by Nathaniel R
Colman Domingo in "New Moon" based on one of his plays
This year's Best Animated Short Oscar finalists come from about a dozen countries and feature a pleasing variety of animation strategies. The shorts feature talking animals, naturally, as well as plenty of heightened surreal adventures. All of this is to be expected in this always intriguing category (provided you are able to find the films!). Less expected: this year the race has more than a little star power via voice casts. We'll review all the films here as we screen them.
Read on for brief run downs of the finalists and if and where you can watch the films right now (if you can). Links go to official sites if we could find them...
Length: 10 minutes
Country: Slovenia
Synopsis: "The steak has been marinating for a few days now. The pan is heated. Franc’s stomach is rumbling. But Liza’s co-workers surprise her with a birthday party. Will she be home on time?"
Notes: This sixth short from director Spela Cadez has won a dozen prizes already. Her previous most acclaimed short was...
Where to Watch It: Unavailable to the public at the moment outside of festivals.
SIERRA
Length: 15 minutes
Country: Estonia
Synopsis: "A father and son embark on a freewheeling road race that spins off into surreal and unexpectedly poignant realms in this brightly colored, boldly graphic animated capriccio."
Notes: The director Sander Joon is just 32 years old.
Where to Watch It: Streaming on Criterion Channel
Length: 4 minutes
Country: US
Synopsis: "Ralph, a bunny being interviewed for a documentary, goes through his daily routine as a "tester""
Trivia: Spencer Susser's stop motion short has the most starpower on this list. The all star voice cast includes Taiki Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Tricia Helfer, and Pom Kliementeff
Where to Watch It: On YouTube. It's embedded right here.
PASAJERO (Passenger) official trailer from Juan Pablo Zaramella on Vimeo.
Length: 10 minutes
Country: Argentina
Synopsis: "A journey through the conflictive relationship between a man, his social environment and codes."
Trivia: Director Juan Pablo Zaramella is prolific. This is his 15th short since his debut The Challenge is Death in 2001. His best known is probably Luminaris (2011) which had a strong awards run at festivals.
Where to Watch It: Unknown.
AN OSTRICH TOLD ME THE WORLD IS FAKE AND I BELIEVE IT
Length: 11 minutes
Country: Australia
Synopsis: "A young office worker uncovers the flaws in his stop-motion universe with the help of a mysterious talking ostrich.."
Trivia: Lachlan Pendragon is a writer/director/animator in Brisbane Australia. IMDb hasn't listed his previously films but this is apparently not a debut.
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public outside of festivals.
NEW MOON
Length: 11 minutes
Country: US
Synopsis: "An imaginative surrealist journey of young Jay Jay and his mother Edie as their inner city dreams are illuminated by the new moon a in a backyard in West Philadelphia."
Trivia: The film is co-written by the actor Colman Domingo and his husband Raul Domingo and based on one of Colman's plays. Raul also co-directs with animators Jérémie Balais and Jeffig Le Bars
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public outside of festivals.
Length: 24 minutes
Country: US / Ireland
Synopsis: "Pam is on a quest to lose her virginity"
Trivia: It first broke out as a short at the SXSW festival where it won Special Jury Recognition. It's based on based on Pamela Ribon's memoir "Notes to Boys: And Other Things I Shouldn't Share in Public."
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public
More Than I Want to Remember (trailer) from amy bench on Vimeo.
Length: 14 minutes
Country: US
Synopsis: "One night at her home in southeastern Congo, 14-year-old Mugeni awakes to the sounds of bombs. As her family scatters to the surrounding forests to save themselves, Mugeni finds herself completely alone."
Trivia: The co-writer Mugeni Orwella is telling her own story and is a voice actor in the film as herself. The director Amy Bench has previously been a cinematographer.
Where to Watch It: Streaming on Paramount+
IT'S NICE IN HERE
Length: 15 minutes
Country: The Netherlands
Synopsis: "A fragmented portrait of a moment, a person, and a place, seen through the subjective memories of a young Black girl, Imani, and a rookie police officer, David, who both have wildly different recollections of the same fateful moment in a corner store that will leave their lives altered forever."
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public outside of festivals.
ICE MERCHANTS
Length: 14 minutes
Country: Portugal
Synopsis: "Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily."
Trivia: Ice Merchants was nominated for the European Film Awards but it lost to Granny's Sexual Life (which did not make the Oscar finals). We previously discussed this short here.
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public outside of festivals.
THE GARBAGE MAN
Length: 11 minutes
Country: Portugal
Synopsis: "At a long table laden with traditional dishes, a family shares fond memories of an uncle, who fled Portugal’s dictatorship and became a garbage collector in Paris."
Trivia: The director Laura Gonçalves' personal site
Where to Watch It: Currently streaming at The New Yorker
THE FLYING SAILOR
Length: 8 minutes
Country: Canada
Synopsis: "Two ships collide in a harbor, sending a passing sailor skyward as he contemplates the wonder and fragility of existence."
Trivia: Directors Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby have been nominated for two Oscars. They're the only finalists in this category this year with previous nominations.
Where to Watch It: Currently streaming at The New Yorker
THE DEBUTANTE
The Debutante Trailer from Animate Projects on Vimeo.
Length: 8 minutes
Country: UK
Synopsis: "A spirited young woman persuades a hyena from London Zoo to take her place at a dinner dance being held in her honour."
Trivia: Director Elizabeth Hobbs was previously nominated for the BAFTA for her short I'm Ok (2018)
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public outside of festivals.
THE BOY THE MOLE THE FOX AND THE HORSE
Length: 34 minutes
Country: US / Ireland
Synopsis: Based on the book of the same name.
Trivia: The longest of these shortlisted films is based on the book of the same name. Like Save Ralph it's got an all-star voice cast: Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, and Gabriel Byrne play the animals.
Where to Watch It: Streaming on Apple TV+ starting on Christmas
BLACK SLIDE
Black Slide | Trailer from Uri Lotan on Vimeo.
Length: 10 minutes
Country: Israel/UK
Synopsis: "A young boy sneaks into the scariest waterslide in the world."
Trivia: Uri Lotan's short boasts the most prizes thus far (in a tie with Ice Merchants), going into the finals, with 14 wins from festivals.
Where to Watch It: Not currently available to the public outside of festivals.
Which of these are you most intrigued by? Oscar charts will be updated soon.