Nuggets: An illustration on addiction

At first, this animated short seems rather pleasant: A kiwi encounters a golden nugget, and upon consuming it, feels a glorious sense of bliss. But as the bird continues to chase that first high, things quickly turn dark.

Nuggets is by German animator Andreas Hykade, who teaches animation at the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Animation and at Harvard University. It’s one of those wonderful examples of simple characters and design evoking something powerful.