Oscars 2016 Category Breakdown: Best Animated Short

Every year before the Oscars I break down each of the 24 categories. I do this to familiarize everyone with the category, how it typically goes, voting-wise, historically and also as a precursor to my picks article, allowing me to get most of the heavy lifting out of the way beforehand.

What I do is go over each category’s history, give you all the previous winners and nominees, then list the current year’s nominees. And then I’ll go over how each of the guilds (if there is a corresponding guild) have voted, how that corresponds to the Oscars (some guilds mean a lot to how a category will play out. Others mean nothing). It’s basically everything you need to know in order to make an informed decision when you make your picks on Oscar night. And then I also rank the nominees at the end in terms of where I see them in terms of their likelihood to win. So you know what the general favorites are.

Today is Best Animated Short. A fun category to watch — not so much for picking.

Year	Best Animated Film Winners	Other Nominees
1931-1932	*Flowers and Trees*	*Mickey’s Orphans* *It’s Got Me Again!*
1932-1933	*Three Little Pigs*	*Building a Building* *The Merry Old Soul*
1934	*The Tortoise and the Hare*	*Holiday Land* *Jolly Little Elves*
1935	*Three Orphan Kittens*	*The Calico Dragon* *Who Killed Cock Robin?*
1936	*The Country Cousin*	*Old Mill Pond* *Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor*
1937	*The Old Mill*	*Educated Fish* *The Little Match Girl*
1938	*Ferdinand the Bull*	*Brave Little Tailor* *Mother Goose Goes Hollywood* *Good Scots* *Hunky and Spunky*
1939	*The Ugly Duckling*	*Detouring America* *Peace on Earth* *The Pointer*
1940	*The Milky Way*	*Puss Gets the Boot* *A Wild Hare*
1941	*Lend a Paw*	*Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B* *Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt* *How War Came* *The Night Before Christmas* *Rhapsody in Rivets* *The Rookie Bear* *Rhythm in the Ranks* *Superman* *Truant Officer Donald*
1942	*Der Fuehrer’s Face*	*All Out for “V”* *Blitz Wolf* *Juke Box Jamboree* *Pigs in a Polka* *Tulips Shall Grow*
1943	*The Yankee Doodle Mouse*	*The Dizzy Acrobat* *Five Hundred Hats of Batholomew Cubbins* *Greetings Bait* *Imagination* *Reason and Emotion*
1944	*Mouse Trouble*	*And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street* *Dog, Cat and Canary* *Fish Fry* *How to Play Football* *My Boy, Johnny* *Swooner Crooner*
1945	*Quiet Please!*	*Donald’s Crime* *Jasper and the Beanstalk* *Life with Feathers* *Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life* *The Poet and Peasant* *Rippling Romance*
1946	*The Cat Concerto*	*Musical Moments from Chopin* *John Henry and the Inky-Poo* *Squatter’s Rights* *Walky Talky Hawky*
1947	*Tweetie Pie*	*Chip an’ Dale* *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse* *Pluto’s Blue Note* *Tubby the Tuba*
1948	*The Little Orphan*	*Mickey and the Seal* *Mouse Wreckers* *Robin Hoodlum* *Tea for Two Hundred*
1949	*For Scent-imental Reasons*	*Hatch Up Your Troubles* *Magic Fluke* *Toy Tinkers*
1950	*Gerald McBoing-Boing*	*Jerry’s Cousin* *Trouble Indemnity*
1951	*The Two Mouseketeers*	*Lambert the Sheepish Lion* *Rooty Toot Toot*
1952	*Johann Mouse*	*Little Johnny Jet* *Madeline* *Pink and Blue Blues* *The Romance of Transportation in Canada*
1953	*Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom*	*Christopher Crumpet* *From A to Z-Z-Z-Z* *Fugged Bear* *The Tell-Tale Heart*
1954	*When Magoo Flew*	*Crazy Mixed Up Pup* *Pigs Is Pigs* *Sandy Claws* *Touché, Pussy Cat!*
1955	*Speedy Gonzales*	*Good Will to Men* *The Legend of Rockabye Point* *No Hunting*
1956	*Magoo’s Puddle Jumper*	*Gerald McBoing-Boing on Planet Moo* *The Jaywalker*
1957	*Birds Anonymous*	*One Droopy Knight* *Tabasco Road* *Trees and Jamaica Daddy* *The Truth About Mother Goose*
1958	*Knighty Knight Bugs*	*Paul Bunyan* *Sidney’s Family Tree*
1959	*Moonbird*	*Mexicali Shmoes* *Noah’s Ark* *The Violinist*
1960	*Munro*	*Goliath II* *High Note* *Mouse and Garden* *A Place in the Sun*
1961	*Ersatz (The Substitute)*	*Aquamania* *Beep Prepared* *Nelly’s Folly* *The Pied Piper of Guadalupe*
1962	*The Hole*	*Icarus Montgolfier Wright* *Now Hear This* *Self Defense… for Cowards* *Symposium on Popular Songs*
