Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Episode I - Animation

On Friday night, for the third straight year, I nestled into a comfy seat the IFC Center and embarked on a four-hour journey through this year’s Oscar-nominated animated & live action short films! This has quickly become one of my favorite movie-watching traditions of the year and I can’t recommend it enough to movie geeks and casual fans alike. (This year, they’re also showing the Documentary Shorts for the first time ever, but I haven’t gotten around to seeing them yet.)

Let’s start off with the Animated Shorts, which, I have to say, weren’t quite as strong as they’ve been the past couple of years. Still some good & worthwhile stuff in there, though. Here are nominees:

MADAGASCAR, CARNET DE VOYAGE -- This French offering is essentially a scrapbook come to life, detailing a person’s trip to Madagascar and the sights, sounds, people and customs that he experienced there. Visually, it is quite impressive, as it seems to utilize every imaginable animation style, ranging from water colors to pencil etchings to claymation to CGI. There was also some amazing use of multi-plane animation that looks as close to 3D as you can get without wearing glasses. But in the end, it is little more than a Madagascar tourism brochure and didn’t particularly interest me.

LET’S POLLUTE – A satire in the style of those ridiculous ‘50s educational films, this hand-drawn American entry teaches that pollution is a part of life, has been the driving force of civilization, keeps the economy strong and is just plain cool. It goes on to instruct us how to be better polluters to ensure a more prosperous future, most notably by incorporating the Twice Rule, wherein we are instructed to “Always buy twice what you need, never use the same thing twice, waste twice as much as yesterday and never think twice about it.” It gets a little too preachy and over the top with the metaphors, but overall it’s funny stuff.

THE GRUFFALO -- Here we have a children’s story-turned-film that seems to suffer from some of the same problems as the failed WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE adaptation. I’d never heard of “The Gruffalo” before (should I have?), but it seems like it is also a very short tale that absolutely did not need to be stretched out so far (in this case, 28 minutes). Maybe five minutes would have worked -- as it stands, it’s just too damn long. Animation is glossy and cutesy and fine, but nowhere near Pixar-level CGI. It does probably contain some of the most impressive voice talent I’ve ever heard in an animated short (including Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Wilkinson, and Hagrid himself, Robbie Coltrane), but in the end, I was underwhelmed.

THE LOST THING -- Definitely the most bizarre, stylistically, of this year’s nominees. It’s the story of a boy who comes across a strange contraption/creature on the beach that nobody but him seems to notice. Turns out the thing is lost, and after bonding with it, the boy takes it upon himself to return it to its home. Bizarre visuals abound, as well as a clear commentary about living in a world where people are so caught up in their own routines that they don’t notice (or care to notice) anything out of the ordinary. An enjoyable film, albeit a bit slow -- I’m sure it will have its fans, especially among those who instinctively go for the odd stuff, but it didn’t really do it for me.

DAY & NIGHT -- Another year, another Pixar nomination -- and this time, they’ve outdone themselves with a little slice of brilliance that introduces a happy little fellow named Day to a surly stranger named Night. At first, Day and Night are appalled by and suspicious of each other’s differences -- but eventually they come to appreciate the qualities that they each have to offer -- and ultimately discover that they aren’t so different after all. The social commentary is not subtle, but it’s a hell of a lot more effective than, say, CRASH. It features the perfect mix of originality, outstanding animation, humor and poignancy -- very worthy of having preceded the great TOY STORY 3. I know I am a Pixar fanboy, but this is my favorite of their shorts in some time -- by far the best animated short of the year and most deserving of Oscar gold. Honestly, if the Academy has any sense at all, the voting shouldn’t even be close.

So, for the record, and to maintain my usual format for Oscar predictions:

I'M ROOTING FOR: Day & Night
WILL PROBABLY WIN: Day & Night

But wait, there’s more! As usual, to pad the program’s running time and make it worth the price of admission, we were also treated to two “highly recommended” shorts:

URS -- This was a bizarre and sad one -- maybe a little TOO bizarre and sad, which is why it wasn’t nominated despite featuring some pretty cool-looking animation. It’s about a German man who looks after his aging mother and decides to find a new home for them. Despite her protests, he straps her rocking chair to his back with her sitting in it, and embarks on a treacherous journey up a mountain. By the time they reach the top of the mountain, he finds that she has died. Something about the futility of life in there? Perhaps. Crazy Germans.

THE COW WHO WANTED TO BE A HAMBURGER -- I liked this one more than some of the nominees, too. A fun little ditty about a calf who sees an advertisement for a hamburger franchise and decides that he can’t wait to grow up to become a hamburger himself! He then goes to great lengths to achieve that goal, much to his mother’s horror. The animation is simple and the story is breezy and funny -- obviously loaded with commentary against the power of advertising, and, perhaps, eating meat. Personally, I didn’t want to see the cute little calf turned into a hamburger... but a nice veal parmigana? Yum.

