Following the tradition of ten years, the world’s only short movie channel, ShortsHD is responsible for the theatrical premieres of films in the Live Action Short, Animated Short and Documentary Short categories of the Academy Awards. This year’s Oscar Nominated Short Films open in Los Angeles theaters and across the country on January 30. The Live Action and Animated shorts began their run at The Nuart in West L.A. and the Documentary shorts stepped things off at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills.
Not to confuse you too much, but the Live Action and Animated programs are separate programs with individual admissions, whereas the Documentary shorts are separated in to two programs due to length but have only one admission price. Got it? Don’t worry, either way it’s worth the price to see these inspiring, innovative and thought provoking mini films. I’m particularly found of the animated ones, which show an unusually high caliber of quality. In past years there has been a clear stand out in the competition making it seem as if the other nominees were included just to round out the field. Not so this year. Each animated short is a true gem and could capture the coveted statue come February 22. I can’t help you out with your Oscar pools here, but I will tell you I’m leaning toward The Dam Keeper.
I honestly got caught up with each and every short, believing I’d seen the winner after each one had ended. Which is particularly notable since most of these little wonders are very short – I mean really short. A Single Life is just two minutes long! I suppose it’s unfortunate for the filmmakers to be nominated in such a truly competitive year, whereas each could easily win had they been eligible a year earlier or a year later. But the situation is a blessing for those who enjoy animation at its best.
The entire program of animated films is 77 minutes in length and includes entries from Canada, the US, the UK, and the Netherlands. The styles (as usual) are diverse and the stories tend to be on the sentimental side with plenty of comedy thrown in to keep things from getting too heavy. After watching the five nominees (and four additional honorable mentions) I was elated. With most of the films running under seven minutes the program has a crisp pace that will keep your attention, and likely have you wanting more. A terrific program for all ages, this is a day at the movies the entire family can enjoy. So, I encourage you not to miss this once a year experience and expose yourself to the art of animated short films. After you try it once you may discover that this could be a tradition worth continuing year after year.
Check your local listings for theaters and times. Tuesday, February 17 at 7 p.m. there will be a screening of the shorts at the Academy, hosted by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sean Astin. Come Oscar eve, Saturday, February 21 at 9:30 PM you can catch these spectacular shorts at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, located just blocks from the site of Sunday’s show.