The five Oscar nominated short animated films offer movie goers a glimpse into other cultures or views on political stances. This year’s batch is neither as entertaining nor as innovative as last year’s group which included the delightful parody on America’s consumerism, “ Logoroma,” from France which won the Oscar.
I went to my local E Street, one of the few places left in Washington, D.C. that show films in the art house genre for film buffs over movie attendees. No previews for the screening which was a nice change as I settled in for 90 minutes of entertainment which showed the five nominees and two highly recommended shorts.
First up was from France: Madagascar, a 12 minute long short on travel and religion. The film moved between black and white to drawings with color that came to life with English subtitles. The translation didn’t really help explain why the central character would travel four or five hours to a funeral in the mountains of a stranger’s relative and then suddenly shift to water and beach scene. But the story itself is loosely based on the film makers’ travel to that particular country.
Next was USA’s entry into category, “Let’s Pollute,” a six-minute long political statement on the environment. The short was a sarcastic take on America’s seemingly oblivious way of life to ‘want it, waste it.’ The packed audience laughed but the film was a warning to not be chained to “Captains of Conscientiousness,” by Stuart Ewing.
The Gruffalo from UK, is based on a children’s book is reminiscent of “Where the wild Things Are” but less so. It was also the longest of the group at 30 minutes. The animation was colorful. A mouse is the protagonist and how he uses his wit to outwit several mortal enemies: a fox, a snake and an owl with a made up creature or how he uses a lie to avoid danger. In the end, it is the mouse that encounters the real character of his imagination but once again, he outwits the “enemy.” All this is told by a mother squirrel ( voice of Helena Bonham Carter) for her two little baby squirrels. Cute story that could be a little scary for some little ones. I vote for this one.
The Lost Thing a short from Australia was dull and a very long 15 minutes. The person sitting next to me did in fact, leave. It’s about a young boy who finds a thing that looks like a cross between an octopus and a diver’s helmet on the beach. He takes it home but knows he must find it a place to live and his adventures along the way.
The last nominee was Pixar’s Day and Night, a six minute short that was part of the Toy Story III preview. Clever marketing because the little film has gained a huge following. It was cute but should it win? No. The story using 2-D and 3-D centers on two clouds, one day, one night and their unlikely but eventual friendship. A metaphor for real life that you can have opposites come together and appreciate differences.
The two bonus shorts included URS from Germany and The Cow who wanted to be a Hamburger. URS was depressing, skip it. “The Cow” however, was entertaining but was definitely, political. The animation is not as well done as the nominated shorts but it was funny. The story was about a little calf grazing in the field with his mother and sees a large bill board for a “Happy Burger.” He decides then and there to grow up and be a “Happy Burger,” not really understanding the pitfalls that await him. The message is twofold: everyone is taken in by ads in this case bill board ads, and consider becoming a vegetarian. If you have time, go see the films in this category and you can appreciate this category when it goes up.
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