If you haven't seen any of the nominated films for the Academy Award's Best Animated Short Film yet, here's your chance. All five shorts are now available online and ready for viewing right here. It might help with your office Oscar pool, if they even have this category included. Otherwise, just enjoy five neat little animated shorts, arranged from best to... less.
Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
Directed by Nick Park
Written by Nick Park & Bob Barker
I actually posted this short over a year ago when it had its UK debut, but since then it has come to American shores and roped itself an Oscar nomination. The popular Wallace & Gromit are now bakers and in danger of being targeted by a local serial killer who's been murdering bakers. Incredibly witty in words and visuals, it's been over a decade since A Close Shave and this doesn't disappoint.
French Roast
Written & directed by Fabrice O. Joubert
A uncharitable man walks into a cafe and orders a cup of coffee, then realizes he's lost his wallet. What's there to do? A simple premise done beautifully by the introduction of several unexpected actions by unlikely characters that speak clearly about our varying capabilities to treat one another. I especially admire the single camera position that glides back and forth and makes great use of the mirrored wall behind the cafe booths.
Logorama
Written & directed by François Alaux, Herve de Crecy, Ludovic Houplain
I was pretty surprised to see this one nominated, mostly because I wasn't sure if this Sundance hit could even be officially released. I suppose one can argue that this falls into parody and therefore fair use, but hey, I'm not a lawyer. Logorama is a heist film set in a city made entirely of corporate logos (over 2,500 are used) and features a deranged Ronald McDonald terrorizing the town, chased by two Michelin Men cops.
The Lady and the Reaper
Written & directed by Javier Recio Gracia
This is a cute Pixar-y short, in look and style, that tackles a premise Pixar probably wouldn't want to touch anytime soon, especially with this morbidly funny ending. The Lady is an elderly widow who dies in her sleep one night and is taken by the Grim Reaper to reunite with her dead husband, but a hotshot doctor keeps saving her life, leading to a tug-of-war for her soul.
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
Directed by Nicky Phelan
Written by Kathleen O'Rourke
Success has struck Granny O'Grimm. This original short is Granny telling her granddaughter Sleeping Beauty as a bedtime story, but she messes up the story and turns it into a dark fairy tale that frightens the young'in. Naturally, the success has earned Granny a series; each one has her butchering a different fairy tale.
