Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

I’m offering winner predictions in all categories for the Oscars as Awards Editor for FilmFactual. Here’s my assessment of Best Animated Short.

Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Short

I’m offering predictions in all categories for the Oscar nominations as Awards Editor for FilmFactual. Here’s my assessment of Best Animated Short.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees: Affairs of the Art, Bestia, Boxballet, Robin Robin, The Windshield Wiper

Previous winners: If Anything Happens I Love You, Hair Love, Bao, Dear Basketball, Piper, Bear Story, Feast

For your information: This is the first Oscar nomination for all filmmakers except “Affairs of the Art” director Joanna Quinn, who was nominated in this category twenty-five years ago for “Famous Fred.” I had the pleasure to interview almost all the filmmakers – click on the titles above to watch! Most of the films are available to watch – “Affairs of the Art” and “The Windshield Wiper” are on YouTube, “Bestia” can be rented on Vimeo, and “Robin Robin” is on Netflix.

Who should win: I think I liked “The Windshield Wiper” best.
Who will win: Though its content is a bit jarring, I think Bestia wins.

Oscar Nominees: Best Animated Short

My predictions: 1/5
The nominees: Affairs of the Art, Bestia, Boxballet, Robin Robin, The Windshield Wiper

I did very poorly here, picking just one of the nominees: The Windshield Wiper. I will note that both Affairs of the Art and Bestia featured very creative animation, while Boxballet and Robin Robin were clever in their approaches to storytelling. I’m hoping to have more coverage ahead of the Oscars about each of these. For now, click on the titles that are links to watch those films!

My current bet to win: It’s a tough call. Maybe Bestia?

Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Short

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 8th. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in all categories.

Last year’s nominees: Burrow, Genius Loci, If Anything Happens I Love You, Opera, Yes-People

I had the opportunity this year to screen all fifteen shortlisted films in this category. I’ll offer some brief thoughts on the contenders in my predictions, and links to watch if they are publicly available. Length doesn’t always matter, but sometimes the shortest ones can have a great impact even with a minimal run time. Among the most impactful is Only a Child, which runs less than seven minutes and features the words written by a twelve-year-old about the state of our planet (watch it on YouTube). Another brief but memorable entry, which is probably the most universal and kid-friendly but still appealing to adults, is Us Again, a fun ode to aging and good memories (watch it on Disney+). Netflix has a family film of its own that runs about half an hour called Robin Robin about a robin raised by mice that’s endearing (and available to watch on Netflix). The rest of the fare turns much more towards adult themes. Boxballet and Bad Seeds (watch on YouTube) find humor in the similar movements of people and plants, respectively. Step into the River, Flowing Home (watch on YouTube), and The Musician (watch on Paramount+) deal with the effects of political divisions and family separation in radically different places and eras. Mum is Pouring Rain feels like a traditional fairy tale that follows a young girl’s lackluster attitude towards spending time with her grandmother. Namoo comes from Erick Oh, who directed last year’s nominated “Opera,” and looks at the intersection of art and loss. Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice features an intense voyage deep into an underworld, while Affairs of the Art (watch via The New Yorker) uses creative imagery to explore one family’s relationship to taxidermy. The Windshield Wiper isn’t as narrative-based but looks at the meaning of love. Bestia (rent on Vimeo) and Souvenir Souvenir (rent on Vimeo) both incorporate violence in unexpected ways, with the former following a Chilean spy and the latter looking at a relative’s wartime experiences. This category is always difficult to predict, but I’ll make my best guesses based on being more prepared than ever before thanks to having screened all of these finalists.

Predicted nominees: Namoo, Only a Child, Souvenir Souvenir, Us Again, The Windshield Wiper

Forecasted winner: I see If Anything Happens I Love You triumphing.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees:

 
Burrow (B+)
A rabbit has big plans for what her home will be like, and finds that reality is going to present obstacles and opportunities. This dialogue-free short is inventive and heartwarming, running just six minutes. Watch it now on Disney Plus.

If Anything Happens I Love You (B+)
Two parents mourning the loss of their child struggle to reconnect and come to terms with what they have suffered. This emotional film is definitely for adults, though it utilizes powerful imagery to convey the lingering spirit of their child’s presence. Watch it now on Netflix.

Genius Loci (B)
This striking French film uses its animation to tell its story in a particularly memorable way, interpreting the city and its characters through the ways in which they blend together. It’s certainly not easy to follow as a narrative, but there is an artistry to the movement of shapes that is powerful and enduring. Watch a teaser on Vimeo.

