The history of the 'Best Animated Short Film' category in 10 Oscar winners: from cozy hand-drawn Disney cartoons and anti-war animation to high-quality auteur animation of our time.
On March 12, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its 95th awards ceremony, where the Best Animated Short Film was 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' from (the main Oscar statuette of 2022). We decided to find out which other small animation projects have won an Oscar and pick one standout from each decade.
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Open material'The Old Mill' — Oscar 1938
What's the plot? The story of an old abandoned mill and its inhabitants, whose home is nearly destroyed by a powerful thunderstorm.
The short film 'The Old Mill' is part of the Silly Symphonies series, a collection of cartoons from Walt Disney Pictures released from 1929 to 1939. The very first Oscar in the 'Best Animated Short Film' category went to 'Flowers and Trees,' which was also part of this series. The statuette for 'The Old Mill' was the sixth for the series, but its main achievement lies elsewhere.
In this cartoon, Disney used a multiplane camera for the first time, allowing multiple planes to be filmed simultaneously, making the animation deeper and more dimensional than before. The creators tried to make the animals' behavior as realistic as possible, which, combined with excellent music, turned the film into a 'nature symphony' brought to life on screen, where the whistling of the wind and the croaking of frogs intertwined with instrumental performance.
The experience gained from creating 'The Old Mill' was applied by the studio to larger projects, especially the film 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' which became Disney's first full-length animated feature, a box office hit, and subsequently a classic of animation.
'Der Fuehrer's Face' — Oscar 1943
What's the plot? A military band consisting of Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo parades down a street decorated with swastikas, singing the song 'Der Fuehrer's Face' (a parody of the Third Reich anthem). They come across Donald Duck, whom the musicians take to a shell factory where he must 'work for the Fuehrer 48 hours a day.'
Originally, the short film 'Der Fuehrer's Face' was called 'Donald in Nutziland,' but after the song's success, the creators changed the title. Unsurprisingly, the Oscar in 1943 went to a propaganda cartoon mocking fascism. The planet was shaken by World War II, so the winners matched the times. For instance, that same year, the statuette went to the Russian documentary 'The Defeat of German Forces Near Moscow.' Among other nominated shorts was the cartoon 'The Three Little Pigs and the Wolf Adolf' — a variation on the three little pigs theme in a military setting. But the victory went to the duck reading 'Mein Kampf' and throwing sieg heils at portraits of Hitler.
'Der Fuehrer's Face' was even shown in Soviet cinemas in the 1940s, but the funniest thing is that from 2010 to 2016, the cartoon was included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials under the title 'Donald Duck and Fascism.' Good thing it was eventually removed from the list, because this short is excellent satire on a dystopian state led by a dictator who presents one ideology as the only correct one.
'Johann Mouse' — Oscar 1953
What's the plot? In the Vienna apartment of composer Johann Strauss, music constantly plays. It is so enchanting that Jerry the mouse, living in the musician's apartment, falls in love with it and always dances the waltz when he hears it. However, a cat named Thomas lives in the apartment and desperately wants to catch the mouse. So, as soon as the dancer starts waltzing, the hapless predator appears on the horizon. One day, the composer leaves, leaving the animals in the quiet apartment. Tom decides to learn to play a musical instrument to lure Jerry out of his hole. During one of the chases, servants notice the talent of the cat-and-mouse duo, and the news quickly spreads throughout Austria. And so, the celebrity pair gives a concert at the emperor's palace.
'Johann Mouse' is the 75th cartoon in the 'Tom and Jerry' series. The Oscar this short received was the seventh and last for the series created by MGM. Here, music and fairy tale intertwine into a single whole. The animators moved the action to Vienna and showed that even the most sworn enemies can unite under the influence of something so beautiful and great. True art is more important than all disagreements. By the way, starting with this episode, Tom's white stripe on his face was removed. Who knows, maybe that's why the series didn't get any more statuettes? Or maybe because subsequent episodes weren't as magical, enchanting, and musical as this one. After all, it's not every day that the soundtrack features the work of a great composer.
'The Pink Phink' — Oscar 1965
What's the plot? The Pink Panther meets his constant antagonist — the Little Man with the Big Nose (also known as the Little Man or the White Man), who is painting a house blue. This situation doesn't suit the Panther, so throughout the cartoon, he (or rather, he) will interfere with the painter, repainting everything around in pink, until even the sun and sky become pink.
'The Pink Phink' is the first episode in the 'Pink Panther' series. For the first time, an Oscar was won by a debut work from a cartoon series. Initially, the character appeared in the credits of the film 'The Pink Panther' by Blake Edwards, where that was the name of a stolen diamond. According to the director's idea, the credits were supposed to be a separate cartoon with its own plot.
For its creation, Friz Freleng was invited, who proposed as many as 150 different versions of the predator. After the film's premiere, the intro became even more popular than the film itself, which gave impetus to the creation of a whole series of dialogue-free shorts filled with slapstick humor. Of course, the iconic musical accompaniment written by Henry Mancini also played a significant role. We bet almost everyone knows this tune. Well, the series may have only one Oscar, but it is well-deserved.
