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Best Animation & visual effects videos, as recommended on Hacker News

64 videos about animation & visual effects that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2010 and 2026. Mostly explainer, demo, other. Channels that come up most: Captain Disillusion, Blender, Corridor Crew, Blender Guru. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is The Beauty of Bézier Curves: HN repeatedly calls it one of the best math and graphics explainers on YouTube, praised for bridging game dev and math.

• explainerThe Beauty of Bézier CurvesFreya Holmér · 16 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• talkEd Catmull, Pixar: Keep Your Crises SmallStanford Graduate School of Business · 9 HN recommenders · 2010–2017
• interview"Money doesn't interest me" - Ton Roosendaal 2017 InterviewBlender Guru · 7 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• otherDNA animation (2002-2014) by Drew Berry and Etsuko Uno wehi.tv #ScienceArtWEHImovies · 9 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• explainer"NO CGI" is really just INVISIBLE CGI - 1The Movie Rabbit Hole · 6 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
• talkCaptain Disillusion: World's Greatest Blenderer - Live at the Blender Conference 2018Captain Disillusion · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2022
• demoThe Inner Life of the Cell AnimationXVIVO Scientific Animation · 5 HN recommenders · 2017–2024
• talkWorld Building in Blender - Ian HubertBlender · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2026
• tutorialLearn Low Poly Modeling in Blender 2.9 / 2.8Imphenzia · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• documentaryHow Prince of Persia Defeated Apple II's Memory Limitations | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 5 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• explainerChinese Invisibility Cloak Hoax DESTROYED!!!Captain Disillusion · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerCD / ColorCaptain Disillusion · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2021
• tutorialWild Tricks for Greenscreen in BlenderIanHubert · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• other[4k, 60 fps] San Francisco, a Trip down Market Street, April 14, 1906Denis Shiryaev · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• tutorialBlender Motion Tracking - Room Transformation!IanHubert · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
• tutorialBlender 3.0 Beginner Tutorial - Part 1Blender Guru · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• documentaryFlight of the Navigator | VFXcoolCaptain Disillusion · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• explainerPrius Hybrid Drive ExplainedNiels Blaauw · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• demoANIME ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORSCorridor Digital · 3 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• explainerHow does a Bowling Pinsetter Machine work? (Brunswick GS-X)Jared Owen · 4 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• documentaryThey Shall Not Grow Old – New Trailer – Now Playing In TheatersWarner Bros. · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• demoStargate Studios Virtual Backlot Reel 2009Stargate Studios · 3 HN recommenders · 2013–2024
• demoHow I animate 3Blue1Brown | A Manim demo with Ben Sparks3Blue1Brown · 3 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
• talkClassic Game Postmortem - Another WorldGDC Festival of Gaming · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• talkAnimation Bootcamp: An Indie Approach to Procedural AnimationGDC Festival of Gaming · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• demoSalad Mug - DYNAMO DREAM, Ep1IanHubert · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• commentaryVFX Artists React to DUNE Bad & Great CGiCorridor Crew · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• explainerSmoother animation ≠ Better animation [read pinned comment]Noodle · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• documentaryHBO Intro - Behind the Scenesarchivefilms · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2025
• commentaryWhy CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't)RocketJump Film School · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
• explainerDisney's Practical Guide to Path TracingWalt Disney Animation Studios · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2021
• explainerSatoshi Kon - Editing Space & TimeEvery Frame a Painting · 3 HN recommenders · 2016–2022
• tutorial12 Principles of Animation (Official Full Series)AlanBeckerTutorials · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• musicPhilip Glass - Sesame Street - Geometry of Circles.mp4SamCam2011 · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• interviewHow Toy Story 2 Almost Got Deleted: Stories From Pixar Animation: ENTV@HOLLYWOOD · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2026
• explainerBack to the Future | VFXcool (1/2)Captain Disillusion · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• explainerThe Uncanny Valley Is WrongThis Place · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2021
• explainerThis Invention Made Disney MILLIONS, but Then They LOST It!Corridor Crew · 2 HN recommenders · 2025–2026
• demoHERO – Blender Grease Pencil ShowcaseBlender · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2021
• musicKylie Minogue - Come Into My World (Official Video) [Full HD Remastered]Kylie Minogue · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• commentaryYMS: Kimba the White LionYMS · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
• other🏆Award Winning🏆 CGI 3D Animated Short Film: "LAST DAY OF WAR" by Dima Fedotov | TheCGBrosTheCGBros · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2023
• documentaryWalt Disney's MultiPlane Camera (Filmed: Feb. 13, 1957)fireurgunz · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• comedyBill Hader impersonates Arnold Schwarzenegger [DeepFake]Ctrl Shift Face · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2022
• documentaryThe Virtual Production of The Mandalorian Season OneIndustrial Light & Magic · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• musicShop Vac (kinetic typography animation)jmheather · 2 HN recommenders · 2011–2023
• otherNuggetsFilmbilder & Friends · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2026
• explainerThis 30-Year-Old Terminator VFX BLEW OUR MINDS!Corridor Crew · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2022
• otherA CGI 3D Short Film: "Dead Hand: FortressFortress/Крепость" - by Dima Fedotov | TheCGBrosTheCGBros · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2023
• talkAndrew Price - Improving Blender's UIBlender · 2 HN recommenders · 2013–2017
• commentaryNew Blender UI - The ProposalBlender Guru · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2021
• explainerWhy 'The Mandalorian' Uses Virtual Sets Over Green Screen | Movies InsiderInsider · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• otherBlindsight Sci-fi Short FilmDanil Krivoruchko · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2026
• explainerYour Body's Molecular MachinesVeritasium · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2023
• demoDid We Just Change Animation Forever?Corridor Crew · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2024
• otherMark Osborne's MOREHappyProductCorp · 1 HN recommender · 2015–2018
• musicDaft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Official Video)Daft Punk · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2026
• music"Pipe Dream" - Animusic.comAnimusicLLC · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2024
• talkBlender and Next Gen: a Netflix OriginalBlender · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2024
• otherIN-SHADOW - A Modern Odyssey - Animated Short FilmSPELLBREAKER Studio · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2021
• demoFlexible Muscle-Based Locomotion for Bipedal CreaturesGoatstream · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2022
• demoANIME ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS 2Corridor Digital · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2024
• musicCANADA VIGNETTES: LOG DRIVER'S WALTZ | Full Animated Film | National Film Board of CanadaNFB · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• demoThe Mandalorian Luke Skywalker DeepfakeShamook · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2024