Next up: Live Action Madness!

Oscar-Nominated Short Film Madness, Part Deux: Animation!

Animation time, bitches! GO!

FRENCH ROAST (France) -- Amusing little French ditty about a guy who has a cup of coffee at a cafe, only to realize that he forgot his wallet. Instead of owning up to it, he just keeps drinking more coffee. Meanwhile, odd encounters with the waiter, a homeless guy, a policeman and a little old lady thicken the plot.  The animation is good and the story is fun, especially if you are enamoured with Paris, as I am.

THE LADY AND THE REAPER (Spain) -- It seems that the success of Pixar's UP spawned a number of short films dealing with old people and/or death. Kind of morbid... but in this case, it is in the best possible way.  A lonely old lady awaits death so that she may be with her beloved husband once again... however, when her time comes and the Reaper arrives, she is snatched from his clutches by a pompous surgeon who saves her life.  Not to be outdone, Death fights back and a madcap battle that is reminiscent of Looney Tunes and the Benny Hill Show ensues.  Hilarious, gorgeously animated, touching and dark as hell -- a great little film and my pick for Oscar gold!

A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH (UK) -- Wallace and Gromit are back! This time, they're working as bakers, and cousin, business is booming! However, mystery is afoot, as local bakers appear to be disappearing with alarming regularity.  When Wallace meets and fall in love with his longtime bread-related crush, the "Bake-o-Lite Girl," it's up to Gromit to keep them in bread AND make sure that his master doesn't get in over his head.  If you're a fan of Nick Park’s grand creation, this film will not disappoint -- and will undoubtedly win the Oscar (have they ever lost?).  Personally, I like'em fine, but I'm not a rabid fan by any means.  Funny stuff, though!

GRANNY O'GRIMM'S SLEEPING BEAUTY (Ireland) -- I have no idea why this one was nominated. It’s about a seemingly-sweet old lady who tells a raging, bitter, warped version of Sleeping Beauty to her terrified granddaughter.  I liked the contrasting animation styles -- CGI for granny & kid; stylized 2D for the story itself -- but the skit is all build-up and shock value with no real payoff.  I realize that I am a bit of a Pixar apologist, but the fact that this forgettable mess was nominated over the far-superior PARTLY CLOUDY is a crime against humanity.

LOGORAMA (France) -- Oh man, this one is CRAZY.  It’s set in a Los Angeles-esque world in which everything is made up of recognizable corporate logos and mascots.  I do mean EVERYTHING, ranging from pedestrians who look like AOL icons, to Michelin Man policemen, to traffic lights modeled after the Stop-and-Shop logo, to the MGM lion in a cage at the zoo (which is run by a flamboyantly gay Mr. Clean), to a murderous, rampaging Ronald McDonald... this film is no-holds-barred, wildly entertaining and I cannot believe it actually got made! Loaded with strong language, violence, car chases and natural disasters, this is truly the ultimate scathing of an over-marketed corporate America as only the French could portray! 

Aaaaand the little gold man should/will go to....

I'M ROOTING FOR: The Lady and the Reaper
WILL PROBABLY WIN: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Oh, before I forget, since the Oscar nominees were so short, we were also treated to three “highly considered” films, as well. They were as follows:

PARTLY CLOUDY (USA) – Much like Pixar’s feature presentation, this year’s short film is not one of their best efforts -- but it’s still a world better than most other films.  Actually, this film, which tells the story of where the babies come from BEFORE the stork delivers them, has grown on me after re-watching it on Blu-Ray and again on the big screen.  The animation is splendid, the characters are memorable and the story is refreshingly original.  Puzzling that it didn’t get the nomination... would’ve been interesting to see Pixar vs. Nick Park in a battle of the animated short titans!

RUNAWAY (Canada) – Mildly amusing but mostly forgettable piece about a train that hits a cow and careens out of control. The conductor is off gallivanting and it’s up to the lowly coal-pusher to save the day. Meanwhile, a bit of a class struggle occurs between the well-to-do set and the steerage passengers, with surprisingly dark results.  I liked the traditional animation, which was some of the most unique of any of the entries... but overall the film just wasn’t that great.

THE KINEMATOGRAPH (Poland) -- Lovely, affecting film about an old inventor who is on the cusp of a major breakthrough that could change the world: moving pictures with color and sound. He works feverishly on his project, neglecting the outside world and his loving wife... and before he knows it, life has passed him by. Profoundly sad, somewhat disjointed, but beautifully animated -- particularly the way that the characters look like they're made of wood, complete with tree rings embedded in their skin.


In conclusion: Oscar Night is still a few days away, so get your sweet asses to the IFC Center immediately and see these films! Totally worth $25 for three solid hours of short film insanity!

P.S. In case you missed it, you can read my reviews of the Live-Action nominees right....... HERE!