'Special Delivery' — Oscar 1979
What's the plot? Before leaving, Alice told Ralph to clear the porch of snow, but the husband never followed his wife's instructions, so he simply went to work. Upon returning, a postman's body lay on the porch; he had slipped and broken his neck. Sensing trouble approaching, Ralph tried to hide the evidence, but everything went wrong, and he was taken away by the police, while the returning Alice found the lifeless body of the postman, who was once her boyfriend.
'Special Delivery' is an experimental short film made by the National Film Board of Canada. The plot and the filming itself are quite unusual compared to the projects honored in previous decades. Particularly striking are the creative editing transitions that change the setting. In addition to the main American award, the short won a prize at the Animafest Zagreb in Croatia.
The 1970s decade is probably the most unremarkable in the entire history of the 'Best Animated Short Film' category. By that time, the Academy had radically reconsidered its views on awards in this category. The Oscar was no longer given to major studios and popular series, instead favoring auteur animation not intended for children at all. The monopoly on statuettes for American cartoons gradually faded, so awards began to go to projects from around the world. Maybe 'Special Delivery' is not the best short of the decade, but it is certainly worth attention. It quite vividly demonstrates the direction in which animation nominated for the main American film award would develop.
'The Man Who Planted Trees' — Oscar 1988
What's the plot? A young traveler sets off to journey through the desert mountains, where he meets a lonely man named Elzéard Bouffier, who plants a hundred acorns every day so that one day this land can once again fully breathe with life.
The cartoon 'The Man Who Planted Trees' is based on the short story of the same name by writer Jean Giono. The 30-minute runtime covers events spanning three decades and shows what a person whose soul is filled with perseverance and faith in their own work is capable of. It would seem the story could well be true, but in fact, the writer invented the character to try to instill in people a love for planting trees and restoring nature.
Drawn with wax crayons and pastels, the short film amazes with its depth. The first half of the project is drawn in black and white, indicating an almost complete absence of life in the desert mountains, while in the second half, natural colors gradually begin to appear, instilling hope that heralds a new beginning.
The plot raises a multitude of topics that are still relevant today. The events span two World Wars, which severely impacted not only the environment but also all spheres of life. However, despite all the hardships, failures, weather cataclysms, and natural obstacles, Elzéard Bouffier — an ordinary man with incredible fortitude — went about his work every day. He didn't ask for help, didn't seek fame, and paid no attention to the talk of people who took the results of his persistent labor for a miracle of nature. He simply did his job and proved that every person is capable of a creation worthy of God himself.
'The Man Who Planted Trees' was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and more than deservedly won an Oscar. Probably, among all the laureates of the 80s, this cartoon is the most powerful and profound. Much can be said about it, but it's better to just watch it.
'Geri's Game' — Oscar 1998
What's the plot? In an empty autumn park, an old man named Geri plays chess with himself, but he becomes so passionately immersed in the game that he embodies two opposing human personalities.
And here comes Pixar! The beloved () studio is famous not only for its feature-length films but also for its very cute and simultaneously profound short films, which often helped test new animation technologies. The company received its first Oscar in 1989 for the short 'Tin Toy,' which greatly contributed to the creation of the legendary 'Toy Story' (by the way, the old chess player has a cameo in the second part). But the statuette for 'Geri's Game' was awarded mostly not for a breakthrough in animation, but for a very touching story, albeit told using the latest computer technology.
Pixar is a real factory for producing touching, funny, and instructive masterpieces. Each new work by the studio attracts the well-deserved attention of millions of viewers. But
Open materialDuring the game, Geri takes on two different personalities: a modest and indecisive intellectual in glasses and a cocky and self-confident choleric. It's no secret that the winner in this game will also be the loser. However, the main prize in this fascinating confrontation is far from a false jaw; it is the victory over one's own loneliness, which accompanies many at the final stage of life's journey. The optimistic old man found a way to fight it, and it is deeply touching.
The director of the project is Jan Pinkava, who came up with the idea for 'Ratatouille,' released 10 years later. It was with this short that the Pixar tradition of showing small stories before their feature-length films began. The old chess player appeared on screens showing 'A Bug's Life.'
Geri became the first human main character in the studio's projects. Human-led plots would come to the company's feature-length animation only 7 years later in 'The Incredibles.' Until then, they would appear somewhere on the periphery, because before showing them on the big screen in all their glory, computer animation needed to be brought to a level where everything looked almost perfect. In essence, the studio built its world brick by brick, perfecting the art of animation. Thanks to the incredible symbiosis of the latest technology and touching stories, Pixar became loved in all corners of the Earth. And 'Geri's Game' holds a place of honor among these very bricks.
