Watch: Lauren Tsai’s Haunting ‘The Dying World’ Animated Short Film
by Alex Billington
December 14, 2025
Source: YouTube
“It waits to be remembered…” An acclaimed animated short film is now available online to watch – with an extensive backstory published on Indiewire. After playing across many film festivals the last year, American filmmaker / model / actress / artist Lauren Tsai’s short film The Dying World is now available to watch on YT. It’s only 5 mins and is made with puppets / stop-motion and some 3D animation. Astrid and her only friend Crow sit waiting in a world of all that is forgotten. There’s more to the story and how it connects with her own experiences & memories. A better intro: “Astrid lives torn between two worlds: a boundless, sterile office and a desolate blue realm composed of trash she struggles to recollect. When she finds a door to her childhood bedroom, she feeds what’s left of it to her only friend, Crow, who wonders how much longer she can live in these fragmented realities.” The visuals in it are distinct & captivating – it’s one of the rare times I wish a short film was longer because I want to see more of this world. But it still leaves a lasting impression.
And an official poster from her exhibition at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery – photos from the event here.
Thanks to Indiewire for the tip on this short. Very brief intro via YouTube: “Astrid and her only friend Crow sit waiting in a world of all that is forgotten.” The Dying World – Part One: Forgetting (the full title for this) is created and directed by artist / actress / filmmaker Lauren Tsai based in Tokyo & Los Angeles – you can view more of her work by following her on Instagram @laurentsai or on Twitter @LaLaChuu. Produced by Nicolas Cinelli and Studio Linguini along with Unreal Inc. With animation by Tobias Fouracre and Adrian Leung. Featuring music composed by Jim Williams; and sound design by Ines Adriana. Tsai explains: “The reason for choosing stop-motion is that I wanted to see something visually on the screen that felt like the way I remember a lot of my own memories.” The film had a big premiere at the 2025 Annecy Film Festival earlier this year in their Midnight section and also played at many other festivals since 2024. For more info on the film, head to Indiewire or the Animafest site. To watch more shorts (including animation), click here.
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