Animated Oscar shorts offer up lots of variety
There’s nothing particularly exceptional about this year’s contenders for Best Animated Short, but all of them are worth seeing, whether for the artistry or simply fine storytelling. The subject matter runs the gamut, from male pattern baldness to the perils of PTSD. Here are my takes on each:
Beautiful Men (18m, Belgium-France-Netherlands): In writer-director Nicolas Keppens’ droll comedy, three brothers fly to Istanbul to undergo hair transplants they’re convinced will at last grant them contentment and confidence. But as they say, the best-laid plans… The story is a solid one, as each man – exhibiting varying degrees of baldness – confronts his fears and insecurities. The voice work by Peter Van den Begin as Bart, Peter De Graef as Koen and Tom Dewispelaere as Steven is spot-on, with each brother earning your sympathy, even while laying bare their twigs and berries. And things do get hairy for the trio, rendering this short unfit for small fries.
Grade: B+
In the Shadow of the Cypress (20m, Iran): If you’re like me, you’ll struggle to make sense of this esoteric tale about a young woman dealing with her father’s violent bouts of anger triggered by PTSD. Written and directed by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, the animation is intriguing, particularly when a whale beaches itself just outside their seaside home. But the story is just too obscure to have any visceral impact.
Grade: C
Magic Candies (21m, Japan): With no friends, no mother and a clueless taciturn dad, young Dong-Dong (Haruto Shima) is impelled to entertain himself with his beloved marbles. So paramount is his fixation, that he purchases a half-dozen hard candies he mistakes for marbles. The title’s hocus pocus comes into play when he discovers that popping the candies inside his mouth, endows him with the power to chat with a sofa, his aging dog and his late mom and grandmother. Directed by Daisuke Nishio and written by Baek Hee-na and Ichiro Takano, this Tokyo-set fantasy initially has you firmly in its grasp. But as it wears on, growing more and more obtuse, you may lose interest, and/or your marbles.
Grade: B-
Wander to Wonder (14m, Netherlands-Belgium-France-United Kingdom): By far the bawdiest of the bunch – and the current Oscar frontrunner – is director Nina Gantz’s poignantly strange black comedy. In it, the three surviving puppets from a DYI 1980s children’s TV program – Fumbleton (Toby Jones), Mary (Amanda Lawrence) and Billybud (Terence Dunn) – are left to their own devices after the host of the “Wander to Wonder Show,” Uncle Gilly (Neil Savage), drops dead on his makeshift set. As the flies and squalor amass, the puppets, now with no one to direct them, get a bit eccentric, with Mary watching reruns of her younger self on the VCR and Fumbleton flashing his junk and lighting fires. Will Billybud save the day when an intruder appears on the scene? Be sure to stay tuned.
Grade: B+
Yuck! (12m, France): Kids can be sassy, but the half-down youngsters in writer-director Loïc Espuche’s adorable toon give no lip. In fact, kissing totally grosses out the kids as they surreptitiously spy seemingly everyone puckering up while on a camping trip with their parents. Well, not all of the gang. Léo (voice of Noé Chabbat) and Lucie (Katell Varvat), secretly want to exchange a smooch. How do we know? Because like everyone in their orbit at this summer campground, when they feel the urge to kiss, their lips turn a fluorescent pink. But will Léo and Lucie ever get the chance to peck? First they’ll need to get over being mercilessly teased by their buddies.
Grade: B
