Last year I previewed all 33 of the Oscar qualifying animated shorts that were up for consideration for the Academy Awards and this year I have 12 additional shorts to consider and I have found either the full short, a clip, a trailer or an image from all but two of the contending shorts and put them together in this one article.
These shorts have all been screened for members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who will soon vote on the ultimate short list that will be in contention for an Oscar nomination. Last year ten films made the list. Take a look over the next eight pages and see which ones stand out to you.
There are a few instances where you may have to click a link to watch a clip and, in one instance, to watch the entire film.
Thanks goes to Cartoon Brew and The Film Experience for the heads up on the list.
When a New Yorker walks past a chicken on his morning stroll, we’re left to wonder which one is the real city slicker…
A touching story in which fantasy and reality merge to make dreams come true. How determining can reality be, and how can fantasy unleash an unexpected freedom? Can a fragile world of lights and shadows show us more than a silhouette drawn against the sunlight?
Director Zach Hyer won the Gold Medal at the 38th Student Academy Awards for Correspondence, which you can see a brief clip from right here. The short features 3-D animation that takes place during an undefined war and focuses on issues of power abuse and control. Using a minimal narrative, during which the main character risks his life for a frivolous cause, the film serves as a critique of power structures in general.
