2020 Oscar Nominated Short Films - Animation
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Always a great presentation and fantastic trip to the movies, you have to look fast because the short films are only in theaters for a few weeks, prior to the Oscars.
Oscar pools and Oscar party contests can be won and lost with the Short Film categories. Experiencing these nominees achieves both a better chance at victory and the opportunity to see some terrific and original films.
NO
Casual movie watchers tend to watch high profile, big name star movies and convincing people to watch short films is a challenge. No matter how good these films are, a large number of people are not going to care much.
You are not a fan of a wide range of genres and themes. You never know what you are going to get with these short film presentations and that mix of styles can throw people off.
OUR REVIEW
Every year, the ballot busters for Oscar pools and Oscar parties often prove to be the short film categories. Some advocate for their removal from the televised ceremony. Others seek them out every year in theaters, celebrating the creativity that lies within each slate of nominees. I, for one, love uncovering these each year, as well as other short films which gain traction within the industry and hope to make it to the highest stage possible – the Academy Awards.
Each year, ShortsTV and Shorts International secure the rights to the 15 short film nominees in the Animation, Live Action, and Documentary Short Subject categories and release them as individual screening packages in theaters. The week before the Oscars, they shift them to digital platforms for people to buy and watch at home.
The Short Film packages have proven wildly popular. Each year, the box office numbers have grown and the mini-film festival idea has really caught hold with Oscarwatchers, and those genuinely curious about the potential next wave of storytellers and filmmakers out in the world.
Before these nominees received theatrical distribution in 2005, the short film nominees were nearly impossible to find. Now, with the 15th anniversary of these short films packages playing in hundreds of theaters each year, we cannot envision an Oscar season without them playing at a theater near us.
And so, without any further ado, let's dive into this year’s nominees for Best Animated Short Film.
Daughter (Dcera) | 15 Minutes
Directed by Daria Kashcheeva
★★★1/2
Daria Kashcheeva’s film analyzes how moments when we are young can carry forward with us, as we grow into adults. Daughter (Dcera) looks at a difficult moment of reflection for a young woman, tending at the bedside of her father, who is being cared for in a hospital.
Made with meticulous craftsmanship and using the stop-motion technique with characters created from papier-mâché, Daughter speaks to a fragility of emotions, equally as apparent in the mechanism used to tell the story. If anything, though emotional, the film’s one note story holds it back from delivering the powerful wallop it looks for, but the film is nonetheless an important reminder that moments we take for granted with those closest to us, can leave a powerful impact.
Hair Love | 7 Minutes
Directed by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing, Jr., Bruce W. Smith
★★★★★
If this doesn’t win the Oscar, they should just abolish the category. Hair Love is perfect, and structurally, from a storytelling standpoint, scripting, and emotional payoff, one of the best films of 2019, feature-length or otherwise. Based on Matthew A. Cherry’s best-selling children’s book, a young girl has a very important appointment to attend with her father. However, on this particular morning - her hair is impossible to tame. This leaves her father forced to try and do his daughter’s hair for the very first time, with a frustrating and complicated series of results.
How the matter is resolved, the nuances and layers Cherry and his team create in just under 7 minutes, is a master class in how to add depth to any story being told on screens big and small. Bittersweet emotions mix with happy emotions and Hair Love is simply outstanding in every way.
Kitbull | 9 Minutes
Directed by Rosana Sullivan
★★★★★
Any other year, Kitbull would likely win this category in a walk. An irresistible story, beautifully and simply told, Kitbull shares the unlikely friendship which evolves between a young pit bull and a stray kitten. Finding their paths crossing in a makeshift junkyard, the pit bull is abused and appears to be part of a dog-fighting operation, while the skittish young feline cowers under whatever it can find.
As they first bond over a game of passing a bottle cap back-and-forth, the kitten begins to understand and care for the dog as his treatment only becomes worse. A rare 2D animated short from animation kings Pixar, Kitbull leaves a powerful impression and again, conveys a message we all need right now - the simple power that can be created when we come together and help each other in times of need. Rosana Sullivan’s film is truly among the best Pixar shorts of the decade.
Mémorable | 12 Minutes
Directed by Bruno Collet
★★★★
Tackling the difficulties of dementia, Bruno Collet’s Mémorable is another emotional entry in the slate of this year’s nominees. A painter, Louis, begins to see his world differently than he is accustomed to. Tended to by his wife Michelle, Louis sees a blending of reality and fantasy, soon indiscernible from day to day and hour by hour. Using images from the work of Van Gogh, Collet uses stop-motion puppets and a blending of practical and CGI effects to symbolize the unraveling Louis is experiencing. Collet also shows us Michelle’s perspective, capturing a elegaic element to the struggles the characters are facing.
Sister | 8 Minutes
Directed by Siqi Song
★★★★1/2
Though documentary One Child Nation did not receive an Oscar nomination, Siqi Song’s Sister did land in this category, and both films look at the devastating and lasting impacts of China’s one-child policy, which the government enacted between 1979-2015. Song’s film, narrated by an adult man, thinking back to a life he shared with an annoying little sister, offers a bold, surprising twist around the midway mark, which flips the film into a different place and renders the experience of Sister as one difficult to let go of.
Created with a black-and-white color palette, Song drew on memories of calligraphy ink and the stark differences between black and white to help create her story. Her characters are distinctive creations of wool, foam, and felt, and Sister dazzles the eyes as it tears at your emotions.
Overall Thoughts:
When the film you like the least is easy to recommend, and pushes animation’s boundaries to new and exciting places, how can you possibly complain about this year’s slate of nominees.
Hair Love is likely to win and should as, again, it’s flawlessly put together. Kitbull deserves an Oscar it likely will not receive, and Siqi Song’s Sister is every bit as worthy in a different year. These are heartfelt, tender, emotional films that are not easy to dismiss and all deserve the spotlight and recognition they are receiving this year.
Well done Academy. Well done indeed.
NOTE: For purposes of theatrical presentation, the five nominated films are programmed with four acclaimed animated short films which did not earn Oscar recognition. The entire presentation of nine films runs approximately 82 minutes and these five films are accompanied by: Hors Piste, a silly, humorous look at two helicopter rescue pilots who see their fortunes take an unfortunate turn; Henrietta Bulkowski, featuring the voiceover work of Chris Cooper and Ann Dowd, in a story of a woman trying to live a life of adventure while dealing with a hunchback; The Bird and the Whale takes a melancholy story of a whale and a caged bird striking up an unlikely friendship; while Maestro is a film, less than two minutes long, which sees a chorus of forest animals engage in an operatic, musical release.
CAST & CREW
Directors of Oscar-nominated films: Daria Kashcheeva (Daughter (Dcera)), Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing, Jr., Bruce W. Smith (Hair Love), Rosana Sullivan (Kitbull), Bruno Collet (Mémorable), Siqi Song (Sister).
Release Date: January 31, 2020
ShortsTV/Shorts International