While animation is typically viewed as a children's medium, the 2024 Oscar-nominated short Films in the animation category take on decidedly more mature subject matter. The five nominated short films deal with subject matters, such as conservative dress codes, the Holocaust, suggestions of sexual violence, a death row inmate, and war. It is only one of the “highly commended” shorts, added on to the end as filler, that can truly be described as aimed towards children.
2024 Oscar Nominees for Best Animated Short
Our Uniform (Yegane Moghaddam, Iran)
Featuring animation super-imposed on top of various fabrics, this short is a commentary on the strict rules in Iran, requiring Hijabs to be worn in school. While the narration of this short celebrates moments where a Hijab doesn't have to be worn, Our Uniform specifically features a disclaimer clarifying that the filmmaker is not intending to criticize the Hijab. Overall, this short has a cute concept.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsLetter to a Pig (Tal Kantor, Amit R. Gicelter, France and Israel)
Featuring a minimalistic rotoscoped style, a student has a vivid dream after hearing a Holocaust survivor read a letter of thanks to a pig. Due to its Holocaust subject matter, Letter to a Pig is a very heavy film. However, it does ultimately end with a message of hope.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsPachyderm (Stéphanie Clément, Marc Rius, United States)
Louise spends a few days with her grandparents this summer and this year is different. The very brightly coloured animation style of Pachyderm hides a dark subject matter and suggests that Louise is being sexually abused by her grandfather. As such, it can be said this short is about repressed trauma and how “the lake will never be deep enough” to make these memories go away.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsNinety-Five Senses (Jerusha Hess, Jared Hess, United States)
An elderly man on death row, voiced by Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), prepares to say goodbye to his five senses. Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), along with his wife Jerusha, Ninety-Five Senses is notable for the fact that it utilizes different animation styles to represent each of the different senses. Combined with the familiar drawl of Tim Blake Nelson, this is a neat little short.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsWar is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (Dave Mullins, Brad Booker, United States)
Soldiers on opposite sides of a military conflict take a break from hostilities to play chess by messenger pigeon. Based on a story by Sean Lennon, and featuring his father John Lennon's song “Happy X-Mas: War is Over,” War is Over! is a short that boasts a very hopeful anti-war message. The film also features some very well-done computer animation done by WETA. In my opinion, this is animated short to beat.
4.5 out of 5.0 starsHighly Commended Animated Short Films
Wild Summon (Karni Arieli, Saul Freed, United Kingdom)
Narrated by the gravelly voice of Marianne Faithfull, the average lifespan of a salmon is told. Featuring CGI characters against live-action backgrounds, Wild Summon reimagines salmon as being tiny human divers with enormous lips. This makes the short more affecting when the film talks about the hazards faced by salmon during its lifespan, particularly the over-fishing that has made it an endangered species.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsI'm Hip (John Musker, United States)
Based around the song of the same name performed by the late jazz pianist Dave Frishberg, I'm Hip tells the story of a very hip cat. This short features a very throwback animation style and is just a joy to watch for its 4-minute length.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
