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The slate of the five animated short films nominated at this year’s Academy Awards unfortunately leaves something to be desired when compared with the live-action collection. Part of this has to do with the length of the films, as four of the five shorts hover around the 10-minute mark. While complaining about runtime when considering short films may seem pointless, it is hard to argue that the majority of these will leave much of a lasting impression.
The worst of the bunch has to go to “Pearl,” a simple and charming story about a father and daughter. We see time pass them by and how their relationship changes as they follow their dreams,; both inspired to find a career in music. While the film is touching, the animation leaves a lot to be desired. There’s really not much to say about it other than, “meh.”
The two shorts “Piper” and “Blind Vaysha” are definitely more appealing right away in terms of animation. “Piper” comes from Pixar, and the visually stunning short follows a baby sandpiper as it learns to grow up and find its own food on the beach. That is about it for the story, so the main thing to enjoy is the beautifully rendered cg imagery and the charming creatures that Pixar created.
“Blind Vaysha” has a completely different animation style, one that can only be explained as being modeled after impressionist paintings like the works of Vincent Van Gogh. This short tells the story of a woman that can see the past through one of her eyes and the future through her other eye. This is a very interesting concept, and with the painterly images, it feels like the audience is entering into a dreamworld. This could be a good wildcard pick at the Oscars because of its incredibly unique animation style.
The two best animated shorts are “Borrowed Time,” another Pixar entry, and finally “Pear Cider and Cigarettes,” a 35-minute sprawling story of addiction and friendship. “Borrowed Time” is so successful because it takes a simple concept, the relationship between a father and son, and blows it up into something massive by depicting time passing by. It shows us a tragedy at the beginning of the film when the protagonist was a boy, and proceeds to depict how time affects the life of the protagonist. The two timelines are connected by the image of a pocket-watch which lies at the scene of the tragedy for decades, until the son returns to find it.
“Pear Cider and Cigarettes” is the best animated short this year, not only because its length allows the viewer to truly get in the minds of the characters, but also for its animation style and soundtrack. The story revolves around the narrator and his alcoholic friend named Techno. Most of it takes place in China, where Techno is hospitalized and in need of a liver transplant. The story is unflinching and suspenseful, and it is only made better by its neon-colored, psychedelic imagery and carefully chosen soundtrack, including deep cuts by Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. This is the only film to go past the 15-minute mark, and it more than doubles that length, in turn helping the viewer to truly care about Techno and the main drama of the film.
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The Okee Dokee Brothers take young listeners on a musical journey through the great outdoors. The band performs at Stanford on March 5. Photo courtesy of Stanford Live. -
Smuin dancers Mengjun Chen and Tessa Barbour in Stanton Welch’s “Indigo,” presented as part of Smuin’s “Dance Series 01.” Photo by Chris Hardy.
What a limited mindset produced this set of reviews.
“Borrowed Time” is a muddled mess that had no business even being nominated.
“Techno” is pointless piece with characters whose motivations make no sense and for whom one has no sympathy. A colossal waste of time, even as short as it is.
“Piper” on the other hand shows that if, when you encounter someone unlike yourself, instead of responding with fear and loathing to have a certain curiosity, you may actually benefit from it. It may save your life as well as give you a glimpse of a wonderful world you never even knew existed (under the water). These are excellent messages in these xenophobic times.