Best Animated Short Film: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Last year’s winner: Hair Love.
We are now done looking at every element of a film when it comes to Academy Award categories (acting, writing, directing, and all of the technical stuff). We’re basically at the final stretch: all of the categories that honour entire films. We’ll look at three of the shorts categories before the features (including Best Picture, our last group) next week. To start things off with a bit of colour and fun, I figured I’d start with the Best Animated Short Film category; however, this year’s group is a little darker than usual (usually there are more mature animated shorts, but they outweigh the brighter shorts this year three-to-two). What hasn’t changed, however, is the wonkiness of these shorts categories; usually you’ll have a dud or two in each. Which short film will rise to the top? Which will actually win? Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: The Snail and the Whale
So The Snail and the Whale isn’t the greatest short I’ve ever seen, but I’m actually appalled that it didn’t get nominated (when I consider how easily it could have — and should have). It’s very uplifting story wise, but it savours its message of unity for the third act. Otherwise, the film is quite bereft of danger, but it’s full of lush animation and pure, beautiful joy. You won’t be challenged by this short, but you will definitely feel invigorated, and that’s the intention here. What a pretty, adorable, nurturing film. How The Snail and the Whale didn’t make it to the final five is beyond me.
5. Yes-People
I don’t want to be too harsh, but I’m rather perplexed as to how Yes-People even made it this far. Had I stumbled upon it outside of an Academy context, it’s harmless and fun seeing all of the different ways “yes” (well, in Icelandic in this case) can be applied to different things in life; from enthusiastic joys and submissive confusion, to regretful last resorts or more mature options. That’s all the short is, though. It’s a bit of a chuckle, and then it finishes. I felt unchanged after seeing it, but not every film is meant to affect you. However, when considering the top five best shorts of the year of a certain nature, I feel like we can do a bit better than the decent, temporary Yes-People.
Rating: 3/5
4. Burrow
Burrow is similarly harmless, but it at least has a more structured story and clever animation details. Even though I actually like Burrow (it’s just too adorable, and I love animals, so that’s a bit of a win in my favour), objectively, it’s one of Disney and/or Pixar’s more direct short stories. It’s more of a plot driven affair (with some morals for younger viewers) than the shorts that contain what feels like entire lifetimes (like Feast), so it feels complete and finished once it ends. I feel like there is maybe a more impactful way Burrow could have gone, but it is really cheerful and inspirational (even during its sadder moments), so it was at least pleasant to watch.
Rating: 3.5/5
3. Genius Loci
This is where the category starts to get special. Genius Loci is haunting as a story, where traumas and fears shape shift everything that we see. So, what do we see? Just some incredible cubist animation, of course. Part of the experience of Genius Loci is figuring out what we’re seeing and what it is representing, and then allowing that horror to sit within us. This includes the visions conjured by abusive insults, the shadows of alleyways coming to life, and more. Genius Loci is quite an unforgettable short for a myriad of reasons. I personally loved it.
Rating: 4/5
2. Opera
I haven’t seen something like this being shown some love by the Academy Awards before. Opera is technically a looping installation that you can appreciate for a few minutes, or an entire hour; I would have absolutely watched it for much longer if I could. It is comprised of a large pyramid with many subsections, all festooned with stick figures of different ranks (the rich elite, or the suffering slaves). There is so much going on in Opera during all of its phases, that I was so adamant on trying to focus on different sections during each “reset" (I’d often find myself hypnotized by the more graphic loops, particularly the ones involving eating or death). In the way Opera is presented to the Academy (a loop and a bit), you get a different kind of metaphor: a sign of perseverance and hope, only to find that a new day brings us back into a world driven by greed and selfishness, which washed away the valiant efforts of yesterday’s martyrs.
Rating: 4/5
1. If Anything Happens I Love You
If Anything Happens I Love You has almost everything I want in a short film, but it goes the extra mile by telling a serious message in such an intense, unforgettable way. The hand-sketched animation style is immediately magnetic, and such a treat to look at. Once you’re glued, you get a bit of a cryptic story without any cues to guide you; is this a family breaking apart? Once the short is ready to reveal its true intentions, the entire story changes (at the same time, your heart will sink into the pit of your stomach). This is the usage of art to convey a real problem that the world is facing still, in a way that will be impossible to just shrug off. This is the magic and power that a few minutes of cinema can have in the right hands. To me, If Anything Happens I Love You is the clear winner.
Rating: 4.5/5
Who I want to win: My top three (If Anything Happens I Love You, Opera, and Genius Loci) are all striking enough that I am rooting for them (okay, Burrow is cute, so maybe I wouldn’t be the most upset if it won).
Who I think will win: Even with Disney’s power on its side, Burrow doesn’t have enough juice to overcome the success that If Anything Happens I Love You has accumulated. The latter has Netflix’s push, accessibility (Burrow is on Disney+ and tied to Soul, but still), a massive contemporary message, and many other factors going for it. I can’t see how anyone can watch all five nominations and go with anything but If Anything Happens I Love You.
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.