Oscar Nominated Short Films Animated 2014

5. The Bigger Picture – My negative feelings towards this short have more to do with the subject matter than its overall quality. Visually it's immensely inventive, with the characters drawn into a 3D space and interacting with 3D objects. The story however is depressing as hell and deals with unpleasant characters that made it difficult to appreciate. ⭐️⭐️

4. A Single Life – Funny and nicely animated but at 2 min. 17 sec., it is way too short to be taken seriously. At least the past nominee Fresh Guacamole while shorter, I believe, it also more inventive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Me and My Moultan – Here's where things get tricky: I have to decide whether I take into account things apart from its quality and enjoyment factor. In this case do I take into account that the director has won in this category before or judge it on its own merits? Well I chose the latter and realize it would be about the same place. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Feast ❤️ – If it weren't for iffy gender politics, I might've really loved this short. I mean, come on, doggy! Anyway it's a Disney production and it doesn't feel fair to compare something that literally has Scrooge McDuck money (since this is a trademarked character of theirs) to an independent labor of love like The Bigger Picture must've took years to finish. But this tale of the love between a dog and his human, a dog and his food, a man and his lady love, and finally a dog an his food again is a poignant one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. The Dam Keeper  – OMG! TEH FEELS!! This Miyazaki-esque story might take a little work to get into (what with its anthropomorphic animal characters to the post-apocalyptic setting lurking on the edges) but it's ultimately worth it for its uniqueness and the aforementioned feels. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Odds? Feast