On Thursday, November 19, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 10 animated short films that have been shortlisted for the 2015 Oscars. There were 60 that originally qualified for this category. After reading the announcement, Village Print & Media’s Motion Graphics Designer, Belinda Whiteman, shared with us her thoughts on the shortlist and gave us her predictions on who will make the final cut.
VPM: What were your initial thoughts when the announcement was released?
BW: I’m always impressed how the Academy is able to narrow down the animated shorts to create their shortlist, but this year especially because there were so many great shorts that came out in 2015. What surprised me the most, though, was that Pixar’s animated short, Lava (as part of Inside Out) wasn’t selected; I thought it was a very sweet and creative story that was cleverly put together.
VPM: Did any of the selected animated shorts that did make the shortlist surprise you?
BW: Yes, in fact, I was very surprised that An Object At Rest made the cut because a college student from California Institute of Arts directed it. This isn’t something you commonly see. I will definitely be rooting for him, although based on the list I do not think he’ll make the final cut.
VPM: If you had to take a guess, which shorts do you think will make the final cut?
BW: Anywhere from 3-5 different animated shorts are nominated each year. I’d say that Sanjay’s Super Team (one that I very much enjoyed myself), My Home, and Bear Story have a good chance at receiving a final nomination.
Check out clips from Belinda’s predicted final nominees, below, and see the entire list of the 10 animated short films that have been shortlisted for the 2015 Oscars, here. The final nominees will be announced on January 14.