The animated short films category has been part of the Oscar awards since 1932, which was the 5th edition. The very first film to win this award was Flowers and Trees by Walt Disney.
Major film studios dominated this category for the first 30 years. Independent filmmakers made it their stronghold until the 1990s.
In recent years, renowned animation studios such as Pixar, Disney, and Aardman along with indie and international studios have been submitting their short film projects.
The Oscars committee defines a “short” as a film that does not exceed more than 40 minutes. Each year, 5 films get nominated after making it to the shortlist of 10 final submissions.
In this post, we are going to be reviewing the best Oscar-winning animated short films which left the audience in awe.
For the Birds
Year: 2000
Production house: Pixar
Country: United States
Director: Ralph Eggleston
Starring: Ralph Eggleston
It is a story about a flock of birds on a wire that gets agitated by a presence of a large bird amongst them. They mock and imitate its looks until the tables turn.
The short film is only 3 minutes long. The plot is simple, cute, and funny with a message about karma.
The animation style is cartoon and computer-generated.
For the Birds won the award for Best Animated Short at the 74th Academy Awards. It also won several other awards including Annie.
Harvie Krumpet
Year: 2003
Production house: Australian Film Commission, SBS Independent, and Film Victoria
Country: Australia
Director: Adam Elliot
Starring: Geoffrey Rush
The story follows the life of a Polish immigrant that goes by the name of Harvie Krumpet. Despite facing several setbacks in life, he remains optimistic and considers living life to the fullest.
The short film is 22 minutes long. It is made in a claymation style. It is a bittersweet comedy-drama about existential crisis and seizing the day in the face of adversity.
Harvie Krumpet won the Best Animated Short at the 76th Academy Awards. Also, it managed to bag major awards at Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
Read more: 8 Best Academy Award-Winning Live Action Short Films
Peter & the Wolf
Year: 2006
Production house: BreakThru Films and Se-ma-for
Country: Poland, Norway, and the UK
Director: Suzie Templeton
The story is about a boy named Peter. On sneaking out of his grandfather’s house, he runs into a wolf. It devours the mother duck. He decides to trap the wolf and bring it to the zoo with the help of a little bird.
The silent short film is 32 minutes long and is done in stop motion animation. The details, textures, and production quality make it a treat for viewers.
Peter & the Wolf won the Best Animated Short at the 80th Academy Awards. It also won awards at Annecy and Rose d’Or festivals.
The House of Small Cubes
Year: 2008
Production house: Oh! Productions
Country: Japan
Director: Kunio Katō
Starring: Masami Nagasawa
The film is about an old man reflecting back on life. In a flooded Japanese city, where water is forever rising, he is forced to add levels to his house to stay dry.
The short film is 12 minutes long. It is done in a traditional, frame-by-frame animation. It has a tear-jerking plot that gives vibes of warmth, serenity, and happiness to the viewers.
The House of Small Cubes won the Best Animated Short at the 81st Academy Awards. It also won accolades at Annecy and Hiroshima International Film festivals.
Logorama
Year: 2009
Production house: Autour de Minuit
Country: France
Director: François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain
Starring: David Fincher, Ray Stephenson, and Jamie Ray Newman
The story features a car chase scene through the city of Los Angeles. Logos of contemporary corporate, software and restaurant businesses are also creatively used.
It is a 16 minutes long adult animated film with computer-generated content. The short is packed with action scenes, profanity, and natural disasters.
Logorama won the Best Animated Short at the 82nd Academy Awards. It also bagged other awards at Cannes and Cesar festivals.
Also read: 10 Unique Stop Motion Animated Videos You’ll Love
Paperman
Year: 2012
Production house: Walt Disney
Country: US
Director: John Karhs
Starring: John Karhs and Kari Wahlgren
The film follows the story of a man who used paper planes to gather the attention of a woman he loves.
The animated short is black-and-white and is 7 minutes long. It is done in a traditional animation style.
It is a heartwarming story that incorporates the themes of love at first sight, nature’s divine intervention, and destiny.
Paperman won the Best Animated Short at the 85th Academy Awards. It also won the Annie award for animation.
Mr. Hublot
Year: 2013
Production house: ZEILT Productions and Watt Frame
Country: Luxembourg and France
Director: Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
The short features an eccentric character known as Mr. Hublot. His life turns upside down when a pet arrives and he has to accommodate it.
The animated film is set in a steampunk universe and is 11 minutes long. The heartfelt film tells a quirky story of compromises and the lengths we go to in order to take care of people’s needs.
Mr. Hublot won the Best Animated Short at the 86th Academy Awards. It also won the Lumiere award amongst other accolades at prestigious film festivals.
Piper
Year: 2016
Production house: Pixar and Walt Disney
Country: US
Director: Alan Barillaro
The film follows a story of a bird named Piper who is learning to fish on a beach. Piper befriends a crab who helps it pinpoint the food in a better way.
The computer-animated film is of 6 minutes. The faux-documentary filming styles give it a very realistic look.
Piper won the Best Animated Short at the 89th Academy Awards. It also won an Annie and the Empire Award.
Bao
Year: 2018
Production house: Pixar and Walt Disney
Country: US
Director: Domee Shi
Starring: Sindy Lau, Daniel Kai Lin, and Sharmaine Yeoh
It is about a mother who does not want to come to terms with a bitter reality. Her son, Bao, has grown up and wants to leave the house, but she’s willing to go to any lengths to make him stay.
The film is 8 minutes long. The animation style is inspired by Japanese cartoons.
The ending of this short proved to be a controversial one.
Bao won the Best Animated Short at the 91st Academy Awards.
Hair Love
Year: 2019
Production house: Sony Pictures Animation, Matthew A. Cherry Entertainment, and Lion Forge Animation
Country: US
Director: Matthew A. Cherry
Starring: Issa Rae
The short film is about a young black girl known as Zuri who wants to copy the hairstyle of her favorite vlogger.
She turns to her father for help, but he thinks it is an unachievable task.
It is of 7 minutes long. HBO Max has ordered a 12-episode animated series based on this short film. Matthew A. Cherry will be its showrunner.
Hair Love won the Best Animated Short at the 92nd Academy Awards. It also won Black Reel and CinEuphoria awards.
Final thoughts
You don’t have to be attached to a major film production studio to participate in an animated shorts category anymore.
Matthew A. Cherry sent out this tweet in 2016 claiming he had an Oscar-worthy idea. Little did he know that he would win the award four years later for Hair Love.
So, strap your boots and bring your next Oscar-worthy idea to life without hesitating.