Hello, and welcome to Sketch to Screen, a newsletter looking at the world of animation from yours truly, IndieWire Curation Editor Wilson Chapman. This is a space to celebrate all of animation, from Oscar-winning features to obscure anime and foreign projects that deserve some love. If you’re in the mood for recommendations of great animated shows and thoughtful analysis of where the industry is headed, take some time to subscribe and maybe share with a friend.
Today, with Oscar voting having closed, let’s spend some time looking at the Best Animated Short category, and the 15 short films that may or may not be nominated for the award. The short film categories are always among the least spotlighted in the Oscars, mainly due to the relative lack of accessibility to them among the general public. But they’re also among the most fun races to follow if you can, looking at the little weird baubles and hidden gems that can catch the Academy’s attention. And the animated short category has always been a great spotlight for emerging, unique voices within animation and unique concepts that can’t sustain a feature film but make for a fabulous 10 minutes.
In alphabetical order, he’s a rundown of the 15 shorts that are in contention, what’s worth watching, and what I believe will get nominated (although don’t take my word as gospel!)
“Autokar”
Directed by Sylwia Szkiłądź, “Autokar” follows eight-year-old Agata as she migrates via bus from Poland to Belgium. On the way, she copes with her fears by imagining herself in a world of half-animal, half-human creatures. It’s a sweet and cute, if slightly basic, little fable.
“Butterfly”
Directed by Florence Miailhe, this 15-minute films is the exact type of historical, issues-based narrative that sometimes helps shorts break through in their categories, focusing on the life of French swimmer Alfred Nakache, an Olympic athlete who survived the Holocaust as it reflects on his experiences dealing with antisemitism within the sport. The film’s dreamy structure and beautiful watercolor artwork makes it stand out as a particularly tasteful, honest work
“Cardboard”
“Cardboard” by director J.P Vine follows a family of pigs who move to a trailer park, where the kids use their imagination and a cardboard box to find the beauty in their home. Nominated for an Annie, the short is a tiny bit bland and cutesy, although sweet enough that it could prove to be a relative crowdpleaser.
“Éiru”
This short comes from a familiar name in animation, “Song of the Sea” and “The Secret of Kells” studio Cartoon Saloon. Directed by Giovanna Ferrari, it’s a slight fable about a tiny girl trying to prove herself to her viking clan, with a heartwarming if basic anti-war moral at the center. Still, its gorgeous hand-drawn animation plus the general acclaim of Cartoon Saloon could be enough for it to get some recognition.
“Forevergreen”
This very sweet short from directors Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears has a beautiful aesthetic, with the characters and landscapes designed to look like wood carvings and sculptures. It also has an ecological message and story — about a bear cub and a living tree that cares for him — that thankfully never pushes its sentimentality too hard.
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
The directors behind “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, have been nominated in this category before, for 2007’s “Madame Tutli-Putli.” Plus it got an Annie nomination, which bodes well for the duo’s chances to receive a repeat nom. Also helping: the short, a stop-motion fable about a girl who weeps pearls and a boy caught between loving her and using her for material gain, is gorgeously made and quite emotionally stirring.
“Hurikán”
“Hurikán” has a memorable, instantly cool black and white noir aesthetic, but is one of the thinnest films in terms of story. Directed by Jan Saska, it follows the pig-headed hero as he attempts to save his favorite bar by finding a keg, wooing the bartender in the process. Part of what makes it not quite stand out is it’s neither super funny nor satisfyingly dramatic, landing in a middle ground that doesn’t quite leave an impact.
“I Died in Irpin”
From its simple pencil sketch aesthetic to its narration from director Anastasiia Falileieva, much of “I Died in Irpin” feels suitably raw for its subject matter, focusing on Falileieva’s experience fleeing Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. Under the sometimes darkly comic storytelling of its director, the struggle — something you’ve probably read about many times in newspapers — feels deeply personal, as she struggles with her anxiety and paranoia and her decaying relationship with her boyfriend as much as she does with the occupation. It’s one of the shortest, but most effective, films to make the shortlist.
“The Night Boots”
Pierre-Luc Granjon’s short “The Night Boots” has a stunning picture-book aesthetic, simulated through the unique process of pin screen animation. It also went over well at the Annecy Award Festival where it premiered, winning the prize for Best Short Film. Not in its favor: at 12 minutes, the short — about a child who wanders into the forest and meets a strange creature — is memorably weird but could be accused of dragging a bit, which might not go over well with Oscar voters.
“Playing God”
One of the very best films on the animation shortlist, “Playing God” by director Matteo Burani is a gorgeously made claymation tale of a clay sculpture brought to life by a mysterious maker. Genuinely terrifying in its body horror, it strikes as perhaps a bit too weird and off-putting to get into the Oscar pool, but it would be a wonderfully pleasant surprise if it happens.
“The Quinta’s Ghost”
James A. Castillo’s “The Quinta’s Ghost” takes its gorgeous art style from the works of Francisco Goya, the Spanish artist the short focuses upon. Tackling his later years, when he was holed up in his manor Quinta del Sordo, it plunges us into the artist’s mind, when his art — the so-called Black Paintings — was at its bleakest and most disturbing. It’s a fascinating, insightful look into its subject that avoids feeling like a history lesson.
“Retirement Plan”
You can watch this short by Irish animator John Kelly on The New Yorker’s Youtube page, which makes sense; its minimalist, Daniel Clowes-inspired art style feels like something right from the magazine’s pages. Narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, “Retirement Plan” follows the goals of what a man hopes to accomplish in the final stages of life, and it has a tonal balance — ruminative and a little sad but also wryly funny and never too depressing — that feels like a sweet spot to get attention (and a nom) in this category.
“The Shyness of Trees”
This French short (a student film from the Parisian animation school Gobelins) is brimming with intriguing ideas about human connection with nature and family trauma. Maybe a little too many ideas: at just eight minutes, it never fully comes together or finds the right punch to its story, although it certainly has arresting and memorable imagery to catch your attention.
“Snow Bear”
The art style of “Snow Bear” will strike a nostalgic chord for Millennials and Gen Z who grew up in the early 2000s; it comes from veteran Disney animator Aaron Blaise, who also directed 2003’s “Brother Bear.” Following a polar bear desperate for companionship who makes a friend from the quickly melting ice cap, it’s a visual stunner, creating an entire gorgeous landscape in an art style that evokes classic Disney. And the story is sweet as well, with a pro-environment message that isn’t too preachy. The short received an Annie nomination: I’m inclined to think that plus Blaise’s profile in the industry can propel it to a nom, and it might even be my overall prediction to win the category.
“The Three Sisters”
Georgian director Timur Kognov’s short “The Three Sisters” is one of the most overtly comedic on the shortlist, focusing on three sisters living on a small island as they deal with the tenants they’re forced to rent out one of their homes to. Memorable animation and some cute gags keep the film watchable, although it never really finds a hook to really grab the audience.