2026 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

The five Oscar nominated short animations hail from North America, Europe and the Middle East and range from the comedic to the didactic to the tragic.

Laura's Review: B+

Writer/director Konstantin Bronzit's Israeli/Cypriot "The Three Sisters" uses a stark island setting for some slapstick comedy. A small island, a white dome in a blue sea, sports three attached white homes where three woman in dark dresses, their hair covered by scarves, spend their days. But when a supply boat comes, their wine bottle breaks and their coin purse rolls into the ocean, forcing one of the sisters to move in with another so that they may raise funds by renting one of their modest homes. When a burly sailor arrives, everything changes, the woman, revealed to be a blonde, redhead and brunette, dressing provocatively and vying for his attention with laundry and tea services. Bronzit advances this evolution through days of the week, things becoming uproarious by Friday, Saturday a day of reckoning. Suddenly, gears are shifted, February is announced and a whole new chapter appears at the women's dock. The minimalist animation highlights the comedy. B+

The sole U.S. entry, "Forevergreen," comes from Disney vets Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears of "Big Hero 6" and "Zootopia's" animation and art departments. The short tells the tale of an orphaned bear cub cared for by stately forest tree which ends up sacrificing itself when the bear ignores what he's been taught when a bird drops a bag of potato chips, luring him to a human campground. This is a well worn story elevated by its celebration of the natural world and CG animation that casts everything as if using stop motion with wood carved figures. It ends with the Biblical quote 'Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friend.' B

Canadian animators Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, the Oscar winning team behind "Madame Tutli-Putli," deliver the only stop motion animation with their latest, "The Girl Who Cried Pearls." Beginning with a young girl's discovery of a pearl in a ceramic keepsake box in her grandfather's display hutch in a lavish Parisian apartment, this is mainly a distressed looking fairy tale about children in poverty, the grandfather relating his story as a young boy in Montreal stealing from the docks and squatting in an unheated wooden building. Through a peephole, he spies on a young girl who cries herself to sleep, her tears turning into luminescent pearls, one of which he brings to a greedy pawnbroker who lusts for more. But a jeweler will shed light on the mystery and the grandfather admits to having spun a fantasy. Characters look like paper mache marionettes with unchanging facial expressions, dialogue narrated over unmoving lips. B

Next up, a title card warning that the remaining films may not be suitable for young children.

French writer/director Florence Miailhe's "Butterfly" utilizes the most strikingly beautiful animation technique, hand painted images where brush strokes shimmer into ocean waves in a color palette that emphasizes teals, golds and red. We meet Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache as an old man swimming in the ocean, the water our conduit to his memories. As a child, his mother dips him in the ocean and he goes on to become the North African swim champ from Constantine, the competes in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He will survive Nazi Germany, where German soldiers make him dive for bread, but loses his wife and baby daughter. The old man on his last swim gazes at the port city on the horizon from his place in the sea.   Miailhe's magical imagery transforms seagulls into swimmers and teammates into dolphins, some scenes strongly reminiscent of the works of Paul Gaugin. "Butterfly" is my pick for the Oscar. A

Cowriter (with Tara Lawall)/director John Kelly's Irish entry, "Retirement Plan" will be relatable to any retired person watching Ray (voice of Domnhall Gleason) fantasize about all he things he thinks he's going to do now that he has time. Using a line drawing technique, his square frame making it look even more minimalist than "The Three Sisters," Kelly imagines Ray thinking about answering every email he's flagged in an effort to clean up his inbox and all the money he'll receive from a pension plan he hasn't even started yet. 'I'll travel more, I will paraglide,' thinks Ray as Kelly envisions him doing just that. 'I will positively nail my last words' Ray tells us. Most amusingly, his imagination transcends death as he pictures himself haunting his sixth grade enemy, scaring the bejeezus out of her. "Retirement Plan" uses a simple technique and a piano score that runs to extremes to illustrate one hilarious train of thought. B+

The short animation program usually includes one or two additional entries that didn't receive a nomination and this year's is no different, including a second Irish entry, "Éiru" tells the tale of a young female warrior who travels to the bowels of the earth to retrieve her village's water when it disappears from their wells. This one appears to have largely been expected to garner a nomination, but the animation has a broad 'Asterix and Obelisk' quality that was not my cup of tea, although the color palette is striking. B-

Robin's Review: B

Always a favorite category of mine, the Oscar shorts for animation are varied and interesting and we start with…

“The Three Sisters”
Writer-director Konstantin Bronzit could be accused of over-simplicity but his story of the titular siblings is about love, rivalry and romance. The setting, a tiny island with the sisters’ homes and a small chapel, is a stark place and they rely on the supply boat to bring them the needed goods.
Then, tragedy strikes and their supplies are ruined and all seems lost, Luckily, though, the boat captain arrives and needs a place to live. There is no discernible language during “The Three Sisters” but that does not prevent the director from “telling” their story with humor.  B-

“Forevergreen”
An orphan bear cub seeks refuge in the shelter of an old pine tree. The tree, seeing that the cub needs to be cared for – a safe place to sleep and, with sun roasted pine cones, sustenance – and adopts the little bruin. They have an idyllic life together until the bear, now grown, discover potato chips and trash. Suddenly, idyll turns to tragedy.  Co-writers and co-directors Nathan Engelhardt cloak their story of love and friendship with its message on the environmental dangers we now face at the hands of inept federal government leadership.  B

“The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
Director Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski create a uniquely original fairytale about a poor boy who secretly watches a sad little girl. Her sadness manifests into tears which are, really, precious pearls.  The boy takes his newfound treasure to a local pawn shop and the greedy owner sees the real value of the tiny orbs and gives the boy a mere pittance. The more the sad little girl cries, the more pearls. Slowly, the boy begins to realize the worth of the bounty. He makes a deal the miserly pawnbroker cannot refuse. The story begins with a granddad telling the kids about ethics and honesty. But, the story turns into one of subterfuge and revenge and…greed. It is an interesting animation to look at but the values are mixed.  B

“Butterfly”
OK. A film, long or short, that has its focus on swimming is right up my alley. Here, director Florence Miailhe tells a story of melancholy meditation by an old man, a swimmer. As he paddles away in the sea – with the titular stroke his favorite – he reflects on his aquatic life.  The story follows the memories of the old man, a French Jew named Alfred Nakache, as he plies his water-bound sport. He begins at an early age as his mom infuses him with the passion for swimming. That passion brought a long career as a competitor, even to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. You can imagine how a Jewish swimmer would fare in Nazi Germany at the time.  The animation, done with watercolors in brilliant interpretive strokes, stylishly follows Alfred’s as he reflects on it all – while doing the thing he loves. Not bad.  A-

“Retirement Plan”
Ray (Domnhall Gleeson), a middle aged man approaching retirement, reflects on what he plans to do when he no longer has to work. He spends his days compiling his to-do list and the things he will do when he retires. The problem is, if you spend all of your time planning, you may be too old to do any of the stuff you so carefully planned. The movie points out the importance of embracing life while you can and not when you cannot.  B

Roadside Attractions releases the Oscar Nominated Shorts in theaters on 2/20/26.  Click here for theaters and playdates.