ANIMATED SHORT Film
Nominees:
“The 21”
“Au Revoir Mon Monde”
“A Bear Named Wojtek”
“Beautiful Men”
“Bottle George”
“A Crab in the Pool”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Maybe Elephants”
“Me”
“Origami”
“Percebes”
“Wander to Wonder”
“The Wild-Tempered Clavier”
“Yuck!”
Per the Academy’s press release:
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-eight films qualified in the category. Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
Nominations voting begins on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, and concludes on Sunday, January 12, 2025. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025. The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and airs live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
“A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK” • Illuminated Film Company
Iain Gardner
“BEAUTIFUL MEN” • Animal Tank
Nicolas Keppens
“A CRAB IN THE POOL” • Semaphore Films
Jean-Sébastien Hamel & Alexandra Myotte
“IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS” • Barfak Animation Studio
Hossein Molayemi & Shirin Sohani
“WANDER TO WONDER” • Beast Animation
Nina Gantz
WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?
As with all the short film categories, these picks are all shots in the dark. The Annie Awards is the most significant precursor to pinpointing what might get a nomination, so going off that, “A Bear Named Wojtek,” “Beautiful Men,” “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” and “Wander to Wonder” are the four films I am picking out of that pool. “Yuck!” is the only other Annie Award nominee not on my list. However, the Gold Derby experts have it on their final five. Of the four I chose, “Wander to Wonder” is the favorite, as its list of accolades is the longest. Lastly, I picked “A Crab In The Pool” because its accolades are extensive and it looks interesting. I would highlight the short “Me,” despite lacking any precursors. The director, Don Hertzfeldt, is a two-time Oscar nominee. I’d also throw out the names of “Au Revoir Mon Monde” and “Percebes” because, at first glance, my gut tells me they’re the kind of short that generally gets nominated. Also, “The 21” has powerful subject matter and a back story, in which more than 70 artists from more than 24 countries were involved in making the short, which could elevate it and get it noticed by the voters.
“THE 21”
September 20, 2024 | MORE Productions | 13 min | English, Arabic
Tod Polson
Synopsis: A short film honoring the 21 Coptic men martyred by ISIS in Libya in 2015, produced in the style of Coptic iconography by a global team of more than 70 artists from more than 24 countries. The film is narrated in English, with Arabic dialogue. Subtitles have been produced in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Russian.
“Au Revoir Mon Monde”
Ecole MoPA | 5 min
Estelle Bonnardel, Florian Maurice, Quentin Devred, Baptiste Duchamps,
Maxime Foltzer, & Astrid Novais
Synopsis: As the world nears its end, a man stuck in a fish costume races against the clock towards a mysterious tower.
✰ Student Academy Award Winner
✰ European Short Film Festival of Bordeaux Winner
✰ Chilemonos Award Nominee
✰ The Rookie Award Nominee
“A Bear Named Wojtek”
April 19, 2024 | Illuminated Film Company | 28 min | English
Iain Gardner
Synopsis: The story of Edinburgh Zoo’s famous bear, Wojtek. A BEAR NAMED WOJTEK tells the fantastic journey of an orphaned Syrian brown bear brought to Edinburgh, having been previously adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II.
✰ Annie Award Nominee
✰ British Animation Award Winner
✰ Portland Festival Winner
✰ Ray Harryhausen Award Winner
✰ Spokane International Film Festival Winner
✰ Venice TV Award Winner
✰ Aesthetica Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ ANIMA Córdoba International Animation Festival Nominee
✰ Animation Dingle Award Nominee
✰ Animayo:The International Film Festival
✰ Annecy International Animated Film Festival Nominee
✰ British Short Film Award Nominee
✰ Bucharest Film Award Nominee
✰ Cartoons on the Bay – Pulcinella Award Nominee
✰ Celtic Media Festival Nominee
✰ Glasgow Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Manchester Animation Festival Nominee
✰ PÖFF Shorts Award Nominee
✰ Rhode Island International Film Festival Nominee
✰ RiverRun International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Tokyo Anime Award Nominee
“Beautiful Men”
March 9, 2024 | Animal Tank | 18 min | Flemish, Dutch
Nicolas Keppens
Synopsis: The insecurities of three bald brothers intensify during their stay in an Istanbul hotel for hair transplants.
✰ Annie Award Nominee
✰ Aspen Shortsfest Winner
✰ Hamptons International Film Festival Winner
✰ Ottawa International Animation Festival Winner
✰ Philadelphia Film Festival Winner
✰ Annecy International Animated Film Festival Nominee
✰ Calgary International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Film Festival Oostende Nominee
✰ Guanajuato International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Nashville Film Festival Nominee
✰ SXSW Film Festival Nominee
✰ Uppsala International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Vilnius International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Zagreb World Festival Nominee
“Bottle George”
July 12, 2024 | Tonko House | 13 min
Daisuke ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi
Synopsis: A stop motion animated short film about the darkness of addiction and the strength of family.
