Shuhei Morita’s vibrant, haunting “Possessions” is the one true standout in this year’s disappointing crop of nominees
I knew something was afoot when the talking animals started emceeing with Billy Crystal jokes. From France to Great Britain to the U.S. of A., this year’s Oscar-nominated animated short films promise one constant across geographical borders: more of the same.
Packaged as an 85 minute showcase, the shorts are introduced via an ostrich and giraffe delivering bizarre anecdotes about Hollywood’s stars — both real and animated. The first short, Disney’s “Get a Horse!,” will be familiar to those who caught Frozen in theaters. While out enjoying a lovely wagon ride, Mickey, Minnie, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow find their afternoon interrupted by pushy brute, Peg-Leg Pete. Delightfully economical with its 6 minutes, Lauren MacMullan’s film blends the old school hand-drawn animation of classics like “Steamboat Willy” with the realities of glossy, computer-generated CGI. Characters literally burst through the film’s screen, re-orienting gravity or manipulating single frames like an animatic flip book. The result makes for a satisfying meta-cinematic experience.
“Mr. Hublot” finds its Ziggy-styled recluse opening himself up to the anxieties of its steampunk world when he takes in a rapidly growing robot dog. Featuring a deeply flawed character, Mr. Hublot’s obsessive-compulsions and agoraphobia make it difficult to show off ZEILT Productions’ shining animation. Smudged factory windows glisten in the sun, and characters are wonderfully expressive despite their emotive limitations, but Hublot’s seclusion makes everything feel like a half-wasted opportunity at something greater.
Daniel Sousa’s “Feral” brings a young boy raised in the wild into 19th century civilization. Despite some flashes of violence, the story itself is minor, however its chalky animation is superb, resembling the illustration style of Lane Smith’s storybook artwork.
Of course “storybook” is only relative when compared to the most baffling entry, “Room on the Broom.” Boasting a massive cast featuring the voices of Gillian Anderson, Rob Brydon, and (narrator) Simon Pegg, it’s a selection tailor-made for boosting red carpet attention. Max Lang and Jan Lachauer bring Julia Donaldson’s children’s book to life with an animation style that most closely resembles a cross between CGI and Aardman Animations. (Imagine Wallace and Gromit but with a lot more help from computers.) Narrated in singsong style, the story’s plotting becomes predictable once you learn the rhyme scheme, which wouldn’t be a problem were the story substantial enough to warrant a whopping 25 minutes. It isn’t, as a well-mannered witch finds the available real estate on her magical broom at the mercy of several talking animals. Again, with the talking animals.
Shuhei Morita’s vibrant “Possessions” is easily the standout among this year’s nominees. When a wayward warrior seeks refuge from the elements in a ramshackle cottage, he is visited by the building’s spirits and specters. The premise of “Possessions,” that objects and places can take on the properties of their previous owners, makes for a haunting atmosphere — quite literally. Shut out from the storming rain, the man contends with umbrellas, tapestries, and even a dragon comprised entirely of antique pottery. “Possessions” could have easily rested on the brilliant pops in its cel shaded style, but Morita hits dour notes of gloom and doom, too. A young woman’s ghost speaking from beyond the grave is proof enough the short isn’t afraid to get spooky, adding genre elements to a terrific poem about fashioning new purposes from the things of old.
“Highly Commended” runners-up included an Irish short film narrated by George Takei (“The Missing Scarf”), Pixar’s disappointing “The Blue Umbrella,” and French chickens in “A La Française.”
- All this week at Sundance Cinemas Madison, you can see the Oscar-nominated live action and animated shorts. Sundance will screen 2014’s nominated documentary shorts beginning this Friday.