The Maggots (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

The Maggots is a five-minute animated short from Canada, written and directed by Amberia Keke Li. The film follows Yinfeng as her seriously ill, abusive father forces her to confront a painful blood relationship while she is far from home.

The Maggots is a 2026 animated short directed by Amberia Keke Li. With a runtime of just five minutes, it focuses on Yinfeng, a woman separated from home when news of her father’s serious illness brings an abusive family history back into focus.

The film’s premise centers on a difficult emotional decision rather than a broad external conflict: how should someone respond to a parent whose blood connection carries both obligation and pain? Its compact format suggests a concentrated exploration of that question.

The Maggots movie details

Story without spoilers

Yinfeng is away from home when her abusive father becomes seriously ill. The situation forces her to consider what, if anything, she owes to a family relationship that has caused her substantial suffering. The story is framed around her response to that conflict, with her mother and a doctor also part of the credited cast.

What to expect

The Maggots is identified as an animated film with a five-minute runtime, so viewers can expect a brief, focused story rather than an extended narrative. Its premise deals with family trauma, illness, distance and the emotional pressure surrounding a painful parent-child bond. The film is presented in Mandarin and English.

Cast and creative team

Amberia Keke Li directs The Maggots and voices Yingfeng. Yuxin Ai voices Mom, while Jaiden Su voices Doctor. No writer is listed in the supplied credits, and Li is the only credited director.

• Amberia Keke Li as Yingfeng
• Yuxin Ai as Mom
• Jaiden Su as Doctor

Release and production context

The Maggots is a Canadian production associated with Emily Carr University of Art + Design. It is listed with a release date of September 24, 2026, and a status of Released. The film runs for five minutes and uses Mandarin and English. Its genre is Animation.

Production companies: Emily Carr University of Art + Design

The Maggots official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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With its short runtime and emotionally difficult premise, The Maggots is structured as a compact animated portrait of a family decision shaped by abuse and illness. The available details point to a film concerned with the complications of blood ties, without revealing how Yinfeng ultimately responds.

Film data:
TMDB