly feel free to assemble your plot points in any manner you choose. Always remember that lists and examples are offered as guidelines, not commands or formulas. But there are quite a few tried and true structures you might want to consider just to be on the safe side.

The Gag
Mainly because of its limited length requirements and therefore less expensive production cycles, the gag is probably the most common short animated film structure. Virtually all shorts of less than a minute fall into this category, which has several forms:

[Figure 22] The short gag, in which something unexpected usually occurs, is a very popular short animated film genre.

• Single beat. This is a quick joke — a simple setup and then a surprise twist or comedic beat. Random violence on a cute character is a common theme (see Figure 22). Short animated film examples include Snookles, Alien Song, Squaring Off and, of course, Bambi Meets Godzilla. One advantage of this type of story is that it can often be told in as few as 30 seconds. Many amusing television commercials successfully prove this point.
• Series. This is a montage of quickly delivered punch lines. Bill Plympton specializes in this structure, which he demonstrates in films such as How to Kiss.
• Surprise reveal. The audience is unsure of the scenario of the piece (or is intentionally misled) until its true identity is revealed at the end. An example is Alex Whitney's Oblivious, in which an alien landscape turns out to be something else entirely. Keep in mind that even though it falls under the gag category, the surprise reveal is often more poignant than funny, as in films such as Chris Wedge's Bunny. It can also be tragic, as in the Oscar-nominated Cathedral, or merely explanatory, as in Anniversary or Sprout.