1963	*The Critic*	*Automania 2000* *The Game* *My Financial Career* *Pianissimo*
1964	*The Pink Phink*	*Christmas Cracker* *How to Avoid Friendship* *Nudnik No. 2*
1965	*The Dot and the Line*	*Clay or the Origin of Species* *The Thieving Magpie*
1966	*A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature*	*The Drag* *The Pink Blueprint*
1967	*The Box*	*Hypothese Beta* *What on Earth!*
1968	*Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day*	*The House that Jack Built* *The Magic Pear Tree* *Windy Day*
1969	*It’s Tough to Be a Bird*	*Of Men and Demons* *Walking*
1970	*Is It Always Right to Be Right?*	*The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam: Part Two* *The Shepherd*
1971	*The Crunch Bird*	*Evolution* *The Selfish Giant*
1972	*A Christmas Carol*	*Kama Sutra Rides Again* *Tup Tup*
1973	*Frank Film*	*The Legend of John Henry* *Pulcinella*
1974	*Closed Mondays*	*The Family That Dwelt Apart* *Hunger* *Voyage to Next* *Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!*
1975	*Great*	*Kick Me* *Monsieur Pointu* *Sisyphus*
1976	*Leisure*	*Dedalo* *The Street*
1977	*The Sand Castle*	*Bead Game* *A Doonesbury Special* *Jimmy the C*
1978	*Special Delivery*	*Oh My Darling* *Rip Van Winkle*
1979	*Every Child*	*Dream Doll* *It’s so Nice to Have a Wolf Around the House*
1980	*The Fly*	*All or Nothing* *History of the World in Three Minutes Flat*
1981	*Crac*	*The Creation* *The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin*
1982	*Tango*	*The Great Cognito* *The Snowman*
1983	*Sundae in New York*	*Mickey’s Christmas Carol* *Sound of Sunshine – Sound of Rain*
1984	*Charade*	*Doctor DeSoto* *Paradise*
1985	*Anna & Bella*	*The Big Snit* *Second Class Mail*
1986	*A Greek Tragedy*	*The Frog, The Dog and The Devil* *Luxo, Jr.*
1987	*The Man Who Planted Trees*	*George and Rosemary* *Your Face*
1988	*Tin Toy*	*The Cat Came Back* *Technological Threat*
1989	*Balance*	*The Cow* *The Hill Farm*
1990	*Creature Comforts*	*A Grand Day Out* *Grasshoppers*
1991	*Manipulation*	*Blackfly* *Strings*
1992	*Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase*	*Adam* *Reci, Reci Reci…* *The Sandman* *Screen Play*
1993	*The Wrong Trousers*	*Blindscape* *The Mighty River* *Small Talk* *The Village*
1994	*Bob’s Birthday*	*The Big Story* *The Janitor* *The Monk and the Fish* *Triangle*
1995	*A Close Shave*	*The Chicken from Outer Space* *The End* *Gagarian* *Runaway Brain*
1996	*Quest*	*Canhead* *La Salla* *Wat’s Pig*
1997	*Geri’s Game*	*Famous Fred* *Mermaid* *Redux Riding Hood* *La Vieille dame et les pigeons*
1998	*Bunny*	*The Canterbury Tales* *Jolly Roger* *More* *When Life Departs*
1999	*The Old Man and the Sea*	*3 Misses* *Humdrum* *My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts* *When the Day Breaks*
2000	*Father and Daughter*	*Periwig Maker* *Rejected*
2001	*For the Birds*	*Fifty Percent Grey* *Give Up Yer Aul Sins* *Strange Invadors* *Stubble Trouble*
2002	*The ChubbChubbs!*	*Katedra* *Mike’s New Car* *Mt. Head* *Das Rad*
2003	*Harvie Krumpet*	*Boundin’* *Gone Nutty* *Nibbles* *Destino*
2004	*Ryan*	*Birthday Boy* *Gopher Broke* *Guard Dog* *Lorenzo*
2005	*The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation*	*Badgered* *The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jaspar Morello* 9 *One Man Band*
2006	*The Danish Poet*	*Lifted* *The Little Matchgirl* *Maestro* *No Time for Nuts*
2007	*Peter & the Wolf*	*Even Pigeons Go To Heaven* *I Met the Walrus* *Madame Tutli-Putli* *My Love*
2008	*La Maison en petits cubes*	*Lavatory – Lovestory* *Oktapodi – Gobelins L’Ecole de L’Image* *Presto* *This Way Up*
2009	*Logorama*	*Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty* *French Roast* *The Lady and the Reaper* *A Matter of Loaf and Death*
2010	*The Lost Thing*	*Day & Night* *The Gruffalo* *Let’s Pollute* *Madagascar, A Journey Diary*
2011	*The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore*	*Dimanche* *La Luna* *A Morning Stroll* *Wild Life*
2012	*Paperman*	*Adam and Dog* *Fresh Guacamole* *Head Over Heels* *The Longest Daycare*
2013	*Mr. Hublot*	*Feral* *Get a Horse!* *Possessions* *Room on the Broom*
2014	*Feast*	*The Bigger Picture* *The Dam Keeper* *Me and My Moulton* *A Single Life*
2015	*Bear Story*	*Prologue* *Sanjay’s Super Team* *We Can’t Live Without Cosmos* *World of Tomorrow*

