Negative Space

According to the Oscar voting rules, nominees for Best Animated Short Film are judged on the basis of “originality, entertainment, and production quality without regard to . . . subject matter.” In practice, though, short animation has been the kids’ table since the 1930s, when the first eight awards all went to Walt Disney. Occasionally the nominating committee will make room for some dark, hand-drawn vision like Don Hertzfeldt’s hilariously gory Rejected (nominated in 2001) or Daniel Sousa’s haunting Feral (nominated in 2014). But this year’s nominees are more homogeneous than usual and offer little in the way of an adult swim. Continue reading>>