The Oscar shorts categories feature some of the most underrated films every year at the Academy Awards.The Live Action, Animated, and Documentary Shorts categories take viewers to unexpected places, utilize exciting new technologies, inform about people and places that deserve more attention—and does so all within a fraction of the time that a feature takes.Everyone fromMartin McDonaghtoPixarhave made their names in the short features, before going on to become major names in features.
This year boasts an impressive lineup of films, including shorts fromNapoleon DynamitewritersJaredandJerusha Hess,Sean Lennon,Yoko Ono, the up-and-comingSean Wangof the Sundance hitDìdi, and evenWes Andersonvying for his first Oscar win. Yet it’s also the names that you wouldn’t recognize that make the shorts categories so interesting, names that might be unfamiliar now, but in a few years, could very well be some of the biggest names in film.
The shorts categories might not get much attention, but this list of fifteen films proves that they deserve the spotlight.Here are the fifteen shorts nominees at the 2024 Academy Awards, ranked.
15’War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko'
Animated Short
Considering how many talented people are involved withWar Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, it’s shocking how completely laughable the animated short is.War Is Over!is directed byDavid Mullins, who did additional directing onUpand won this category previously for his Pixar shortLou. The short also includes a score byThomas NewmanofThe Shawshank RedemptionandFinding Nemofame, and is co-written bySean Lennon, who also executive produces withYoko Ono. But despite this lineup,War Is Over!is the weakest nomination of the 2024 Oscars. Centering around a chess game played by both sides, thanks to a carrier pigeon delivering each player’s moves,War Is Over!has the most lackluster animation (it also uses animation and visual effects from Wētā FX, and Unreal Engine was used in creating the short), and a laughable needle drop to tie the whole thing together (take a wild guess what song it is). The result is a short whose message is essentially “war is bad,” and is presented as though Yoko Ono and John Lennon came up with that concept.In an incredibly strong year for the animation short category, both in terms of boundary-pushing animation and intriguing narratives,War Is Over!is a massive disappointment.
14’The After'
Live Action Short
David Oyelowo in The After
The After, by directorMisan Harriman, is a short that relies on big, over-the-top moments, and that isn’t to its benefit. The short follows Dayo (David Oyelowo), who loses his family in a horrible tragedy, and much later, faces his grief during his new job as a rideshare driver. The inciting incident which comes out of nowhere is mostly absurd, these eighteen minutes feel like they’re spreading a thin idea out as much as possible, and the film’s finale is just as exaggerated as the aforementioned incident. Thankfully,The After’s saving grace is that it has Oyelowo, who does his best work here in silence, as he quietly deals with the various people he drives around. When the final family enters his car, it’s clear exactly where Harriman’s story is going, butwhen Oyelowo is given the opportunity to discreetly explore his grief,The Aftershows that it’s better in the silent moments than its grandiose choices.
13’The ABCs of Book Banning'
Documentary Short
Directed bySheila Nevins, the former President of HBO Documentary Films,The ABCs of Book Banningattempts to show the frustrations of book banning from the viewpoint of children. Certainly, some of the short’s best moments come from children reading banned books and questioning why such literature would not be allowed—a clear example of stunting the education of children and stealing knowledge due to fear.While it’s important thatThe ABCs of Book Banningshows this perspective that is often ignored—from the children who suffer the most from such actions—Nevins’ documentary also doesn’t delve too much into thewhyandwhobehind the book banning.Instead, Nevins focuses on the books themselves, pointing out lines that likely helped in getting them banned in what essentially equates to a PowerPoint presentation. Banning books is, of course, an important topic to discuss, but Nevins’ approach doesn’t have the depth to change any hearts or minds on this matter.
12’Island in Between'
In one of the more personal documentary shorts,Island in Betweenhas Taiwan-born directorS. Leo Chiangexploring Kinmen, a series of islands that belong the Taiwan but are only 2 miles from China. Chiang discusses the conflict between Taiwan and China from his and his family’s experiences. For example, when he finally visits China—which only takes a 30-minute ferry ride to get to—he finds that the culture isn’t too different from his own, and we see the difficulties that still exist in going from one country to another. Despite being told from Chiang’s perspective,Island in Betweenis one of the more unobtrusive documentaries in its category, as Chiang mostly remains an observer throughout the short, a choice that can make this film feel a bit lighter than maybe it should.