Opera (B+)
There’s so much going on in this very intricate and mesmerizing film, one that explores civilization and conflict, representing the way people interact with one another and how they function. It’s almost impossible to catch everything that is going on in this visual portrait of history through a constantly-operating pyramid, but what comes across is tremendous effort and immense thought. Watch a trailer on YouTube .

Yes-People (B+)
This Icelandic delight is indeed peculiar but also rather entertaining, almost wordlessly spending time with a group of people as they go about their day. Its character connections and minimal plot are clever, while its animation is particularly remarkable. Watch it on YouTube via The New Yorker .

Previous winners: Hair Love, Bao, Dear Basketball, Piper, Bear Story, Feast, Mr. Hublot

For your information: This is the first Oscar nomination for all filmmakers in this category. “Burrow” comes from Pixar, a major historical player in this category last nominated in 2018, for “Bao,” which won.

Who should win: I think I’d choose “If Anything Happens I Love You” or “Opera.”
Who will win: I think this will be If Anything Happens I Love You but it could also go to “Opera.”

Oscar Nominees: Best Animated Short

My predictions: 3/5
The nominees: Burrow, Genius Loci, If Anything Happens I Love You, Opera, Yes-People

I’ve only seen two of these films, so I need to watch the others before offering judgment. I predicted the other Disney Plus short, “Out,” over Burrow, though they’re both lovely, and Netflix’s If Anything Happens I Love You seemed like a non-brainer. I’ve heard excellent things about Opera and am looking forward to seeing both Genius Loci and Yes-People when I can, and offering more thoughts then. I’m sad that “To Gerard” didn’t make the cut – that was a sweet film.

My current bet to win: For now, I’ll say If Anything Happens I Love You.

Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Short

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Monday, March 15th. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in all categories.

Last year’s nominees: Daughter, Hair Love, Kitbull, Memorable, Sister

There are ten finalists in this category, and I had the opportunity to screen five of them. Therefore, I’ll be making my predictions with short summaries and reviews of the one I’ve seen and watching any that make the cut that I haven’t after nominations are announced.

Burrow (B+)
A rabbit has big plans for what her home will be like, and finds that reality is going to present obstacles and opportunities. This dialogue-free short is inventive and heartwarming, running just six minutes. Watch it now on Disney Plus.

If Anything Happens I Love You (B+)
Two parents mourning the loss of their child struggle to reconnect and come to terms with what they have suffered. This emotional film is definitely for adults, though it utilizes powerful imagery to convey the lingering spirit of their child’s presence. Watch it now on Netflix.

Kapaemahu (B-)
This film chronicles the forgotten fabled gender-fluid history of Waikiki Beach, portraying the mythical story and then showing how it has been covered and built over to create modern-day Hawaii. It’s a worthwhile and important piece of culture with vibrant animation, but doesn’t feel quite as cohesive as a film. Watch it now on YouTube via Omeleto.

Out (B+)
This film’s description – a man switches bodies with his dog – might sound similar to feature-length contender “Soul,” but it has the added dimension of that same man struggling to come out to his parents. It’s a fun and uplifting story full of spirit. Watch it now on Disney Plus.

To Gerard (B+)
A mailman revels in the opportunity to enthrall a young child with the magic he’s been yearning to do his entire life. It’s hard not to find this film charming, and its short length makes it a perfect immersion into this delightful world. Watch it free on Peacock.

Also in contention are Genius Loci, from France, Opera, from South Korea and the United States, The Snail and the Whale, from the United Kingdom, Yes People, from Iceland, and Traces, from France and Belgium. Without having seen half of them, it’s hard to know exactly what will make the cut, but I’ll have more to say once nominees are out and I’ve seen any of the rest.

Predicted nominees: Genius Loci, If Anything Happens I Love You, Opera, Out, To Gerard

Forecasted winner: I see If Anything Happens I Love You triumphing.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees:
Daughter (B+)
This fifteen-minute Czech film features no dialogue as it explores the relationship between a daughter and her dying father. The animation is raw and stunning, and the film is powerful.

Hair Love (B+)
This six-minute delight finds an African-American girl struggling to contain her hair and longing for more. It’s a sweet and simple film that is sure to win over voters. Watch it for yourself on YouTube.

Kitbull (B)
Maybe it’s become I’m not a pet person, but this nine-minute story of a cat and dog in San Francisco is perfectly fine but far from memorable, especially considering its Pixar ties. Watch it for yourself on YouTube.

