by James Rosario and Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin: This year’s Oscar-nominated Shorts email from Grail Moviehouse stressed that the latest batch of Animated films are not intended for children. Boy howdy, were they right!
James Rosario: I’ve never seen so much animated nudity outside of Heavy Metal. But, it’s an intriguing bunch of films, with no Disney/Pixar to be seen.
Edwin: I’m pretty surprised that the delightful Pixar SparksShort “Twenty Something” and the lovely Disney short “Far From The Tree” weren’t nominated. And much as I enjoy seeing edgy hand-drawn (“Affairs of the Art”) and stop-motion (“Bestia”) works among the finalists, I can’t imagine them standing a chance at winning. Then along comes the practically perfect “Robin Robin” and all is right with the world again. Congratulations to Aardman Animations on their soon-to-be latest Oscar.
James: “Robin Robin” certainly seems like a sure bet to win both the Oscar, and the most likely to become a Christmas tradition at our house. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the other nominees (for the most part), but “Robin Robin” tapped into a primal child-like animated spirit that so many people understandably adore (my grumpy self included).
Edwin: I love Aardman’s style and am happy they’ve found a home with Netflix, where some wonderful Shaun the Sheep features and shorts have landed. The attention to detail, humor, and heart are all here and I’m confident it’ll be something I view on a regular holiday basis, too. My second favorite of this group is Russia’s “Boxballet,” about an unlikely romance between — you guessed it — a boxer and a ballet dancer. The throwback animation and silent-film approach work well in the service of this sweet narrative, which also manages to mix in some poignant “Me Too” messaging without feeling intrusive.
James: I agree that “Boxballet” is an easy second favorite. It’s a well-told, very charming story that clearly defines who the heroes and villains are, but does so in a fresh, modern, and highly stylized way, all while remaining pleasantly familiar. It reminds me of Popeye and Olive Oyl without being too on the nose about it (which, for me, is a good thing — I love Popeye).
Edwin: I pity the dumdum who doesn’t! It’s a short, sweet take on odd couple dynamics — slightly different than the one presented in “Bestia.” The stop-motion work by Chilean director Hugo Covarrubias is marvelous, but just as I don’t think I’ve seen a china doll protagonist over the past decade in this category, I feel confident saying that the, er, direction that the human/dog relationship takes is also new to these eyes — and may have scalded them a bit.
James: Indeed. I can’t say for certain, but I imagine that is a first for the Oscars. But, some shocking turns aside, I found “Bestia” to be a damned interesting experiment in strange and ominous dream logic. It’s a pretty wild ride if you think about it: going from the story of a lonely lady living a mundane existence, to one of escalating violence, depravity, and weird Nazi memorabilia. I’d be willing to bet there’s some deep Chilean political subtext there that I’m not privy to, but would like to be.
Edwin: Shades of Pablo Larraín’s unintentional trilogy from the Pinochet era are definitely there, and I found the concluding concept of being haunted by one’s…”waste management” to be quite moving. I guess that makes the aforementioned “Affairs of the Art” and another sex/nudity-filled entry, the maybe (?) rotoscoped “The Windshield Wiper,” the also-rans. Both have their merits, but are a bit too extreme for me to latch onto much, or think they stand a chance at winning the Oscar.
James: I identified with “Affairs of the Art” much more than I did with “The Windshield Wiper” — the former a rather harmless look at the obsessive and eccentric nature of creatives, and the latter a somewhat pretentious and faux-philosophical comment on… something. If either wins (especially with “Robin Robin” in the picture), I’ll eat my hat.
Edwin: There’s a certain beauty to each of those, particularly the messiness of “Affairs” that’s evident in the energetic narration and chaotic but kind of lovely old-school visuals. The blocky look of “Wiper” is appealing in its own regard, but I’m with you on not quite grasping its message. Something about connections and missed connections? I won’t commit to chomping on a ball cap if either triumphs (maybe Werner Herzog’s shoe…), but both strike me as noms to pacify different wings of the Academy’s animation branch, and help make this program far more enjoyable and engaging than the Live Action shorts. I give this set a B-plus.
James: In head-to-head competition, the animated shorts easily trounce the live-action ones. Even the entrants I enjoyed less than others, I still found room to appreciate on a more firm footing than most of their non-animated counterparts. It’s a B-plus from me, too.
Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.