2025 Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts
By Dan Pal
February 12, 2025
This year’s Oscar-nominated animated shorts are an eclectic and at times perplexing mix of styles and subjects. Rarely are these films aimed toward kids so expect the unexpected should you choose to see them.
Magic Candies
From Japan, this twenty-one-minute film follows a lonely boy who picks up some magical candies and discovers they have unique powers once swallowed. One of them allows his sofa (!) to speak to him, another gives the same abilities to the boy’s dog. His view of his father and deceased grandmother also shifts when they become the subject of the candies’ powers. Ultimately, the narrative choices seem a bit random at times and almost come across as if he is, unintentionally, taking something hallucinogenic. The animation is visually stunning though.
In the Shadow of the Cypress
Iran’s nominated short is dialogue free and concerns a man and woman living near the sea. The man is distant and seemingly abusive while the woman attempts to save a whale that has washed up on their shore. The narrative itself is a bit hard to figure out, suggesting perhaps a larger metaphor about the effects of a previous war-time battle. When the man eventually takes to the sea, he has a variety of visually interesting but trippy flashbacks. Overall, the story is dark, and the characters are sad and forlorn making for a downbeat final product.
Yuck!
The title of this French short drew some laughs when announced as a nominee in this category. Seeing the film, it makes a lot of sense for this is about a bunch of adolescents at a campground who happen to notice an older couple’s lips turning bright pink before they start kissing. This disgusts the youngsters until at least one of them starts having the same reaction with one of the girls in the group. It is essentially a coming-of-age story about the familiar movement from childhood to adulthood and the awakening feelings of arousal. It’s also clever and amusing.
Wander to Wonder
This one is a co-production between Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the U.K. It begins with some very old timey-looking footage of a children’s TV show host who is interacting with his animated characters. We soon learn that these are old videotapes (hence, the visual quality) and that the man may have passed away. One of the interesting elements is that the characters are as alive as ever trying to maintain their existence in the children’s series. There’s an innocence about them that suggests Chancey Gardner in the film Being There or Jim Carey’s Truman in The Truman Show. The film also seems to be addressing the lost days of videotape and other forms of physical media. The images feel appropriately primitive yet full of nostalgic warmth for a time before digital media with its clean visuals became the preferred format, thus perhaps losing that sense of childhood innocence.
Beautiful Men
Another joint production between Belgium, France, and Netherlands, this one takes place in 2001 Istanbul. Three men have arrived in town for hair transplants. They all seem lonely and a bit desperate. We see each in moments when their personal situations seem fairly dire. What may be most shocking is seeing at least one of them naked in a steam room with penis on full display. These are not gratuitous images but rather depict the men in their most raw and vulnerable forms. It’s a bit of an unusual yet provocative short that may be one of the category’s most relatable films.
These latter two films would seemingly have the best at winning the Oscar this year. While Magic Candies and Yuck! might be the most entertaining, they don’t feel as substantive as Wander to Wonder and Beautiful Men. In the Shadow of the Cypress, while visually interesting would probably be the least penetrable to most viewers.
Should win: Wander to Wonder
Likely winner: Beautiful Men
The Oscar-nominated Animated Shorts are being released theatrically this week, including at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.