Memorable (A-)
This twelve-minute French short brilliantly explores fading memory in its portrait of a painter and his wife, using its animation style to enhance the effectiveness of its deeply moving and heartbreaking storytelling.

Sister (B)
This eight-minute Chinese stop-motion film explores the effects of a sibling in childhood, packing an emotional punch but taking a while to get there.

Previous winners: Bao, Dear Basketball, Piper, Bear Story, Feast, Mr. Hublot, Paperman
For your information: This is the first Oscar nomination for all filmmakers in this category. “Hair Love” was funded by Kickstarter but picked up by Sony Pictures Animation and shown before “The Angry Birds Movie 2.” “Kitbull” comes from Pixar, a fifteen-time nominee with five wins, including last year for “Bao.”

Who should win: I would be fine with “Hair Love” or “Daughter” winning, but “Memorable” is my definite favorite.
Who will win: With three different movies about memory and loss competing, I think Hair Love prevails.

Oscar Nominees: Best Animated Short

My predictions: 2/5
The nominees: Daughter, Hair Love, Kitbull, Memorable, Sister

I’ve seen three of these films - Hair Love, which I predicted, Sister, which I can understand why it was included, and Kitbull, a Pixar production that I don’t think needed to be here. I’m sad that the hilarious “Hors Piste” didn’t make the cut, and surprised that “He Can’t Live Without Cosmos” wasn’t included. I still have to watch Daughter and Memorable, so more on those soon!

My current bet to win: I’m going with Hair Love.

Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Short

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Monday, January 13th. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories.


Last year’s nominees: Animal Behaviour, Bao, Late Afternoon, One Small Step, Weekends

There are ten finalists in this category, and I had the opportunity to screen six of them. Therefore, I’ll be making my predictions with short summaries and reviews of the one I’ve seen and watching any that make the cut that I haven’t after nominations are announced.

Hair Love (B+)
This six-minute delight finds an African-American girl struggling to contain her hair and longing for more. It’s a sweet and simple film that is sure to over voters.

Hors Piste (A-)
Six minutes is all this hilarious mountain-set French film needs to chronicle the haplessness of two rescuers sent to help a stranded climber who make more than enough problems for themselves along the way.

Kitbull (B)
Maybe it’s become I’m not a pet person, but this nine-minute story of a cat and dog in San Francisco is perfectly fine but far from memorable, especially considering its Pixar ties.

The Physics of Sorrow (B-)
This twenty-seven-minute Canadian head trip is quite the experience, a deep, depressing dive into a life lost to outside influences. The hot wax painting used to create the animation is mesmerizing, even if the content is relatively miserable.

Sister (B)
This eight-minute Chinese stop-motion film explores the effects of a sibling in childhood, packing an emotional punch but taking a while to get there.

Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (B+)
This thirteen-minute Portuguese film is an intriguing look at the effect director Regina Pessoa’s obsessive uncle had her on her life in fascinating fashion.

Also in contention are Daughter, from the Czech Republic, Mind My Mind, from the Netherlands, Memorable, from France, and He Can’t Live Without Cosmos, from Russia, which is a sequel to the 2015 short nominated in this category, “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos.” More on those after I’ve seen them if they make the cut!

Predicted nominees: Daughter, Hair Love, He Can’t Live Without Cosmos, Hors Piste, Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days

Forecasted winner: I’ll say Hors Piste but I’ll obviously have a better idea once I watch the films.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees:
Animal Behaviour (B)
This clever short launches right away into the obvious proclivities of its animal characters, using them as subjects they need to discuss in therapy. The notion of working through issues that are defining characteristics of certain species is indeed funny, though this short dives a bit too deep and fully into its premise, covering sexual cannibalism and other wonderful topics in just fourteen short minutes. This feels more like a trailer for a TV series that could better handle this idea.

Bao (B+)
Pixar’s contribution to this field, which played before “Incredibles 2,” is an extremely endearing story about an empty-nester who conjures up a new child when a dumpling she makes comes to life. There’s never been a better argument for doing away completely with dialogue, as this heartwarming tale, clocking in at just seven minutes, manages to convey the power of relationships and spending time together through inventive humor.

Late Afternoon (B)
This Irish short featuring the voice of Fionnula Flanagan as an elderly woman recalling memories from her past comes from Cartoon Saloon, which has produced Best Animated Feature nominees “The Secret of Kells,” “The Song of the Sea,” and “The Breadwinner.” This exploration of its protagonist’s life through the disjointed events she recalls and can’t quite place feels very much like those, using its plot as a canvas on which to travel. That journey is captivating if not terribly structured.

