A One Mann’s Movies review of the nominations for the Oscars in the “Best Animated Short” Category.
I’ve not done separate reviews for these Oscar “Best Animated Short” nominees but am including brief reviews for them in this one post.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse (2022).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
A lost boy is helped with guidance and advice from the animals he meets along the way in a snowy landscape.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: PG-TV. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but I think this would suit adults and children of all ages. There are a few moments of mild threat, but quickly resolved).
Talent:
Starring: Jude Coward Nicoll, Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne.
Directed by: Peter Baynton & Charlie Mackesy.
Written by: Charlie Mackesy & Jon Croker. (Based on the book by Charlie Mackesy.)
“The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse” Review:
An utterly delightful half-hour animation, done in a similar style (graphically) to “The Snowman”. This deserves to be a similar Christmas classic. The main lines are between the boy (Jude Coward Nicoll) and the cake-obsessed mole (Tom Hollander), but Idris Elba and Gabriel Byrne have a few lines too. The artwork of the countryside the characters (by Charles Mackesy) is just superb. Moreover, the story is chock full of really deep and positive mental health messages. Two of my favourites:
- “What do your want to be when you grow up?” asks the mole. “Kind” replies the boy.
- “Doing nothing with friends is never doing nothing, is it?”
- “What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said” asks the boy. “Help” replies the mole.
Also worthy of note is a wonderful score by the talented Isobel Waller-Bridge.
Is it a bit too sickly sweet with its philosophy of life sometimes? Yes, perhaps, but more talk about mental health is better than less in my book.
This was on the BBC over Christmas and is available to stream for free (for UK viewers) on BBC iPlayer. Very much recommended. It’s up for both the BAFTA and Oscar awards, which is fabulous.
Trailer for “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbdem4g_LEc .
The Flying Sailor (2022)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Based on an incredible true story, a sailor witnesses a TNT explosion as two ships collide and as he is blown through the air, his life flashes before him.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (But this might be a “12” given that there is some male genatalia on show).
Talent:
Directed by: Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby.
Written by: Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby.
“The Flying Sailor” Review:
At just 8 minutes long, this is an amuse bouche of a piece that recounts the tale of Charlie Mayers who witnessed the devastating explosion in Halifax (Nova Scotia) harbour, got thrown more than 2km in the air and lived to tell the tale. The animation style is quite ‘blocky’ and crude but some of the sequences – notably the explosion itself and a “return” to life are remarkably well done.
There is also a great score to accompany the action.
Where I’ve marked this one down a bit is that it does include sequences of live action within it. Now I know that films like “Marcel The Shell with Shoes On” is similar, and that is in the Animation category, but this does feel like a bit of a cheat given all of the other contenders were fully animated.
Trailer for “The Flying Sailor”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URbRAufo854 .
and the whole film (at the time of writing) is available to watch on here: https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-new-yorker-documentary-flying-sailor . (You may need to set up a US VPN connection to be able to watch it).
Ice Merchants (2022)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
A father and son harvest ice in their chalet perched precariously at altitude on a cliff. Every day, they parachute down to the village below with their ice to sell. But the environment is changing.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (Would be generally suitable for all).
Talent:
Directed by: João Gonzalez.
Written by: João Gonzalez.
“Ice Merchants” Review:
This is another artistically created piece from hand-drawn frames and using a very limited colour pallette. It’s beautiful to look at, and unlike some of the other competitors here, it tells a tale which is interesting in itself and with an underlying warning message on global warming. It took me a while to recognise what the “mountain” was at the end, but when realisation dawned it was a nice denouement: mystical and strange.
Very well worth watching, and a good contender for the Oscar.
Trailer for “Ice Merchants”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7pKK4uFjHI.
At the time of writing, the whole film is available to watch here – https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-new-yorker-shorts-ice-merchants-a-father-and-son-brave-perilous-heights. But for this you definitely DO need to be connected to a US-VPN server in order to play it.
My Year of Dicks (2022)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
A teen recounts the horrors of a year of trying to lose her virginity.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (But this would probably be either a ’12’ or a ’15’ for sexual language).
Talent:
Directed by: Sara Gunnarsdóttir.
Written by: Pamela Ribon (from her memoir “Notes to Boys (And Other Things I Shouldn’t Share in Public)”.
“My Year of Dicks” Review:
The Oscar nomination announcement that caused the biggest audience reation in the room on March 13th. And how refreshing for a sexually inhibited country like the US to put up a film about a 15-year old trying to lose her virginity!
Told as 5 separate chapters, each pursuing a different style of animation, this is a wildly inventive ride through the angst of being a sexually inquisitive/frustrated teen. A “sex talk” chapter is particularly cringe-inducing. It’s directed by Iceland’s Sara Gunnarsdóttir (not to be confused with the composer – e.g. of “Tár” and “Women Talking” Hildur Guðnadóttir, although this article suggests that they shared the same classroom in a town near Reykjavik).
It’s inventive enough to win the Oscar for sure. But are Oscar voters perhaps too prurient to upvote this sort of content for the big prize? I think not.
Trailer for “My Year of Dicks”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMBpW_tHXU .
and (at the time of writing) the whole 26 minute film is available to watch on Vimeo here – https://vimeo.com/785947192 .
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2022)
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
An office worker suddenly finds the wheels coming off his world, as an Ostrich suggests that nothing is real.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (But this would be for general viewing).
Talent:
Directed by: Lachlan Pendragon.
Written by: Lachlan Pendragon.
“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” Review:
Oh my! This is 11 minutes of surrealist joy! Having said in previous reviews (“Pinnochio“, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On“) that I’m not a great fan of stop-motion animations, here I must absolutely and utterly contradict myself. “An Ostrich etc” is like a stop-motion version of “The Matrix”. It’s hugely innovative. The office windows flicker between external city views and green screen; colleagues tap into invisible keyboards and float on invisible chairs; and our hero Neil (voiced by writer/director Lachlan Pendragon) follows the ostrich’s advise, falls through a door and lands in a tray of his own interchangeable faces!
It was made by the film school of the Griffith University in Australia, and is packed full of that wonderfully sardonic Australian humour. If you haven’t guessed, this is the one that I would love to win the Oscar. Good luck to them.
Trailer for “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CuuCc8QdLQ .
and (at the time of writing) the whole film is available to watch on Vimeo here – https://vimeo.com/796231519
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Who will Win the Animated Short Oscar?
This is the first year that I’ve been able to watch all of the Animated Short films, and what a HUGE amount of innovative talent there is out in the world to produce these. My personal choice – because I enjoyed it so much – was “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”. But I’m not sure the Australian (and UK) sense of humour will necessarily transfer to the States. So what will the members of the Animation Academy go for? I’m guessing (and being suitably patriotic for my fellow Brits) “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse”… but this is really tough to call.
