Oscar Winning Animations

This week I have added another page of Oscar winning animations to my short films website.


The first most noticeable addition is House On Little Cubes (aka Maison En Petits Cubes &Tsumiki No Ie) by Japenese animator Kunio Kato. House On LIttle Cubes won the Best Short Animation Oscar in 2009. It is a very touching story so have the tissues ready to wipe away the tears. As his Japanese town floods, an old man is forced to add levels onto his home. But when he drops his favourite pipe into the watery levels below, his scuba-diving search through his house prompts him to relive scenes from his life.


It could be considered the animated version of The Last 3 MInutes...


The fantastic Oscar winning animations, Chubbchubbs! and Father & Daughter were already there so the next addition is really Destino by Dominique Monfery.


Destino was started by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali in 1945 for the Walt Disney company. The story was created by Dali, J. Hench and D. Ernst with the music composed by Mexican, Armando Domínguez. Destino is perhaps best known as a collision between the two very differnt artists, Dali and Walt Disney, but it was acutally completed in 2003 by French animator Dominique Monfery, who more commonly works on feature animations, and nominated in 2004. It is certainly more Daliesque than Disney.


The last addition is Creature Comforts by Nick Park. This Oscar animation was the first the wider world saw from Nick Park, who would go on to thrill us with his Wallace & Gromit series. 

Oscar Winning Short Films

This week I have gone Oscars crazy on my short film website.


I have added yet another page of oscar winning films. Unfortunately, I have had to remove some recent winners due to a legal threat but I keep what I can and include the best of the Academy Award nominees.


Wish 143 was nominated for the Best Short Film Oscar this year. A black comedy directed by Ian Barnes and written by Simon Bigwell, Wish 143 follows the efforts of a young cancer patient, David, trying to fulfil his final wish: which is to lose his virginity. The charity offers him Gary Neville (the soccer player) instead and his friendly priest tries to deter him but David is determined to pop his cherry before he pops his clogs. 


Another oscar winning short film from America is Two Soldiers by Aaron Schneider. The Academy has been rewarding longer short films during the last decade, and Two Soldiers is an extreme example. However, it is to its credit that it does not feel that long. Set during WWII, it is a touching account of a young boy who wants to join his brother in the "war at Pearl Harbour". It's very American (was 9/11 a factor in its win?) but a great performance by Ron Perlman (Hellboy) makes you more likely to cry than vomit by the end.


I have cheated slightly by adding I'll Wait For The Next One by Philippe Orreindy. I'll Wait For The Next One (J'attendrai le Suivant) was nominated for the 2003 Oscar but I include it because I have been unable to get hold of The Accountant by Ray McKinnon, which is nearly as long as Two Soldiers anyway.


I'll Wait For The Next One is a bitter-sweet tale of a lonely woman being offered the chance of true love on the Paris metro. I actually find it hard to watch it's so sorrowful! Anyway, enjoy the films at filmsshort.com