No precursors or anything here. We just guess straight up.

Best Animated Short

Blind Vaysha

Borrowed Time

Pear Cider and Cigarettes

Pearl

Piper

Surprised Inner Workings didn’t make it. Otherwise, it about makes sense.

Rankings:

5. Blind Vaysha — The animation style is great, but this isn’t remotely the kind of film they go for. They go for stories that have emotion to them in some form. This doesn’t have that. It’s an interesting set up without any payoff except direct confrontation to the audience. This is such a clear fifth choice to anyone who studies this stuff that it’s almost unfair how easy it is.

4. Pear Cider and Cigarettes — This is the kind of film where it looks good, is interesting, but it never gets enough votes to actually win. The nomination is the reward. They always nominate the more personal films, but they never win. Fourth choice, clearly. The other three are so much more up their alley.

3. Pearl — I love this short and it’s very emotional, but is there enough there for it to get votes? I’m concerned because it’s a 360 short, meaning you can watch it and move around anywhere and see every angle while watching. The people seeing this via screener might not get that. They worked in some camera movements, but how many people are actually gonna understand that? I’m concerned about this film’s chances at a win, so I’m keeping it as third choice for now, even though it theoretically should be the alternate. It could actually win. But I need to reconcile what I think about the 360 thing before I decide what I actually think about it.

2. Borrowed Time — This is probably gonna end up a third choice, but something about this makes me feel like it could win. The big downside? And it is a big one… they like uplifting movies here. This movie is not uplifting. It’s actively depressing. That’s a big negative in a category like this. That’s probably what will ultimately prevent this from winning. I think it might end up a race between Piper and Pearl. But for now, I’m thinking this movie does have a legitimate shot. So for the next week, humor me. I’m working through some stuff now to see how it feels and we’ll see where we are when it comes time to actually pick this thing.

1. Piper — It has to be considered the favorite. The story is slight, and I’m not convinced it wins, but without a clear choice this year like there has been in years past, this becomes the default favorite. Though the big word of caution is that Pixar hasn’t won this category in 15 years and this short isn’t really all that much in the end. It just looks photorealistic and is cute. They’ve been in this position before with much more affecting shorts. I’m not sold this wins, but I think in lieu of something as obvious as Bear Story or Paperman, we have to consider this the likely winner for now. Thinking we end up with this or Pearl winning, but we’ll see. You pretty much just ruminate on this category until it becomes time to pick. There’s not a whole lot you can do here to figure it out except guess.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Tomorrow, we go over Best Sound Editing.

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