Varmints is an animated environmental cautionary tale with gorgeous animation and a wonderful score by the great Jóhann Jóhannsson. It’s completely dialogue-less which is a good thing since the main characters are bipedal puppy dog like creatures, whom can only speak in wimps and cries, the cutest sounds known to man.

The story starts off with one of these puppy dog creatures investigating a wide open field with blue skies and green grass. Everything is perfect, until a pack of these varmints literally move an entire city into this field with concert that spreads and takes over the nature, and a black smog that feels right out of FernGully.Luckily our hero is able to save on branch and tries to nurture it back to life in his city of steel and trash.

It’s a solid cartoon short. It’s got a richness that you don’t see in the Pixar shorts, which I like. It’s a bit heavy handed with it’s message, but it’s also not too afraid to make things look bleak and dark, which I appreciated. But it also tries to squeeze in a romantic subplot for some reason, that felt a tad forced considering the runtime. Or maybe I’m too cynical and our environment and love and happiness are all intwined.