One Small Step (B)
It’s easy to be inspired by this simple story of a young Chinese-American girl who wants nothing more than to become an astronaut. Formative moments in which she finds a space helmet and then ultimately applies for an actual training moment are conveyed without conversation and with straightforward imagery that represents the power of what being able to explore space means to her. There’s not much more to it, but it’s sweet.

Weekends (B)
This film is a powerful representation of the effects of divorce, as a young boy goes back and forth between his parents’ two homes. Animation proves enormously useful as a tool here as his imagination runs wild and colors his experiences, illustrated on screen with very little dialogue to detract from the feeling of being trapped in this cycle of nonstop moving. It’s decent and worthwhile, but ultimately a bit unfocused.

Previous winners: Dear Basketball, Piper, Bear Story, Feast, Mr. Hublot, Paperman, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

For your information: “Animal Behaviour” co-directors David Fine and Alison Snowden won this award in 1994 for “Bob’s Birthday,” and Fine was also nominated in 1985 for “Second Class Mail.” “Animal Behaviour” is produced by the National Film Board of Canada, which has won six prizes out of thirty-five nominations. “Bao” comes from Pixar, a fourteen-time nominee with four wins. The other three are all either from companies never nominated or independent distributors.

Who should win: This list is much, much more palatable than the live action field. All five were perfectly good, though “Bao” came off as much more fully rounded to me than the rest.
Who will win: I feel like either “Animal Behaviour” or “Weekends” could earn enough votes, but I think Bao is far enough out front.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees:
Dear Basketball (B)
This adaptation of a letter Kobe Bryant wrote to the NBA officially declaring his retirement is not the typical focus for a nominated short. The visual interpretation of his ode to the thing that he loves is pretty incredible, with hand-drawn animation bringing all of his formative experiences and dreams to life. For those not invested in Bryant’s career or in the sport, this film does its best to capture the incredible attachment he feels to basketball and what retiring truly means for him.

Garden Party (C+)
Don’t let this short’s title fool you: this isn’t a normal party. This French film follows the amphibian residents of the inside and outside of a rich home where very little seems to be happening and plenty is decomposing. It’s not worth ruining its ending, but this short is relatively unappealing and only moderately engaging as its protagonists make typical animal noises and crawl around an abandoned mansion.

Lou (B+)
Here’s Pixar’s contribution to this year’s lineup, the film that played before “Cars 3” during its theatrical release. As usual, it’s a sweet story of an unlikely transformation, this time about a bully who is reminded of his humanity by the monster living inside a lost and found box in the school playground. It’s simple and endearing, and very hard not to like.

Negative Space (B+)
This stop-motion French short is simple in its presentation but its content is considerably more layered and deep, with a special emphasis placed on the value of space. An adult son’s recollections of how he bonded most with his well-traveled father over being taught how to efficiently pack a suitcase are made all the more poignant by the realization that those moments were their most substantive together. The animation, particularly the folding of the clothes, is marvelous.

Revolting Rhymes (B+)
This short is the length of the other four combined, adapting poems from the Roald Dahl book of the same name. Featuring recognizable voices like Dominic West, it begins with a wolf sitting in a restaurant and telling the woman with him an intermingled story of Red Riding Hood and Snow White. It’s fresh, creative, and not as revolting as the title would have you think despite some unpleasantness, and definitely a productive and commendable effort.

Previous winners: Piper, Bear Story, Feast, Mr. Hublot, Paperman, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Lost Thing

Who should win: I wouldn’t vote for “Garden Party” or “Dear Basketball,” but any of the other three would be fine. I’d probably pick “Lou.”

Who will win: I think it’s between Lou and “Negative Space,” and I’ll choose the former for now. I’ve seen in the past that this category can be wildly unpredictable, so it could honestly be any of them, though probably not “Garden Party.”

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The competition:
Blind Vaysha (B)
This isn’t so much a narrative short film as it is a life lesson, presenting a parable in which its protagonist can only see the past with her left eye and the future with her right eye. As a result, she is never able to live in and experience the present, and removing one eye would cut her off either from what has happened or what will. It’s thought-provoking but presents more questions in eight minutes than answers.

