Short Film Review - 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films (Animated)
Another stellar line-up of the most imaginative pieces of art and cinema has to offer!
It’s the Academy Awards! There are plenty of excellent films up for the run for their respective awards, and 2022 was a surprising and wonderful year for animation! We had the unique and charming Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, the action-packed and stylistic Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Guillermo del Toro’s latest dark fairytale Pinocchio. However, where animation in the Oscars truly shines is with the animated shorts. They always manage to bring the essence of true animation onto the screen and are always filled with such passion and drive.
We have five excellent nominees to go through, so let’s begin!
ICE MERCHANTS - dir. João Gonzalez
An illustrious exemplar of colour work and tension, This short film delves into the lives of two ice merchants, a father and son, living on the side of a mountain. Gonzalez masterfully juxtaposes the cool tones of the harsh winter with the warm colours of a mountain-side cabin, and this idea extends to the character designs: the father and son constantly standing out in every environment and background. The growing tension and suspense throughout the film hooks you onto your seat until it delivers a satisfying twist. A wonderful watch with amazing animation.
THE FLYING SAILOR - dir. Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby
What begins as an innocent, Warner Bros’-esqe short quickly turns into an existential exploration of death with no breathing space for the sudden whiplash; and it’s stunning. Inspired by the real life catastrophe that was the 1917 Halifax Explosion, the film sees the titular flying sailor be flown into the air after two ships, one containing thousands of TNT, collide and explode, devastating the nearby port. The score of this film wonderfully accompanies this poor sailor’s flight and captures the idea of “life flashing before your eyes”. The visuals are brilliant as well, combining 2D, 3D, and even instances of drawn-on-film to show the chaos that ensued. Although it’s the shortest film in the line-up, it’s sweetly succinct and balances sincerity with the hectic.
AN OSTRICH TOLD ME THE WORLD IS FAKE AND I THINK I BELIEVE IT - dir. Lachlan Pendragon
Australia’s entry is the brilliant animated short with probably the longest title in existence, and it earns it. Imagine if The Truman Show was a stop-motion film instead of a reality television show, and that’s the plot. And it does that concept so wonderfully. It has so much fun with being meta not only in its writing but through the power of animation, with the camera filming the camera filming the stop-motion animation. It is a genuinely fun piece of cinema and a love letter to what animation encapsulates: imagination. Lachlan Pendragon, like Adam Elliot before him, will be another Aussie Stop-Motion superstar if he makes more films like this.
MY YEAR OF DICKS - dir. Sara Gunnarsdōttir
Sara Gunnarsdottir brings her iconic psychedelic visuals with her adaptation of Pamela Ribon’s memoir “Notes to Boys: And Other Things I Shouldn’t Share in Public”. Made in five parts, the film explores a fifteen-year-old girl's attempts to lose her virginity. The relatable teenage conquest is brought to the screen with hilarious writing and spectacular visuals, and the balance between comedy and cringe-comedy hits the sweet spot as we observe this young woman’s life. The animation, while mainly rotoscoped, does offer stylistic differences across parts, with one part having gothic references to another having an anime style. It’s a story that most of us have gone through, but retold as a LSD trip and it’s brilliant.
“THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE” - dir. Peter Baynton and & Charlie Mackesy
This adaptation of the same name truly is a children’s book come to life, and it’s hard to say that about other children’s book adaptations; it truly is a charming piece of cinema. The style is absolutely gorgeous from its watercolour-esqe backgrounds to the unique linework on the characters, themselves being the essence of simplicity. The message is wonderful too, and the film truly encapsulates that with the growing relationships between the characters - the lost boy who wants a home; the timid mole who fancies cake and courage; the humble horse who’s not afraid to explore his weakness; and the unsure fox who struggles to crack his hard exterior - as they realise that home is where love is eternal. This short is an excellent piece and a top recommendation for children’s media.
Another year with fantastic animation. From a harrowing father-son story set in ice, to a film about a wonderful explosion, to a meta-narrative exploring the set of a stop-motion film, to the psychedelic visual diary of a horny teenager, to the nurturing whimsy of a boy and his animal friends, these animations all bring to the table of what animation is all about. It’s hard to say which one will win, they all bring something different to the table, but it’s easy to say that the table has a delicious feast resting upon it.
We can’t forget that animation has always been seen as the “inferior” medium compared to live-action film, with differences in union rates, lack of support, and disregard in stories. However, it’s not hard to believe that this year, noting the brilliant pieces of cinema that’s been nominated in both the feature and shorts, a change will arise.
The 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films (Animated) are screening in cinemas this weekend 10-12 March. For tickets and more info, click here.