The 5 Best Animated Shorts Nominated At This Year’s Oscars

Some of the best animated shorts of the past year are just a click away

The Oscars may be the world’s most famous awards show but there are still some categories that most people tend to miss, despite the considerable talent on show. One such category is Best Animated Short Film, which in this edition includes a range of extraordinary works animated in 2D, 3D or stop motion. Most of them are available for free viewing on the Internet: you will find all of them in this list.

1. Kitbull, directed by Rosana Sullivan

To calm its fans and give its most talented employees a chance to shine, last year Pixar launched Sparkshorts, a program of animated short films that premiered on YouTube throughout 2019, all developed within the company but never shown in movie theaters. One of them is Kitbull, the story of the unlikely friendship between a dog and a cat, which combines 2D and 3D techniques to great effect.

2. Mémorable, directed by Bruno Collet

Simple but effective, Mémorable uses stop motion animation to build a story about old age and memory loss. Technique and narration work together to create a tear-jerking short. Watch it here.

3. Hair Love, directed by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith

Digitally animated, although all its elements seem to have been taken from a classic animation, Hair Love looks at the relationship between a girl, her rebellious curly hair, and her dad who has no idea how to deal with it.

4. Dcera, directed by Daria Kashcheeva

Dcera isn’t free to watch like the others, but it’s available through DA Films’ website. Another clear example of how to use stop motion to its full potential, Dcera travels between the real and the fantastic to tell a family story.

5. Sister, directed by Siqi Song

Director Siqi Song makes up for her youth with extraordinary talent, as shown in this short film, which is actually her graduation work from the prestigious CalArts School of Film and Visual Arts. Returning to her childhood memories to develop a story about the Chinese "one-child policy", Sister is not currently available to watch online, but we leave you with her wonderful trailer.

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