This is a classically Pixar short about Night and Day facing off and bragging about their respective qualities, before becoming friends after they realize the value of different perspectives.
For It (A Little Toast)
It’s Pixar! An odd concept gets a little heart, a little comedy, and some technical wow effects all while sneaking in a little lesson. Pixar is usually seen as the frontrunner in animated categories, although they’ve slipped a bit in this one recently.
Against It (Sip and Wince)
It’s hard to say too much against the Pixar product, at least until Cars 2 debuts. This one’s right in line with the quality we’ve come to expect, but doesn’t exceed it to any great degree, which is the only knock you can really give it.
The Lost Thing
A young resident of a bizarre, almost dystopian universe finds an odd, lost “thing” at the beach. He befriends it and then tries to find where it could possibly belong.
For It (A Little Toast)
The creators of this short certainly have impressive imaginations. The array of strange, uncategorized “things” they come up with is pretty out there, and as always there’s a moral everybody can agree with.
Against It (Sip and Wince)
The animation is one of the least impressive of all the nominees, although it’s far from bad. Also, the steampunk-style animation trend has never done anything past scoring nominations here and there.
The Gruffalo
A mouse walks through the woods in search of his next meal. He encounters various predators along the way, but discourages them with made-up tales of a fearsome “Gruffalo” which turn out to have more truth than he suspected.
For It (A Little Toast)
Beloved children’s book, polished British production, recognizable voice cast… this one’s got all the hallmarks that Oscar likes. I particularly liked its goofy humor.
Against It (Sip and Wince)
Measured against its competition this year it’s kind of on the slight side. It’s also by far the longest, meaning that maybe some voters just won’t bother.
Let’s Pollute
This short uses the style of 50’s educational films to inform us about our rich heritage as polluters and instruct us how to become the best consumers we can be.
For It (A Little Toast)
It’s tongue-in-cheek, dripping with sarcasm… and hilarious. Its scores some pretty strong bull’s-eyes with its wry social commentary and packs more punch in six minutes than most shorts do in twice that time.
Against It (Sip and Wince)
The animation isn’t great, although it does work well with the educational film style. It might be too sharp for the tastes of some.
Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage
This short uses all of the tricks in an animator’s bag to document a trip to modern-day Madagascar, showing everything from airborne tours of the scenery to religious customs.
For It (A Little Toast)
The animators use a dazzling mix of different animation styles, often changing several times in a matter of seconds. It does a great job of creating 3-D environments with 2-D tools and is particularly impressive when viewing landscapes. It’s spot-on in capturing the foibles of third world transportation and celebration.
Against It (Sip and Wince)
All of the animating tricks are pretty impressive, but sometimes the side-effect is some pretty bizarre looking people. Some people just have a problem with subtitles, no matter how unwarranted.
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