11’Our Uniform'
As the shortest of all the shorts,Our UniformbyYegane Moghaddam, has plenty of style, but not enough time to give much of a story.Our Uniformshares what it’s like to go to school in Tehran, with mandatory hijabs, animated by embroideries and animations on clothes.The short is succinct and smart, pointing out that in going to school, “I became female, nothing more, nothing less.” Moghaddam (the first Iranian filmmaker ever nominated in this category) utilizes her time effectively, giving us a quick look at what growing up in that culture is like, and does so through a truly unique animation style—a rare accomplishment to bring something wholly new to this category.
10’Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó'
2024 has already been a big year for directorSean Wang, as his feature debut,Dìdiwon two awards at this year’s Sundance, and now, he’s earned his first Oscar nomination forNǎi Nai & Wài Pó. Easily the most lighthearted of the doc shorts, Wang shows the daily life of his two grandmothers, who became so close that they decided to live together, and even share the same bed at night. The two joke that they are only as wild as they are because Wang is there to visit, and he definitely captures that spirit that keeps them young at heart, as they arm wrestle, joke about their smelly farts, and watchSuperbadtogether. Wang’s grandmothers only barely touch on the rest of their lives, hinting that they had hard childhoods, and discussing the difficulties of being old. Which, especially in the doc shorts category it’s nice to have nominees that aren’t inherently bleak, butwhile Wang’s grandmothers are a delight to spend time with,Nǎi Nai & Wài Pócan’t help but feels like just a series of well-shot home movies.
9’Pachyderme'
Stéphanie Clément’sPachydermehas a simmering danger right underneath the surface. The narrator (Christa Théret), an older version of the character Louise, discusses her summer visit with her grandparents in the countryside when she was nine years old. Early on, she states that she doesn’t like it when her parents leave her, and through beautiful, yet slightly off animation, we learn why Louise feels this way.Pachydermeis incredibly subtle, often hinting at where her fear might come from, without overtly stating the obvious. In eleven minutes,Pachydermegives us a strong glimpse of what this ten-day vacation was like, while Clément lets the fear hide right underneath the surface.Pachydermeis probably the most understated animated short in the category this year, but it still leaves a staggering impact.
8’The Barber of Little Rock'
WithThe Barber of Little Rock, directorsJohn HoffmanandChristineTurnerfollow Arlo Washington, who started the Washington Barber College in Little Rock—which has helped over 1,500 licensed barbers—and now, has created the People Trust, a non-profit loan fund to help fight the racial wealth gap.Hoffman and Turner divide the doc into these two focuses, which leaves both sides feeling half-served.The more interesting segment of the two, the barber college, gets glimpses of the incredible work Washington is doing to help create opportunities in his community. Whereas the People Trust section sort of ends right when it should be starting. Washington is an incredible figure doing what he can to make his neighborhood even better, butThe Barber of Little Rockis fairly unremarkable beyond what Washington brings to it. The story is great to hear, but as a film, it’s a bit lacking.
7’Knight of Fortune'
The Danish shortKnight of Fortune, byLasse Lyskjær Noer, explores the weird, darkly funny, and unexpected nature of grief, capturing how losing someone in and of itself is a strange process that often feels unbelievable.Leif Andréestars as Karl, who is saying goodbye to his recently passed wife. He meets Torben (JensJørnSpottag), a man who is also grieving, and the two form an unlikely bond that has them both coming to grips with their pain. That being said,Knight of Fortunemanages to take this terrible time in any person’s life and find the comedy within it. The film reminds of another previously nominated Danish short,On My Mind, from 2021, which also found light in the dark.Knight of Fortuneis taking on a difficult blend of tones that any feature would likely struggle with, but Noer is able to give us a beautiful mixture of emotions, all in a little over 20 minutes.
6’Red, White and Blue'
There are probably two ways that most people will experienceNazrin Choudhury’sRed, White and Blue—and the deciding factor relies on the film’s twist. On one hand, some might see this moment as emotionally manipulative, pulling the rug out from under the audience in a way that betrays the sympathy we already have for our lead character, Rachel (played by an excellentBrittany Snow). On the other hand,Red, White and Blue’s twist will seem necessary, a gut punch that makes you feel a fraction of how these characters, Rachel and her daughter, Maddy (Juliet Donenfeld) must feel. I fall into the latter category, in this film about a single mother struggling to make ends meet in Arkansas, who has to drive eight hours out of the state to get an abortion.Red, White and Bluedoes an incredible job of showing the immense struggle that getting an abortion is—let alone when the nearest doctor is in another state—and the performances from Snow and Donenfeld truly make this short tremendous.Choudhury takes a difficult path to explore a difficult situation, and does so brilliantly.
