Five animated shorts

I was curious about the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film. Last week I had a chance to watch them all.

Forevergreen

a film by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears

Moralising and predictable, this film is hands down the wurst of the lot. In case you didn’t know it: pine nuts good, junk food bad.

The Three Sisters

a film by Konstantin Bronzit

The three titular sisters lead their forlorn existence on a small island. Naturally, it’s all transformed when a sailor moves in. This (not so) slightly misogynistic short can make you giggle a couple of times before you get bored.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

a film by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

I wonder what was the real reason for giving this stop-motion animation its Oscar. Yes, it’s technically stunning. The story is rather dubious, to say the least. And I didn’t feel any emotional connection to its, let’s be honest, ugly characters.

Butterfly

a film by Florence Miailhe

Touching and beautiful, Butterfly is based on the life of the Olympic swimmer and Holocaust survivor Alfred Nakache. Now this is the Oscar material.

Retirement Plan

a film by John Kelly

At just seven minutes, this film is the shortest — and, IMHO, the best — of the five.