“A Crab in the Pool”
March 9, 2024 | Semaphore Films | 11 min | French
Jean-Sébastien Hamel & Alexandra Myotte
Synopsis: Zoe and her little brother Theo are left to fend for themselves on a scorching summer day. In order to keep their connection intact, they will need to burst its abscess.
✰ Anim’est International Animation Film Festival Winner
✰ BOGOSHORTS Bogota Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Cinemania Film Festival Winner
✰ Le Gala Quebec Cinema Winner
✰ London International Animation Festival Winner
✰ MECAL International Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Namur International Festival Winner
✰ Ottawa International Animation Festival Winner
✰ Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia Winner
✰ Spark Animation Winner
✰ SXSW Film Festival Winner
✰ AFI Fest Nominee
✰ Berlin Interfilm Festival Nominee
✰ Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Denver Film Festival Nominee
✰ FEST New Directors/New Films Festival Nominee
✰ Melbourne International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Regard: Saguenay International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Nominee
✰ Vienna Shorts Nominee
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
June 5, 2024 | Barfak Animation Studio | 20 min
Hossein Molayemi & Shirin Sohani
Synopsis: Living in a house by the sea with his daughter, a former captain who has post-traumatic stress disorder leads a tough and secluded life.
✰ Annie Award Nominee
✰ Drama Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Festival de cinema de Girona Winner
✰ Ismailia International Film Festival Winner
✰ Lanzarote International Film Festival Winner
✰ Mediawave Winner
✰ Miami International Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Minsk International Film Festival Winner
✰ Sulmonacinema Film Festival Winner
✰ Tehran International Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Tribeca Film Festival Winner
✰ Annecy International Animated Film Festival Nominee
✰ BendFilm Festival Nominee
✰ Calgary International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Edmonton International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Guadalajara International Film Festival Nominee
✰ HollyShorts Film Festival Nominee
✰ International Izmir Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Melbourne International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Norwich Film Festival Nominee
✰ RiverRun International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Santa Barbara International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Sedicicorto International Film Festival Nominee
✰ St. Louis International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Tokyo Anime Award Nominee
✰ Tripoli Film Festival Nominee
✰ Venice Film Festival Nominee
✰ Anim’est International Animation Film Festival Nominee
✰ Olympia International Film Festival Winner
✰ In the Palace International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Stuttgart International Trickfilm Festival Nominee
✰ Corti Da Sogni Antonio Ricci Winner
✰ Animayo:The International Film Festival Winner
✰ LA Shorts International Film Festival Winner
✰ International Film Festival Etiuda & Anima Nominee
✰ Valdarno Cinema Film Festival Nominee
✰ International Film Festival Lebu Nominee
✰ Bucharest Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Chilemonos Winner
✰ Tehran International Animation Festival Winner
✰ Bengaluru International Short Film Festival Winner
✰ War on Screen International Film Festival Nominee
✰ International Animation Film Festival Winner
✰ Kuandu International Animation Festival Nominee
✰ Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Hsin-Yi Children’ s Animation Award Nominee
✰ Sorsi Corti Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Cartoon Club Festival Winner
✰ Golden Kuker Sofia International Animation Film Festival
✰ Animation Is Film Nominee
✰ Portland Festival of Cinema Nominee
✰ World Festival of Animated Film Nominee
✰ Marateale Festival Winner
✰ Spark Animation Award Winner
✰ Chaniartoon International Comic and Animation Festival Winner
✰ Sharjah International Film Festival Nominee
“Magic Candies”
March 2, 2024 | Dandelion Animation Studio | 21 min | Japanese
Daisuke Nishio
Synopsis: The other kids at the park never ask Dong-Dong to play. That’s ok. He’s fine just playing marbles on his own. One day, he buys a bag of colorful candies instead of new marbles. The first time he pops one of them into his mouth, his old sofa starts talking to him. The two share an unexpected conversation before the sweet melts away. As it happens, the people, animals, and objects in Dong-Dong’s life have a lot to say. With each candy, he discovers new voices and perspectives, including his own. Heartfelt and totally strange, Magic Candies will have you rethinking how you treat the objects, and others, in your life.
✰ AFI Fest Nominee
✰ London Film Festival Nominee
“Maybe Elephants”
September 5, 2024 | Mikrofilm | 17 min | English
Torill Kove & Alex Ivanovici
Synopsis: Three rebellious teenage daughters, a restless mother, a father struggling with potatoes, and maybe some elephants, find themselves in Nairobi. What could possibly go wrong?
