A One Mann’s Movies review of the nominations for the Oscars in the “Animated Short Film” Category.
I’ve not done separate reviews for these Oscar “Animated Short” nominees but am including brief reviews for them in this one post.
Beautiful Men (2023).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
The insecurities of three bald brothers intensify during their stay in an Istanbul hotel for hair transplants..
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (Would guess this would be a ’15’ for the nudity (albeit model nudity!) involved.
Talent:
Directed by: Nicolas Keppens.
Written by: Nicolas Keppens.
Starring: Peter Van den Begin, Peter De Graef, Tom Dewispelaere.
Running Time: 18m.
“Beautiful Men” Review:
A stop-motion animation film with added penis! The animation is also clever in that there are multiple fog effects used, which must have been tricky to do. A scene where one of the men wanders out of a sauna into a foggy Istanbul street is funny.
I’m afraid I was only able to find this in a Danish version on Youtube which gave a very poor and patchy auto-translation into English. So, I wasn’t able to see this at its best. It’s not one of my favourites.
Where You Can Watch It:
I can’t find the film commercially available at the moment. I found a copy on a Youtube site here (but it may not be available on there for long).
Trailer for “Beautiful Men”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkYjLMZgUpk.
In The Shadow of the Cypress (2023)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Living in a house by the sea with his daughter, a former captain who has post-traumatic stress disorder leads a tough and secluded life. Then their life is impinged on by a visitor from the sea.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by I would suggest it would be a ’12’ for scenes that might distress younger children.)
Talent:
Directed by: Hossein Molayemi & Shirin Sohani.
Written by: Hossein Molayemi & Shirin Sohani.
Starring: Zahra Moosavi.
Running Time: 20m.
“In The Shadow of the Cypress” Review:
This is one of the more artistic offerings in this year’s set, reminding me of the style of “Ice Merchants” from a couple of year’s ago. It was quite simply animated but had a really powerful and well told story. The scenes of the captain freaking out are magnificantly done. This one is the outside bet at the moment at 33/1 but I would personally put it closer in the running than that.
Where You Can Watch It:
The film is currently available on Vimeo on Demand for rental here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/intheshadowofthecypress .
Trailer for “In The Shadow of the Cypress”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVzZ3CVanPk .
Magic Candies (2024)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
The other kids at the park never ask Dong-Dong to play. But he’s fine just playing marbles on his own. One day, he buys a bag of colorful candies instead of new marbles. But the candies are magic candies… and each one he puts in his mouth has different results!
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (I would expect this to be a “PG” – there is nothing offensive in it other than the referenced death of Dong-Dong’s grandma.)
Talent:
Directed by: Daisuke Nishio.
Written by: Heena Baek & Ichiro Takano.
Starring: Haruto Shima.
Running Time: 21m.
“Magic Candies” Review:
This is a delightful Japanese-set animation that scores highly for me in having a really engaging story that is quite moving in places. Dong-dong gets to talk to some different objects and hear others. The animation is engaging and has some clever moments (e.g. the optics of light shining through the marbles).
Where You Can Watch It:
I can’t find the film commercially available at the moment. I found a copy on a Youtube site here (but it may not be available on there for long).
Trailer for “Magic Candies”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTL4TdmDjKw.
Wander to Wonder (2023)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
In a TV studio, three minature humans – Mary, Billybud and the accident prone Fumbleton – are stars of a hit 1980’s kids TV show – Wander to Wonder – starring Uncle Gilly (Neil Salvage). When Uncle Gilly – er… – becomes unusually ‘still’, the trio have to fend for themselves but continue to make output for their fans.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (There is no rating for this film at present but I would suggest it to be a ’12’ due to some adult humour.)
Talent:
Directed by: Nina Gantz.
Written by: Daan Bakker, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright & Nina Gantz.
Starring: Neil Salvage, Toby Jones, Amanda Lawrence, Terence Dunn.
Running Time: 14m.
“Wander to Wonder” Review:
This is a wonderfully inventive and anarchic film, chock full of black humour that’s as thick as flies! The concept is quite horrible… but it’s delivered in a touching way that makes you want to long for “Part 2: the Big Outdoors”. And it’s got the voice of Toby Jones: what’s not to love?
Where You Can Watch It:
The film is currently available on Vimeo on Demand for rental here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/wandertowonder.
Trailer for “Wander to Wonder”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv4wugFeKSc
Yuck! (2024)
Original Title: Beurk!
Bob the Movie Man Rating
Plot Summary:
On a campsite in France, young Léo and his family and friends laugh at people kissing – “It’s so gross” then yell. But when Leó suddenly feels the urge to kiss his fellow campmate Lucy, things get more serious.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (But I think this would be a U/G as there is nothing offensive about it).
Talent:
Directed by: Loïc Espuche.
Written by: Loïc Espuche
Starring: Noé Chabbat, Katell Varvat.
Running Time: 13m.
“Yuck!” Review:
Once again, I find myself struggling to know what professional animators will be judging these very diverse films on. This one has a fairly simple 2D animation style, but contains a story that is charming and delightful and had me smiling throughout its 13 minute running time. I think it’s as charming as “Magic Candies” but without quite the level of animation artistry employed there.
Trailer for “Yuck!”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2KYhzAZh1c .
Who will Win the Animated Short Film Oscar?
Oh heavens, this one is so hard to judge from outside of the industry. The best of luck to all of the nominees for their great work. My two favourites were “Magic Candies” and “Wander to Wonder” but I think I will be betting on “Wander to Wonder” which has already picked up the BAFTA.
