10 animated short films have made the cut for the 2015 Oscars as per the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcement yesterday. And, among these 10 films is the Indian origin but America based animator Sanjay Patel’s creation Sanjay’s Super Team. These 10 films have been shortlisted out of Sixty films that had originally qualified in the category and these 10 shorts will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards.
The short animated films include:
Sanjay’s Super Team
Disney Pixar’s animated film directed and scripted by Indian-American Sanjay Patel is his own story as he battles between the struggles of his father’s traditions and his own craze for western games in terms of attraction to the Television. Also, the film reveals the Hindu Gods coming alive as super heroes in little Sanjay’s dream world. The film is set to release on 27 November, 2015 in India accompanied with Disney’s The Good Dinosaur.
Carface
Directed by cartoonist Claude Cloutier, this film is a musical comedy of contemporary attitudes towards the threats to our planet that may raise an eyebrow due to the delicate issues smartly highlighted. This evoking film that displays the cars singing and dancing when the planet is going to the ruins is a production of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
If I Was God
Directed by two-time Oscar-nominated animator Cordell Barker, this film is a combination of stop motion and puppet animation. Also, this film portrays the surreal situation of the imaginative chaos created if God like powers were bestowed upon an adolescent. This short too from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) stable.
Bear Story
Punkrobot Animation Studio’s short film, directed by Gabriel Osorio, conveys the story of an old lonesome bear as he travels through his journey of life in the form of robotic animation. The film has already garnered 40 international awards in the festival circuit and as it is Punkrobot, it has its unique robotic diorama.
Love in the Time of March Madness
Directed by Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano, this film shows director Melissa’s romantic adventures that create awkward situations as she is quite tall to her shorter dating counterparts. The animated “tall short” film is a true story about accepting this minute difference and embarrassing situations.
My Home
Directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen, this film depicts the story of a little boy named Hugo who discovers a third mysterious personality who lives in his house apart from his parents. The simple animation in this film shows the innocence of the kid as he is not quite sure above the presence of this third creature.
An Object at Rest
Directed by Seth Boyden, this film is a tale of the life of a stone as it travels over the course of millennia. The stone is personified as a immense traveler who faces nature’s greatest obstacle ‘human civilisation’.
Prologue
Directed by Richard Williams, this film describes a little girl’s experience of the Spartan-Athenian wars of 2,400 years ago. The dialogue free film evokes the emotions of the girl as she bears witness to the warriors battling to death.
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
Directed by Konstantin Bronzit, this film tells the enriching story of two lifelong friends preparing for a trip to the stars. And, they further explore the sacrifices required to pursue one’s dreams and the share the enthusiasm and thrill of the adventure.
World of Tomorrow
Directed by Don Hertzfeldt, this film narrates the story of a little girl taken on a escapade of her distant future. The film is also considered as one of the finest achievements in the field of science fiction as it displays the little girl in the complex world of scientific interface.
Short films and feature animation branch members will now select five nominees from this shortlist. Screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. The nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
So, with Sanjay’s Super Team receiving a great appeal at the MAMI Festival recently, this film has good chances of winning the honour and upholding the traditions of Indian culture.