Borrowed Time (B)
It’s rare to find an animated film, short or feature-length, that’s also a Western. This dramatic piece finds a sheriff grappling with a traumatizing childhood memory that has deeply affected him. There’s not all that much to it, but it does tell a simple and powerful story featuring just two characters and some decent scenery.

Pear Cider and Cigarettes (B+)
This is by far the longest of all the nominees - longer than all the others combined, in fact - and tells a magnetically interesting tale of a man and the way his life was defined by that of his charismatic friend. It's gripping and involving for its full 35 minutes, even if it ends somewhat abruptly.

Pearl (B+)
This one is cool since it tells the story of a car and the family that tours that country using it. It’s a wonderful, whimsical look at formative events in the life of a daughter and her father, all creatively told from the passenger seat of the car. It’s also available to watch in VR, which adds even more dynamism to its perspective.

Piper (B)
This is the token entry that played before a popular feature-length animated film - “Finding Dory” in this case - and has therefore been seen by a much wider audience than is normal. This sweet story of a bird who is afraid of the water is enormously entertaining and cute, and will certainly please children if not most adults as well.

Previous winners: Bear Story, Feast, Mr. Hublot, Paperman, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Lost Thing, Logorama, Le Maison en Petits Cubes

Who should win: I think I’d choose “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” over “Piper,” both any of these would be fine.
Who will win: I suspect that Pearl will be the winner, but Goldderby odds suggest it has the least likely shot. I’ll stick with it anyway even though the shorts races are notoriously unpredictable.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The competition:
Bear Story (B)
This is a sweet and well-animated tale of a lonely bear remembering happy beginnings and miserable endings through a marvelously lively portable presentation. The artistry involved is the best part, and the sad, tender plot makes it hard to shake.

Prologue (D)
The only thing I can compliment about this short, pointlessly brutal picture is that it does a magnificent job of manipulating space using animation. Its content, however, is entirely deplorable and unnecessary, making this unquestionably the worst of the bunch.

Sanjay's Super Team (B-)
This short played before "The Good Dinosaur." It acted like an inspirational, enjoyable fable about a child's imagination and what is important to his father, but I found it to be a bit of a letdown, engaging enough but hardly worthy of celebration.

We Can't Live Without Cosmos (B+)
This one is my clear favorite, an endearing tale of two lifelong friends training to be astronauts. The absence of dialogue is perfectly matched by inspiring visuals and a succesful capturing of the emotions of these two buddies with their heads in the clouds.

World of Tomorrow (C-)
I don't even know what to say about this odd, off-putting short. It starts out interesting, with a girl meeting a robotic future version of her consciousness, and then gets really dark and strange, and not in a good way. The animation is all over the place, purposely, and what should be a productive thought experiment is just puzzling and peculiar.

Previous winners: Feast, Mr. Hublot, Paperman, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Lost Thing, Logorama, Le Maison en Petits Cubes, Peter and the Wolf

Who should win: I would enthusiastically select “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos.”
Who will win: I think it's a race between Bear Story and "We Can't Live Without Cosmos." My money is on the former. Like all the other nominees except “Sanjay’s Super Team,” it’s still depressing but also clever and endearing.

Oscar Nominees: Short Films

I’ve been predicting these categories for a few years now knowing little to nothing about them, and this year I scored 8/15. I’ve had the chance to screen all of the nominees the past few years, and I hope to do the same this year. All I’ve seen is “Sanjay’s Super Team,” which managed to get a nomination even though the much better feature it played before, “The Good Dinosaur,” didn’t, so I’ll wait to offer commentary until them. All images below are from Oscar.com.

Best Documentary Short Film

My predictions: 2/5
The nominees: Body Team 12, Chau Beyond the Lines, Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, Last Day of Freedom
The frontrunner: TBD

Best Live Action Short Film

My predictions: 3/5
The nominees: Ave Maria, Day One, Everything Will Be Okay, Shok, Stutterer
The frontrunner: TBD

Best Animated Short Film

My predictions: 3/5
The nominees: Bear Story, Prologue, Sanjay’s Super Team, We Can’t Live Without Cosmos, World of Tomorrow
The frontrunner: TBD