✰ AFI Fest Nominee
✰ Annecy International Animated Film Festival Nominee
✰ Berlin Interfilm Festival Nominee
✰ Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Nomine
✰ Toronto International Film Festival Nominee
“Me”
March 7, 2024 | Bitter Films | 21 min | English
Don Hertzfeldt
Synopsis: A musical odyssey about the retreat of humanity into itself.
“Origami”
October 19, 2024 | Mont Blanc Entertainment GmbH | 3 min
Kei Kanamori
Synopsis: Just like in life, being born from the earth and returned to it, a square paper is transformed into various origami creatures and brought to life.
“Percebes”
October 11, 2024 | Ikki Films | 12 min | Portuguese
Laura Gonçalves & Alexandra Ramires
Synopsis: With the sea and the urban Algarve as a background, we follow a complete cycle of the life of a special shellfish called PERCEBES, goose barnacle. From their formation, to the dish, in this journey, we cross different contexts that allow us to better understand this region and those who live there.
✰ Annecy International Animated Film Festival Winner
✰ Cinanima Award Winner
✰ Denver Film Festival Nominee
✰ Guadalajara International Film Festival Winner
✰ Hamptons International Film Festival Nominee
✰ AFI Fest Nominee
✰ Toronto International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Uppsala International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Valladolid International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films Nominee
✰ Coimbra Caminhos do Cinema Português Winner
✰ Ottawa International Animation Festival Winner
✰ Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Nominee
✰ Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival Nominee
“Wander to Wonder”
March 9, 2024 | Beast Animation | 14 min | English
Nina Gantz
Synopsis: In the 1980s, Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton starred in the children’s television program Wander to Wonder. They are left alone in the studio after the show’s originator passed away.
✰ Annie Award Nominee
✰ Berlin Interfilm Festival Nominee
✰ British Independent Film Award Winner
✰ Chicago International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Denver Film Festival Nominee
✰ European Film Award Nominee
✰ Hong Kong International Film Festival Nominee
✰ London Critics Circle Film Award Nominee
✰ Nashville Film Festival Winner
✰ Nederlands Film Festival Winner
✰ Palm Springs International ShortFest Winner
✰ Philadelphia Film Festival Winner
✰ St. Louis International Film Festival Nominee
✰ SXSW Film Festival Winner
✰ Tampere Film Festival Winner
✰ Uppsala International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Valladolid International Film Festival Winner
✰ Venice Film Festival Nominee
✰ Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Zagreb World Festival Nominee
✰ Norwegian Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ San Sebastián Horror and Fantasy Film Festival Winner
✰ Glasgow Short Film Festival Winner
✰ HollyShorts Film Festival Winner
✰ FANCINE Festival Winner
✰ Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival Winner
✰ Regard: Saguenay International Short Film Festival Nominee
✰ Coronado Island Film Festival Winner
✰ Festival Fantosfreak de Cortometrajes Winner
✰ Edinburgh Short Film Festival Winner
✰ Anima Brussels Animation Film Festival Winner
✰ Animatou International Animation Film Festival Winner
✰ Fredrikstad Animation Festival Winner
✰ Bucheon International Animation Film Festival Winner
✰ Chilemonos Winner
✰ Cordillera International Film Festival Winner
✰ Ravenheart Film Festival Winner
✰ Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival Winner
✰ Film Maudit Nominee
✰ Buenos Aires Festival Winner
✰ Galician Freaky Film Festival Winner
✰ Animation Is Film Winner
✰ Sunderland Shorts Film Festival Winner
✰ Beirut International Awards Festival Winner
✰ Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival Winner
✰ Make Believe Seattle Winner
✰ Dutch Director Guild Winner
“The Wild-Tempered Clavier”
Tiger Unterwegs Filmproduktion | 7 min
Anna Samo
Synopsis: Despite the world’s disasters, an artist insists on playing. A story inspired by Bach’s immortal music and painted onto toilet paper rolls as a tribute to the tradition of painting directly on 35mm film.
✰ Woodstock Film Festival Winner
✰ Guanajuato International Film Festival Nominee
✰ New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival Winner
“Yuck!”
October 26, 2024 | Iliade and Films | 13 min | French
Loïc Espuche
Synopsis: Yuck. Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. And the worst is, you can’t miss them: when people are about to kiss, their lips become all pink and shiny. Little Léo laughs at them, just like all the kids at the summer camp. But he has a secret he won’t tell his friends: his own mouth has actually begun glistening. And, in reality, Léo desperately wants to give kissing a try.
✰ Annie Award Nominee
✰ Berlin International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Chicago International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Miami Film Festival Nominee
✰ Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival Winner
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