Nate At The Movies

After a brief intermission, we’re back! The Three Sisters was the first animated short out of the gate, which I was glad about. It didn’t look like it was going to be good, and I was right! The story was mostly pretty boring, too man-coded for 2025, and the animation style was not great. It was like a mix of the 3D backdrops of The Wonder Pets and the character designs and movements of BrainPOP. A weird combination for sure, and would you look at that: it didn’t work, either!

Sure, the film had its moments of crude, quirky humor, and everyone on the island got a happy ending, but with four other solid nominees here (plus a bonus short that I’ll get to at the very end that outplayed this one, too), I’m left to wonder how The Three Sisters got here. What set it apart? What elevated it to the status of its competitors? If the answer to that is, “I don’t know”, then let’s nominate something else. Also, the man’s laugh got annoying.

I’m going to have a hard time disagreeing with Schaffrillas on this one. Forevergreen, written by two former Disney animators, felt like so many other Pixar shorts, but that isn’t to say that what they did here didn’t work. The story of life, death, and rebirth in this Disney/Pixar style worked pretty well, especially when combined with the lessons about cherishing loved ones and being a good steward of your environment. This story was The Giving Tree meets Smokey the Bear in a pretty good way.

As was probably the highlight of this short film for most people, the animation was superb. I loved the wooden style and the constantly changing textures, and the film as a whole was so colorful and vibrant. Narratively, sure, it didn’t do much that its Pixar predecessors hadn’t already done, but Forevergreen was still a refreshing, comforting watch in this set of nominees. Will it win? Almost certainly not, but I wouldn’t be mad if it did. There were short films, though, that pushed the envelope more. Let’s talk about them next.

When looking at the list of nominees, I knew I wouldn’t like The Three Sisters, and I had a bad feeling that The Girl Who Cried Pearls was going to be the worst of the bunch, in a creepy Wander to Wonder sort of way. I’m so glad that it wasn’t terrible—creepy at times, not but terrible—and I ended up liking it, actually. Early on, what captured me most was the animation style, which was so expressive in the body movements (it looked human!) but frustratingly limited in the eyes and mouth. Why did their mouths not move? The designs were equally impressive and creepy, which I’ve come to expect thanks to projects like Memoir of a Snail. Stop motion dances on a fine line, it seems.

The story was somewhat interesting and creative, but the ending changed the film’s fortunes for me. I liked the twist at the end (that the pearls weren’t real, and neither was the grandfather’s story), and the lesson he impressed on his granddaughter of “the story we tell gives the object its meaning, not the object itself” was surprisingly impactful. The Girl Who Cried Pearls will probably be the favorite of some, and while it wasn’t my personal fave, I appreciate the craft and the narrative creativity. The uncomfy stop motion just isn’t for me. More like Fantastic Mr. Fox, less like Wander to Wonder. Moving on!

For those who have seen it, it should be obvious why I think Butterfly will win the Oscar tomorrow. For those less informed, the most striking aspects of this short film were its inventive animation style and its surprising story.  The painting-inspired animation was equally impressive and expressive, allowing for plenty of detail in close shots and a unique ability to transition fluidly to new scenes in wide shots. I’m not sure if this style could be sustained for an entire feature film—and it may not be capable of handling huge, complex emotions—but boy, was it beautiful here.

The story was somewhat interesting for the first half, but I was shocked when the main character’s past trauma was revealed. I had no idea this short was going to go in that direction, and the result was brutal. The story was true and heartbreaking, and a tough reminder that the horrors of the Holocaust still live with many people. Butterfly was a shock to the system in a couple ways, and while I think it’ll win tomorrow, it wasn’t my favorite. That didn’t come until the very end.

When the nominees for this category were announced, I looked at Retirement Plan and said something along the lines of, “this is the kind of stuff getting nominated?”. I was most frustrated by my theorized correlation between the quality of the animation and the quality of the short, and I’m so glad that I was too quick to judge. Retirement Plan was so good; perfectly succinct and meaningful and funny on top of all of it. Even though I could tell how the film was going to subvert its premise 30 seconds in, it was a welcome subversion, and one that made me want to change my entire life and worldview in an evening.

I’d also like to mention just how funny this short was. The number of times Ray backed out of a plan because it was too hard or not what he wanted was great, but the joke that had me in stitches was “I will haunt the absolute shit out of my sixth class enemy” and him popping out of the closet. Also, the animation didn’t bother me too much; in fact, I think its simplicity allowed me to focus on the film’s message more. Retirement Plan was quick and clever and meaningful and so dang funny, and I’m glad that my two favorites today were at the end of their respective groups. What a lovely way to end this marathon!