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Absurdist Short Film “Ducks” is for the Birds

AJ Jeffries' animation DUCKS starts as a peaceful park stroll and becomes something much stranger. Two minutes well spent. 

By Moss & Fog1 min read
A whimsical scene featuring a cartoon duck standing on one leg on a grassy bank near a calm water surface, with another duck in the background.
Not the legs you were expecting…

A Short Animation About Ducks That Goes Exactly Where You Hope It Goes

You’ve seen the signs. You’ve probably ignored them. AJ Jeffries has thoughts about that.

His new short film DUCKS starts as a peaceful loop around a park pond. It does not stay that way.

A cartoon baby peeking out from a colorful stroller with donut-shaped wheels, beside a person wearing yellow shoes and blue pants in a green outdoor setting.
A very interested baby

What unfolds is a gleefully dark little comedy full of strange physics, feathered menace, and the specific chaos that only animated waterfowl can deliver. It’s two minutes of pure tonal commitment, and it sticks with you.

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A colorful rubber duck with a green head and orange beak floating on calm water, creating ripples around it.
A cartoon duck floating on a tranquil pond surrounded by green grass and trees.

Jeffries, who previously made an equally unhinged film about a horse with ambitions, has a gift for finding the exact moment where ordinary settings tip into surreal dread. Watch it below.

A cartoon character pushing a stroller along a path beside a calm body of water, surrounded by lush green trees in a park setting.
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By Moss & Fog Staff

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Enjoying the wander?

Our best stories on design, nature and architecture, plus Fog Signals, our weekly letter of favorite finds. Free, and easy to leave anytime.

Keep reading