The Animation Show 4

The fourth collection of animated shorts compiled by the indispensable Mike Judge (sans his usual partner in crime, Don Hertzfeldt) is typically funny and violent—usually both at once. Some recurring bits, notably Dave Carter’s punchy “Psychotown” vignettes, give this year’s globe-spanning program a more unified feel than previous efforts. Among the many highlights are Stefan Mueller’s “Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Hazen & Mr. Horlocker,” about a loud-music police complaint gone hilariously wrong; Steve Dildarian’s deadpan “Angry Unpaid Hooker”; and “Blind Spot” from France’s Gobelins School of Animation, in which an elderly woman falls victim to some cleverly edited surveillance footage.