2025 Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts

Edwin Arnaudin: I have one word to sum up this year’s Oscar-nominated animated shorts: HORNY!

From the free-spirited full frontal male nudity in Beautiful Men and Wander to Wonder, to the glowing, kiss-hungry lips of Yuck! (Beurk!), libidos run wild among this batch.

Obviously, other emotions and themes are at play here and in the other two, penis-free finalists. But were you similarly surprised that this usually chaste category has become so sex-positive?

James Rosario: It would seem the Disney/Pixar reign of terror might finally be over. The war has been won, and its conquering heroes are a handful of weird dicks.

All told, though, I rather liked this batch of shorts. I found something to appreciate in all of them, and they all surprised me in their own ways. From funny to tragic to just plain tripped-out and slightly creepy surrealism, there’s not a bad one in the bunch.

But, for me, one of them shines above the others. I’m not sure if the Academy is brave enough to give it the Oscar, but Wander to Wonder might be my favorite animated short I’ve seen in all these years of doing this.

For fans of weird messed-up concepts and execution, it doesn’t get much better than this royally weird story about a children’s show host and his “friends.” At least now I know what happens when you mash Nickelodeon shows from the ’80s together with the Analog Horror genre.

What about you? Did Wander to Wonder hit you as hard as it did me?

Edwin: I’m going to say “no,” but it’s still my favorite of the bunch. These programs tend to evaporate from my brain after the winners are announced during the Academy Awards ceremony, so I can’t swear to Nina Gantz’s film being tops of the 21st century, but it very well could be.

Poignant, sad, funny, imaginative, and more than a little twisted, it would be great if this Dutch/Belgian/French collaboration wins the Oscar, though I doubt voters will be bold enough to follow through.

Nevertheless, it’s a much better use of stop-motion animation than Beautiful Men — which also happens to be a Dutch/Belgian/French team-up. Director Nicolas Keppens’ tale of three brothers getting hair transplants in Istanbul circa 2021 mostly made me sad to see so much time and effort put into telling a fairly lame story, but the final shot is pretty funny. Did this one do much for you?

James: It has its charms but it I wasn’t wowed by it. In just 18 minutes, it features a surprising amount of characterization but it really does all come down to that final shot. All told, it’s a worthy entry, just not a particularly memorable one.

I’m sure a fan favorite will be Loïc Espuche’s Yuck!. Oddly, this French short about two little kids who want to kiss each other is somehow the most family friendly of the bunch, despite how uncomfortable it might make actual children. But, its sweetness and innocence might be enough to woo the jury into a win.

It could be argued that Daisuke Nishio’s Magic Candies is the more kid-centric film of the pair. But, when you break it down, this Japanese entry is basically about a kid who takes candy from a stranger that makes him hallucinate and hear voices. It isn’t sinister by any stretch – in fact it’s quite sweet in its own right — but it’s still pretty trippy.

Any thoughts on the two “kid-friendly” nominees?

Edwin: No, they don’t exist for me.

Just kidding.

The symbolism of romantic desire in Yuck! is witty and its simple but colorful animation resembles a kids book. It’s sweet storytelling with a somewhat creepy climax — aka it comes from France like the Coneheads. I could definitely see it winning, though the ironic “ick” factor could keep it an also ran.

I agree with you on Magic Candies’ psychedelic nature. I initially found the character design extremely strange and off-putting, and its herky-jerky visual style suggested a rough 21 minutes awaited. But I grew to kind of love its unusual depiction of emotions, despite director Daisuke Nishio’s tendency to over-explain things.

That leaves the Iranian film In the Shadow of the Cypress, which drew me in early with its gorgeous, colorful chalk-line animation in the service of creative character and animal design. I’m also impressed with how much directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani manage to convey through silent film storytelling as they explore the relationship between an estranged Muslim couple who attempt to start anew separately while helping a beached whale. But I ultimately found this approach to work against the film, particularly in its fascinating but somewhat obtuse symbolism of the man’s trauma.

James: If I had to pick a winner right now, I’d say In the Shadow of the Cypress is the front-runner. It kind of a frustrating watch, though. On one hand, its violent displays of the man’s PTSD and trauma seem shoehorned into the otherwise serene artistry. On the other hand, it’s exactly these moments that give it most of its punch. At the same time, while I don’t need my subtext to be spelled out for me, In the Shadow of the Cypress might prove a bit esoteric for some.

All told, this is a decent group of shorts. If you’re watching with kids, you may want to avert their eyes a few times, but it’s all pretty harmless stuff. I don’t mind one bit giving this batch an A-minus.

Edwin: I’m not quite as wild about the full program which, for one of the first times in the past decade, isn’t my favorite of the shorts finalists. While it’s encouraging that the Academy is recognizing international films this year, I miss the token British children’s book adaptation with an all-star vocal cast and/or something from Pixar. One of those over Beautiful Men and we’re in business. But as is, it earns a B.

Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.