Best Animated Short: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
We’ve reached all of the “Best Picture” categories! Well, these aren’t “Best Picture” literally, but each of the remaining awards are for the best pieced-together film. We have three shorts categories (live action, animated, and documentary) and their feature length counterparts (while animated and documentary have their own categories, we pair live action shorts with the International Film category since there are some foreign shorts, plus we like to pair categories, as you know by now). For the short films, we don’t have previously written reviews, and having fifteen miniature reviews slapped together within a few days may be a bit too much to take in. So, we’ll have mini reviews here (rating included). For the animated category, we had five nominees (and even shortlisted runners up) that all have to do with family. Most of these nominees are heavier than your usual fare. What we can say, however, is that this year’s list is stronger than usual for this category. All five of these works are worthwhile.
Here are your nominees for Best Animated Short, ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days
We don’t think any of the five nominees are replaceable, but we like to keep the “snub” section filled. So, allow us to recommend the poetically rich Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days. An artistic representation of art, this is the passing down of a craft done so creatively. Plus, it never hurts to have more hand drawn (or seemingly hand drawn) works in 2020. They’ve sadly become rare.
5. Dcera (Daughter)
This short features the animation of marionettes and finger puppets, to tell an abstract take on familial loss. It’s a frigid look at death through the eyes of a child, but that’s likely the bulk of Dcera’s success. Much of the interpretation is done with creativity, including a daughter’s imagination running wild and providing her with comfort. Dcera has a strange innocence to it, almost in the way that only a child could conjure up.
Rating: 4/5
4. Kitbull
Pixar’s annual selection is a bit different this time around. This is a flatly drawn look at a serious issue: the abuse of domesticated animals. A black cat (a superstitiously maligned animal) finds a pit bull bred for fighting. The two stand their ground, due to how poorly they’ve been treated by humans, but eventually befriend one another. It’s a sweet look at a pressing concern that still happens today. Kitbull is a nice short for kids, with a bit of a friendlier way of opening the discussion of abandoned or mistreated pets.
Rating: 4/5
3. Sister
The constant narration was off putting at first for the much beloved Sister, but once the ending arrived, it all made sense. Sister deals with familial crisis in a bit of a different way: wondering about another reality. The stop motion is nice, but it’s the creative use of household materials that really sparks Sister (including cotton balls for various set props, including the inside of a womb). There has been a lot of buzz around this one. It used to be freely available on Vimeo, but now it’s a small fee to rent or purchase a digital copy. We recommend the investment. It’s a bold topic treated delicately and smartly.
Rating: 4/5
2. Hair Love
The other highly discussed film is the adorable-yet-touching Hair Love: a blending of two different storylines (an African American girl discovering an appreciation for her natural hair, and a father trying to take on the role of mom while his wife is sick). Easily the most optimistic and joyful of this year’s nominees, Hair Love is cute but also very serious. The animation is warm, and the message is very well executed. If you didn’t learn about Hair Love from the viral reaction video of the crew cheering after their nomination announcement, it’s never too late to watch this lovely short.
Rating: 4.5/5
1. Memorable
Occasionally, the Academy will select an animated film (feature or short) which really breaks out of the family-film stereotype (even drastically so). Memorable is a frightening — but stunning — look at dementia through the eyes of a man whose brain is failing him. Right away, we can tell what the problem is when he bites into an unpeeled banana and forgets everyday objects and habits. Memorable wastes no time getting into more daring territory, as his world melts or shatters around him. Almost like a more-loving Anomalisa, Memorable is incredibly depressing, but rewarding with the occasional tender moment (including a finale full of blissful escape: the act of being able to fall in love again with your life partner). Made by painstakingly detailed claymation (in such a gorgeous but fragmented style), Memorable is easily our pick for animated short of the year.
Rating: 4.5/5
Who we want to win: It would be nice to see the Academy step outside of its comfort zone and go with Memorable, but any of these nominees are winners in our books.
Who we think will win: Right now, Hair Love has the greatest odds, but Sister is also highly probable. Also, never fully bet against Disney, and Kitbull is one of their more bold works in a while.
Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.