The Anchorage International Film Festival schedule includes two programs of animated shorts, the last of which, "Animation 2," can be seen today at Out North.

The lineup includes a variety of efforts from around the world, using techniques that range from old-fashioned drawn cartoons and stop-action figures to computer-generated images. They feature a bunch of breathtakingly beautiful images and effects, a lot of humor, some poignancy, little dialogue and more than a few dark undertones.

Some, like "Yonder" with its agitated geometric lines, mostly baffle. Others, like "Topi," the moral tale of a boy caught up in ethnic violence, have plain plots. (The film is a thesis project by Arjun Rihan of Oakland, Calif., who says it's based on "a bit of family lore"; it touches a couple of deep chords in a mere six minutes.)

Here are some that seemed to particularly move the audience when I attended the first screening earlier this week: "Calypso," an elegant computer-generated piece from Australia, follows an aging man as he escapes his sickroom and heads for an amusement park for a wild ride with cosmic implications. "A Dog's Life," from England, resembles old-school Hanna-Barbera 'toons where a pet takes on human attributes while the master is gone. "For a Fistful of Snow," a Swiss send-up of spaghetti westerns, centers on a snowball fight between two snowmen who dig into themselves for ammunition.

Several of the animated films are more like wall-art than transcribed plays or skits. "Nature on its Course," from Canada, is largely sketchy black forms on a white background, which becomes the foreground when an avalanche cuts loose. "Puffer Girl," dedicated to the maker's pet fish, is a surreal succession of fantasy images. "Snakes on the Brain," by former Daily News illustrator Lance Lekander (he also did the raven for the festival's memorabilia and intro clip), consists entirely of a 35-second snippet of a skull infested by serpents. The settings of "The Prospector," copied from real Alaska places, are more evocative than the minimalist character action.

The cool thing about "Animation 2" is that the longest thing in the lineup ("Calypso") runs 9 minutes; most are considerably shorter. If you don't like what you're seeing, take another handful of popcorn and, by the time you've swallowed it, something more to your liking may be flickering on the screen.

If you do head for Out North for any of the AIFF events there, make sure to swing into the "Emerging Artists Gallery," on your left as you enter the building. A group show by artists who are clients of Hope Community Resources and titled "Birds and Bees and Bunnies... Oh My!" features big, bright and delightful 3-dimensional constructions (along with paintings) that seem like sculpted animations in their own right. This will be your last chance, as the show closes today.

-- ANIMATION 2 will be screened at 12:45 p.m. today at Out North, 3800 DeBarr Rd.

-- AWARDS GALA, announcing the winners of this year's Anchorage International Film Festival, will take place at 8 tonight at Bear Tooth Theatrepub, 1230 W. 27th Ave.

-- For a schedule of events on this, the final day of the festival, plus samples and reviews, go to adn.com/aiff. Winners and when they will be re-shown can be found there and at adn.com/artsnob as soon as that information is released.Anchorage International Film Festival

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