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees:
The Bigger Picture (B+)
I found this to be an extremely creative and visually striking short, one that catalogues life, attachment, and death into stark images that morph from one thing into another with fluidity. It’s not optimistic but it is hard to forget.
The Dam Keeper (B+)
It’s not often you find a film with a pig as its hero, and those that do have one – “Babe” and “Charlotte’s Web,” for instance – tend to be very well-received. That’s the case for this gorgeous short about a pig who is teased by all his animal classmates but meets one particularly foxy new friend. It’s somewhat dark but easily loveable.
Feast (B+)
This is the short many people will realize that they’ve seen since it played before “Big Hero 6.” A simple story of a dog who gets fed fewer unhealthy treats when his owner meets a lady friend is effortlessly amusing and enthralling. It’s the least creative in terms of animation, but that shouldn’t be a problem given how likeable it is.
Me and My Moulton (B)
This chronicle of three sisters and their desire to get a bicycle is completely reminiscent of “The Danish Poet,” which won this prize in 2006, and that’s mainly becomes it comes from the same Norwegian-Canadian filmmaker, Torill Kove. This one isn’t quite as whimsical, but Oscar voters clearly like Kove.
A Single Life (B+)
This short is just two minutes, but it’s easily the most enjoyable of this category, with a woman who jumps through different points in her life with a quick touch of her record player. It’s over almost before it begins, and that’s what makes it so delightfully effective.

Previous winners: Mr. Hublot, Paperman, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Lost Thing, Logorama, Le Maison en Petits Cubes, Peter and the Wolf
Who should win: These are actually are pretty great, unlike last year. My pick is “The Bigger Picture,” with “A Single Life” as a close second.
Who will win: It’s hard to know, but I think The Dam Keeper is the frontrunner.

Oscar Nominees: Short Films

I’ve been predicting these categories for a few years now knowing little to nothing about them, and this year I scored 9/15. I’ve had the chance to screen all of the nominees the past few years, and I hope to do the same this year. Since I’ve only seen one of the animated shorts at this point (“Feast” played before “Big Hero 6”) and nothing else, I’ll wait to offer commentary until them. All images below are from Oscar.com.

Best Documentary Short Film

My predictions: 3/5
The nominees: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Joanna, Our Curse, The Reaper, White Earth
The frontrunner: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Best Live Action Short Film

My predictions: 4/5
The nominees: Aya, Boogaloo and Graham, Butter Lamp, Parvaneh, The Phone Call
The frontrunner: The Phone Call

Best Animated Short Film

My predictions: 2/5
The nominees: The Bigger Picture, The Dam Keeper, Feast, Me and My Moulton, A Single Life
The frontrunner: Me and My Moulton

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The nominees:
Feral (B)
This tale of a boy transplanted from his native wild habitat into a more urban and unfamiliar setting is most stirring because of its imagery and the subtext of the story it tells, but it’s not all that enthralling.
Get a Horse! (B+)
This is a perfectly standard and very familiar Mickey Mouse cartoon, one that conceives of a clever premise which finds Mickey trying to escape a movie screen and jump into the audience. It’s a fun ride, and certainly the one most Oscar watchers have seen since it played before “Frozen.”
Mr. Hublot (B-)
There is something appealing about this story of a lonely man and his robot dog, but it doesn’t manage to draw the audience in enough to truly care about its story. Its visuals are very technical and composed, but it doesn’t offer too much.
Possessions (C-)
This very colorful and stylized short did not win me over at all, though some reviews I’ve read have stated that it’s the best of the bunch. Its premise of inanimate objects coming alive and one man being befuddled by it may amuse some, but I found nothing enticing about it.
Room on the Broom (B+)
This narrated children’s story about a witch who keeps welcoming various animals onto her broomstick when they retrieve items important to her features a bunch of fun voices, including Gillian Anderson, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, and Simon Pegg. It’s easily the most likeable and whimsical of the pack.

Previous winners: Paperman, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Lost Thing, Logorama, Le Maison en Petits Cubes, Peter and the Wolf
Who should win: I’m not all that impressed with this slate this year. I enjoyed and appreciated “Room on the Broom” best, but I won’t argue with “Get a Horse” being a delight as well.
Who will win: “Get a Horse” is the obvious choice, but I think Room on the Broom will be the winner.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Short

The competition: Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, The Longest Daycare, Paperman

Previous winners: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Lost Thing, Logorama, Le Maison en Petits Cubes, Peter and the Wolf, The Danish Poet
Who should win: I very much enjoyed the extremely brief and creative “Fresh Guacamole” and the sweet “Paperman.” I don’t usually like “The Simpsons,” but “The Longest Daycare” was fun, and, though it was somewhat slow, “Head Over Heels” was cute. I’d prefer that “Adam and Dog” didn’t win since it was rather uninteresting and uninvolving.
Who will win: It could be any of them, but I think that Paperman is the frontrunner.