As has become tradition, we went to go see a screening of this year's Oscar-nominated animated shorts. There were, remarkably, no bad films this year, which was nice, but also none that I *loved*, either. I wouldn't be mad if any of them won. Here they are, in the order they were screened. Note that there are many spoilers ahead, so, beware.
An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It
This Australian nominee has a nice enough premise - a Claymation figure gets wise to what's going on. The protagonist gets told the truth by an ostrich, which was particularly well-done, and a nice spin on an old chestnut in animation. Technically it was very sound, and parts were amusing.
The Flying Sailor
Based on a true story from Canada, there is an explosion, and a sailor goes flying. The animation handled the life and ideas flashing through his mind as he zooms through the air very well, at first... Then it goes somewhat awry, and bites off far more than it can chew. The blend of animation styles is nice, though, and there is some solid humor.
Ice Merchants
A wordless piece, with beautiful animation. The tale is gripping and gorgeous, and deals with serious themes of loss and family. Unfortunately, towards the end, it tries to pull everything together a bit too much - and goes right past a very nice ending to a borderline very silly ending. My runner-up.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
It is hard not to love an animation that is this stunning, although the line work is a bit distracting. It is genuinely charming and full of child-like wisdom. With an all-star voice cast, it is probably a strong contender for the Oscar. A short I would like to show my kids someday, it teeters towards twee, but manages to avoid going too far. I suppose it gets my vote for favorite, sort of by default, since all the others tripped over themselves in some way or another.
My Year of Dicks
After telling parents to remove their young children from the theater, we ended with a story set in 1991 as a girl tries out five different guys hoping to find the one to lose her virginity to. Each one has a distinct style, and overall this was totally fine, although personally my least favorite. The changes in style don't *quite* come off, and the ending is telegraphed throughout. That said, even if it wins, it's not undeserving - just didn't resonate.
And there you have it. Since the shortest offering was eight minutes, and the longest around half an hour, it ended up being a long program, and so there were no Highly Acclaimed extras after the nominees. A pleasant way to spend a matinee afternoon.
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