Academy Award Nominated Animated Shorts

On a whim the other day, I decided to head to the movies stag and catch something I normally wouldn't see.  I don't normally go to the movies solo, but since TMMC started I do it just to keep current and since I don't yet have a legit press pass to get me into sneak previews, I have to work twice as hard!  So I saw a poster for The Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films 2009 and thought, "Well there's always a fleet of creepy men that see cartoons by themselves...at least I'll blend in."  Have you ever noticed how many middle aged men go to see cartoons by themselves?  Maybe they're too embarrassed to ask someone to see it with them, but regardless, I'd move my child to the other end of the aisle just to be safe.

This movie was a fantastic collection of 8 animated shorts from around the world, 5 of which are nominated for Oscars and 3 of which received honorable mention.  Interestingly enough, the Disney/Pixar short submitted but the U.S. didn't get an Oscar nod, but just an honorable mention.  At first I thought it must've been a poor score from one of those bloody Russian judges, because no one lands a triple axle better than Disney.  I was sorely mistaken.

To those of you who think the extent of animated shorts are those five minute Pixar cartoons before feature animated films, you're going to be in for a big surprise with this movie.  Admittedly, before last night I was one of those thinkers.  Don't get me wrong, those are great, feel-good shorts filled with enough Disney sugar to make a diabetic go into shock, but if you want something more meaty and actually funny, you have to travel beyond the U.S. borders.

I was blown away at how much style, emotion and art could be jam packed into 6-15 minutes of animation.  Frankly, nearly each one of these shorts was better than any feature animated film I saw throughout all of 2009.  And being so short is a blessing and a curse - you may not have to develop a huge storyline to capture audiences for an hour and a half, but you only have a very short window to draw them in and get your point across.  By far, and it pains me to say this, I did find the U.S. entry was one of the most one-dimensional shorts in the lot.  The majority of the others either grabbed me emotionally or kept me hysterically laughing, and were dominated by strong themes such as poverty, death, violence and commercialism.  If left to the French, even Garfield would become a social commentary on American obesity.

My aforementioned comments pertain to all of the foreign entries except for Canada.  Not only are their sports teams flailing in the Olympics, but apparently their animated shorts are as well.  I'm shocked it even received an honorable mention!  The Smurfs had more legitimate storylines - particularly the episode where Papa Smurf becomes a Smurfling, and the Smurfs must find a way to restore him to normal with the help of Gargamel.  That was a very controversial episode.

While I would love to critique each one for you, that wouldn't only take way too long but also take some of the fun out of it for you and I really want you to see it because it's that good!  So since you already have learned which one I didn't like, I'll just point out some of my big favs and you can go see them for yourself and decide if you agree or not.

Film # 2 - La Dama y La Muerte (The Lady and The Reaper)

Submitted by Spain, fun, action packed and deserves a pause of reflection by the end. Check out the trailer!

 

Film #3 - A Matter of Loaf and Death
Submitted by the UK, 4 time Oscar winners Wallace and Grommit are back for another adventure in this UK entry.  Do I need to say more?  It's Wallace and Grommit, how can you not love them?  Check out the trailer!

#4 - Granny O'Grimm's Sleepintg Beauty
Ireland's 6 minute submission had the entire theater howling.  Hilarious and makes me happy I didn't have an Irish grandmother growing up!  Check out the trailer!

#7  - The Kinematograph 
To my utter surprise, Poland's submission didn't get nominated but received a highly commended rating from the Academy.  By far, the most beautiful and emotional of the lot.  Loved it throughout.  Check out the trailer!

The last movie of the group is pretty intense and somewhat a slap in your face. Submitted by France, this short even comes with its own warning - I'll tease you with that so you go see it for yourself.  This movie was a great find and it's only showing for a limited time, so I seriously encourage you to go while you can.  In the eternal words of Porky the Pig, P..p..p..pa...p..p..pay..p...p...p..PAY FULL PRICE folks!