Each year, the Oscar-nominated Short Films are released into
theatres as a showcase for the art of the short film; a very refined genre of
filmmaking which always has a strong focus on storytelling and characters…a
focus that is often lost on feature films with too much time and money to work
with. Short films can arguably be the most pure form of the cinematic arts, and
the annual release allows us to catch these very-well done films on the big
screen where they rightfully belong.
The most glorious aspect of the world of animated film is
that it is never restricted to one style. With so many methods of creating
animated moving pictures; CGI, hand-drawn, sketching…the sky is always the
limit and this year’s group of most-excellent nominees is a true example of how
wonderful the art can be.
The nominees are…
PROLOGUE – Done in a black-and-white pencil-drawn style
which takes place in a person’s sketchbook, the story involves a bloody
sword-and-sandal war.
This is one of the first, if not the first animated selection to run with a disclaimer warning of
the graphic nature. Taking place during the Spartan-Athenian wars, naked men
with their naughty-bits swaying about stab and spear each other to a bloody
end. There’s no real story, but the real shock is the reveal which has a young
girl witnessing it all. It’s a evidently a prologue for the young girl’s life,
and the one single shot gives the film a deeper meaning which isn’t seen
coming.
WORLD OF TOMORROW – A young girl takes a trip through time,
guided by her future offspring.
This is a mind-bender in which a girl is given a look at a
grim future, even though she’s way too young to understand any of it. It’s a
beautiful film to look at, especially considering that it’s presented by way of
stick-figures in front of simple bold color backgrounds. The many high-concepts
are thrown at us at warp speed, and the true genius of it all is that despite
the grim future the film predicts, once we’re back in the present with a
carefree child who just wants to play…all is right with the world.
SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM – In this annual nominee from Pixar, a
young Eastern Indian boy and his father clash over tradition.
This short played in front of Pixar’s THE GOOD DINOSAUR in
2015 and is the most recognized of this year’s nominees. A true gem which looks
at a child’s fascination with Western pop-culture (specifically, superheroes),
which clashes with his father’s old-school traditions. Done with no dialogue,
it’s an interesting and fun look at generational gaps, along with offering the
question of who our heroes really should be.
BEAR STORY – In a world populated by walking and talking
bears, a lonely bear tells his tragic life-story through his mechanical
puppet-box.
A magnificent little film which mostly takes place inside
the main character’s mechanical diorama-box. The CGI here is beautiful and the
design is jaw-dropping, and the feelings of family and love are always
up-front.
WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS – Two cosmonauts who are close
friends train for an important mission.
A simple, hand-drawn style with no dialogue which looks at
two best friends and how one of them copes with loss. It’s a very funny film
which has a dramatic shift in tone when tragedy occurs, and in a blink goes
from a comedy to a tear-jerker.
The Oscars will be awarded February 28th.
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