Oscar Nominated Shorts- Animation
Going to try something a little different for my next two entries. I will review both Oscar nominated short features for 2019 in the live action and animated categories. I will review each short rather than the collective whole. Enjoy! SPOILERS BELOW.
Bao- I saw this prior to watching The Incredibles 2 earlier last year. Its quite sweet. Personifying a dumpling and having him grow. Its not until you realize that the dumpling basically represents the lead mother’s estranged son that you finally feel the emotion kick at you. A worthy contender for the Oscar but there was another one that was my favorite. – 8.5/10
Animal Behavior- Having a psychology and counseling background made me appreciate this one so much. Its group therapy with animals. Its hilarious and its easy to kind of pinpoint the issues that each character is working in. A new gorilla comes to session and is initially hesitant. Once he gets barraged to share he does and his anger problem is overbearing on the group. Just great comedy, animation, and a nice representation of clientele and the therapeutic process. My favorite one. -10/10
Late Afternoon- a sweet tale about an older lady relieving her youth in abstract form. She is quite forgettable but uses what she remembers in the past to finally remember her daughter who is with her at all times (but who she assumed was her attendant). Its touchy enough and gets the job done. -7.5/10
One Small Step- a father and daughter bond over her love for space and being among the stars. We see her grow up and strive to get into a school for to become an astronaut. Tragedy strikes as her father dies. She uses her fathers inspiration to push through and succeed. A really warm short, liked this one quite a bit because it makes you think about how important parents are and how they can often be ignored. -8/10
Weekends- This one is quite abstract in nature but the animation is so eye popping. The short blurs reality and dream sequences perfectly. The main child visits his father on the weekends and loves the time he spends with him. At home there are hints of abuse from his mom’s new boyfriend. Very adult in its themes. Leaves a longing for more though. -9/10
Highly Commended Shorts- one was titled Tweet Tweet, which was fairly touching a bird follows a little girl through her life all balanced on a clothesline. The bird learns there is no going back and eventually we face death. The other one, I forgot the name of but has a cute animated monkey making gold for a pirate. Silly but super fun. Both- 8/10
ENTIRE FILM- 8.5/10
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