2025 Oscar Nominated Shorts – Animation
The Academy's larger, more inclusive membership is beginning to recognize more international films, a trend which can be seen in their nominated animation shorts which do not include an American entry this year. That may also explain why two of this year's five animated shorts feature full frontal male nudity, one humorously, the other matter-of-factly.
Laura's Review: B+
Director Nicolas Keppens's Belgian, French, Dutch coproduction "Beautiful Men" is an oddly compelling entry about three brothers in different stages of baldness who've traveled to Istanbul for hair transplants. But there is a problem - Steven (voice of Tom Dewispelaere) has mistakenly only made one
appointment and he and Koen (voice of Peter De Graef) cannot get Bart (voice of Peter Van den Begin) to join them for any activities. As Steven panics while Koen appears lost in the fog during a walk, Bart sits in a steamy sauna and when he overhears Steven later offering the one appointment to Koen he becomes upset, each brother trying to compensate for individual insecurities. Obscuring things further, their problem will be rectified by smoke. The stop motion animation is distinctive, the story oddly satisfying, humorous and moving. B+
Iranian directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani utilize more traditional, hand drawn animation for "In the Shadow of the Cypress," but their figures are also distinctive, both the father and daughter and the beached whale they team up to save rendered with geometric shapes, the people's heads and whale's body largely square. The film uses a subdued, warm color palette and gentle Middle Eastern score to contrast a veteran suffering from PTSD and his often violent approach to things with his daughter's more nurturing tactics. Underwater scenes have a beautiful, watercolor texture. B
Japanese director Daisuke Nishio adapted his "Magic Candies" from a Korean children's book and the stop motion animation is one of the most visually stunning of the five nominees. Young Dong-Dong is introduced playing marbles apart from a group of children who haven't invited him into their group. When he goes to buy more marbles, the shop owner tells him the package he's picked up contains not marbles, but magic candies, all different, and indeed, when he gets home and pops one with a familiar looking pattern into his mouth, the living room sofa begins to speak to him. Dong-Dong's perspective will be changed by five different candy experiences with his dog, his father and his late grandmother (who he saves for later as a piece of used gum stuck beneath his kitchen table), culminating in a stunning autumn scene where hundreds of falling leaves cheerfully bid him farewell. B+
My hands down favorite and the most inventive entry is recent Annie award winner "Wander to Wonder," the name of a bizarre children's TV show hosted by Uncle Gilly and featuring three miniature humanoid creatures, Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton, wearing furry costumes. Director Nina Gantz's Dutch, Belgian, French, British coproduction introduces us to her characters with an old videotape of the show where Uncle Gilly is complimenting Mary for identifying soap, but we'll soon learn that Uncle Gilly is really lying dead and drawing flies while Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are in his studio trying to survive. Mary's instinct is to keep doing what they're doing ('No one's watching!' yells Billybud), she being the one who's been replaying that tape, while Fumbleton performs a soliloquy from "Hamlet" while pantless ('Why do you always have to show your wilky?' demands Mary). This is another stop motion entry and it is wonderfully weird, as if Pee Wee Herman employed "The Borrowers" then abandoned them in his Playhouse with a cache of magic mushrooms. A
French animator Loïc Espuche uses mostly hand drawn animation for Yuck! (Beurk!) about a bunch of 
kids at a holiday camp site grossed out by the spectacle of adults kissing. His colorful looking kids look like a cross between Rugrats and anime and sexual desire is signaled by lips suddenly glowing bright fuchsia. While little Léo expresses disgust along with the others over an older couple smooching and a younger one exchanging tongues, he'll be surprised to find he'd like to plant one himself on little red-haired Lucy. This one's a cute little entry, but its inclusion here is a bit surprising. B-
Robin's Review: B
“Beautiful Men” tells of three brothers who make the long trek to Istanbul for cheap hair transplants. Unfortunately, the brother in charge of booking only made the reservation for one and there is a scramble for the coveted one spot. B
“In the Shadow if the Cypress” has a father, a ship’s captain, suffering from severe PTSD. His daughter tries to cope with his drastic mood swings, not very successfully. Then, an event occurs that wil cause him to change his, and their, lives forever. B-
“Magic Candies” has young Dong-Dong, a boy who would rather play marbles by himself, wandering
into a store to buy more marbles. Instead, the shopkeeper sells him a bag of enchanted marble-shaped candies. He pops a colorful treat in his mouth and, suddenly, the old family sofa begins to talk to him. With each special candy, he finds more and more of the wonders of the world around him. B
“Wander to Wonder” is an 80s children’s TV show hosted by Uncle Gilly and starring three diminutive creatures: Mary, Billybud and Fumbletone. But, when Uncle G suddenly dies, the trio are left to fend for themselves in their fantasy world in a bizarre and dark satire on children’s TV, isolation, childhood and horror. This is the best of the animation shorts. A-
“Yuck!” has an elderly couple sitting quietly on their porch, being watched by a group of young kids. Then, they kiss and the children’s reaction is the expected “YUCK!” But, love is soon in the aire and two of the youngsters decide to experiment with their first kiss. B
ShortsTV releases the 2025 Oscar Nominated Animated shorts in theaters on 2/14/25.