'The Old Man and the Sea' — Oscar 2000
What's the plot? The story of a friendship between a boy and an old man named Santiago. For 84 days, the fisherman has been going out to sea and returning without a catch. He longs for the old days and doesn't want to believe that his physical abilities have declined. So, the old man decides to set off from the shore once more, sail further out, and not return without a catch, thereby regaining his confidence and self-respect. This time, luck smiles on Santiago, and he hooks a huge fish, with which the fisherman enters a 'duel,' confident that his perseverance and fortitude will help him win.
No offense to the excellent shorts 'For the Birds' and 'The House of Small Cubes,' but in the 2000s decade, preference should be given to the incredible work of Russian director Alexander Petrov (no, not the one who eats chocolate genitalia in ) 'The Old Man and the Sea.' We simply couldn't choose another option in this case, because it's immensely pleasing that a project created by a Russian animator was honored by the world's most prestigious film award. And most importantly, it was well-deserved.
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Open materialThe animator worked on the screen adaptation of the novella of the same name by Ernest Hemingway for two and a half years, using the technique of painting on glass. Painting with oil paints using his fingers, he only occasionally used brushes. With this approach, the artist constantly makes corrections to the previous episode to create the next one. Thus, by the end of the film, only the final fragment of the work remains on the glass, while everything else is preserved only on film. The short became the first animated film in history to be shown in IMAX format, and it also received a bunch of awards, but the pinnacle of success was, of course, the Oscar.
An incredibly beautiful and complex animation work shows the confrontation between man and nature in the wild. It's amazing how much perseverance and fortitude this old fisherman has, whose goal is only the desire to prove, first and foremost to himself, that not everything is lost. That he is still capable of winning a fierce duel, just like many years ago. We've talked about something similar above, but repetition is the mother of learning, isn't it? The cartoon 'The Old Man and the Sea' once again shows that obstacles and trials are an integral part of life's journey, which everyone can overcome through hard work and faith in themselves and their strength. A person can withstand even the strongest blows of fate; the main thing is never to give up.
'Piper' — Oscar 2017
What's the plot? A mother bird decides that her chick should start foraging for food on his own, but during the 'hunt,' the little sandpiper encounters a wave and now fears even approaching the water. However, the need for food motivates the little one to try again to get a treat, facing his fear. In the end, the little bird discovers a unique way of foraging for his species, which the sandpiper learned from hermit crabs.
The 2010s are the most difficult decade when it comes to choosing just one laureate. 'Menu,' 'Paperman,' 'Bao,' 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore' — it's simply overwhelming. All the cartoons are more than just good, but 'Piper'… This is simply an incredible work by Pixar in terms of graphics. If you compare it with 'Geri's Game,' you can understand in 10 minutes how far the studio had advanced in nine years of hard work. The Oscar was almost an obvious award for this story, shown before the feature-length project 'Finding Dory.'
In this cartoon, the studio explored the possibilities of working with a large number of objects, for which sand with its many micro-elements was perfect. The single mass consists of thousands of grains of sand that get wet under the action of the surf. Visually, 'Piper' is incredibly beautiful and almost realistic. Water, birds, stones — everything looks simply perfect. The little birds and their habitat are shown in almost detailed view. Without a doubt, this is the most beautiful short in the entire Pixar lineup.
Plus the gorgeous graphics, as always, comes with a touching story about first failures, overcoming one's own fear, and solving problems in an unconventional way. Being afraid is normal. Defeats and traumatic negative experiences are always frightening, but you need to learn to look your own fear in the eye and cope with failures. Let your way be different from everyone else's. But there's a chance that your solution to the problem will be unique and most effective; you just need to try.
P.S.: Surprisingly, 'Piper' has a post-credits scene, so watch until the end. Especially since it only lasts 6 minutes.
'If Anything Happens I Love You' — Oscar 2021
What's the plot? The tragic story of parents grieving after the death of their daughter, who was killed during a shooting at an American school.
We understand that choosing a cartoon from a decade that hasn't even passed its midpoint is a bit unfair, but the 1930s weren't complete either. The fact that the 2020s have already given us enough cartoons to compare with each other was a deciding factor. Today, the Oscar laureates are all excellent, which became clear from the previous decade, so deciding which one deserves more attention turned out to be quite difficult. Of course, it's better to watch each short, but if you want to focus on just one, our candidate is 'If Anything Happens I Love You.'
The animated work by Michael Govier and Will McCormack, released on Netflix, is a dialogue-free cartoon that can bring a viewer to tears without words. The tragic drawn story shows how difficult it is to cope with the loss of a loved one. The family's world is drawn in black and white, while everything colorful and bright is associated with the deceased girl. It's as if all the colors of life left the house with her, leaving only small traces in the form of a stain on the wall or a T-shirt.
In the end, warm memories of the times when their daughter was alive help the parents overcome their grief and reconnect. By reliving the colorful and joyful moments, the husband and wife were finally able to support each other and become a family again, rather than strangers living under one roof. Even though she is no longer around, the girl was able to help her parents move on. It's not for nothing that they say that a person who has left us will live as long as pleasant memories of them live on. They will always be there, maybe in a slightly different way, but they will. After all, they will never leave your heart.
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