This is the first I’ve seen the animated Oscar-nominated shorts. Thus, I was ill-equipped to be able to better warn my girlfriends who came along with me. No, these are not happy, singing Disny-style animated pieces.
What they are, though, are an eclectic blend of fantastic displays of depth, emotion, imagination, and realism. Some made me shrink back in my seat. Some, like Feast, made me almost clap with delight. (Maybe I actually did, but it’s been a few weeks.) Some made me think about life, society, and relationships that we all keep. But all of them made me happy I spent the afternoon at the movies.
As I said, Feast delighted me (although I had to strongly suppress the frustration and the terrible way the person fed his dog). Me and My Moulton was very interesting and a wonderful commentary on being different. A Single Life was a bit bizarre; I’m not sure what point it was making other than not to rush things, something I know a lot of single friends could stand to know. The Dam Keeper seemed the most direct in its issues of bullying and chastising those who are different and whose stories we don’t know. And finally, The Bigger Picture, an incredibly interestingly drawn one-dimensional depiction, just hurt my heart in its sadness.
I have no idea which might win; again, this is the first I’ve seen the animated shorts. But I do know that I’m tickled as can be at having seen them this year.