The 2014 Academy Award-nominated Animated Short Films

[scarlettina]

A week ago Friday, varina8 and I went to see the Academy Award-nominated Short Animated Films at the Varsity Theater in the U District. At something like 110 minutes, it included not only the nominees but some noteworthy runners-up. I'm going to talk only about the nominees here.

"Get a Horse!" (trailer) is Disney's entry for this year. Animated to look

Comments

[garyomaha]

Thanks for your observations! Here in backwoods Omaha (no, not really...) the audience favorite, at least at the showing we attended, was Room on a Broom. However, our favorite was probably Mr. Hublot, because steampunk!, dog! (well, sort of), and OCD!

I mentioned in a private note to you what I thought of the giraffe-and-ostrich sideshow. As you made no reference to it whatsoever, I'm going to presume your opinion was somewhat the same as mine?

[scarlettina]

The giraffe-and-ostrich bumpers were slightly entertaining, if a little forced. I didn't loathe them; they were just sort of there. I went to see the nominees; the bumpers were like MCs at the Oscars--a sort of necessary annoyance. My suspicion is that they were there because research shows that unless kids are given cues, they don't distinguish between cartoons and commercials, or between one cartoon and another. Give that this program, more than other Academy Award collection, will most likely include a juvenile audience, it was probably considered necessary.

[bedii]

the bumpers were like MC's at the Oscars--a sort of necessary annoyance.

With the exception of Edna Mode. I think she should co-present the award for costuming EVERY year.

[scarlettina]

Edna Mode wasn't part of this year's presentation. Yes, I know she was part of it in the past, but not this year.

[garyomaha]

I don't disagree (juvenile aspect) but we've been going to these for a number of years (since the local independent film theater has been showing them) (yes, Omaha has an independent film theater) and they seemed to be just fine before , with only (IIRC) an Academy bumper between each segment. Progress, I suppose?

[scarlettina]

Or someone was trying to provide some animator with work they might not otherwise have had. On the other hand, watching a giraffe do a swan dive into a pool had some entertainment value. :-)