Oscar Shorts: Best Animation

One of the most entertaining categories at the Academy Awards — and one of the least heralded — is for the Best Animated Short Subject. We are screening the five nominees in that category along with three films short-listed for a nomination. So there are eight films in all totaling 83 minutes

Dear Basketball  On the eve of his retirement from basketball, NBA legend Kobe Bryant describes his love for the game, which began when he was a young child. From his youthful dreams of glory to his 20-year career, Bryant describes how he and basketball have given each other all they have. 5 min
Negative Space Even though Sam’s father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase. 5 min
Lou  Lou, the guardian of the lost and found box at an elementary school, tries to teach young bully J.J. that giving to the other kids will make him feel better than stealing from them.  7 min
Revolting Rhymes The Wolf from the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” reveals the true and twisted story of his adventures and those of other characters in his world, including Snow White, Cinderella and Jack, the climber of beanstalks. The film is based on the much-loved rhymes written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake. 29 min

Garden Party A luxurious villa and its grounds have become home to amorous, hungry and accident-prone frogs and toads. They enjoy the bounties on offer, including caviar and macaroons, until they encounter the villa’s owner. This film may not be suitable for young viewers. Parental discretion is advised.  Children 8 and older should be fine.  7 min

SHORTLISTED FILMS:

Lost Property Office Ed is the sole custodian of a lost property office. In many ways he, himself is like the lost items gathering dust. But although he is content to remain this way a letter on his desk states otherwise. How he chooses to move on from his post is somewhat unorthodox. 9 min

Weeds  A dandelion undertakes a difficult journey from dry, barren ground to greener, grassier land. After watching his neighbors (also weeds!) wilt and die, the dandelion faces a tough decision: act now, or suffer and die.  The filmmakers conceived of Weeds in the summer of 2016 as a response to the anger directed towards Syrian refugees and Mexican immigrants. 6 min

Achoo  Harry has a cold, but he becomes bored with staying in bed, so he decides to go and play in Dino-World, where he manages to make all the other dinosaurs sick. Harry should have gotten his flu shot. 11 min

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