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.
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Tomorrow, we go over Best Sound Editing.
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