This article will be about short films. No, not the adult kind :) But animated ones. Yes, in the world of animation, there are also short films, and I’d like to tell you a bit about them.
Short films are very brief animations that last from a few minutes to several dozen (and in some cases even longer) minutes. Short animated films are products that are not particularly in demand, and no one expects much from them.
So why are they made if there is neither demand nor any real benefit? Well, first of all, they are a great way to try something new in production. For instance, it might involve a completely new technology. If the technology is raw and untested, there is a huge risk in making a full-length animated film with it, but a short film is always an option. There are no risks, and essentially no responsibilities. The budget is also incomparably smaller. For example, Pixar, a company that I have come to love, produced the short film "Jerry's Game" in 1997, which was a training ground for them to detail the human body, especially human faces, conveying expressions, feelings, and emotions.
Secondly, short animated films are a good way for a director to make a name for themselves. A company is unlikely to give a large budget to a budding and ambitious director, no matter how talented they are. Therefore, starting small, with something short and inexpensive, can be quite beneficial for many.
In general, short animated films are a very challenging genre. In regular animated films, as a director, you can stray from the main plotline, but here you have a very limited scope in which you must create something interesting and meaningful.
You might think that since short films are made as a sort of test and practice for ideas, technologies, or even directors, they remain within the company, and there’s no point in following them. But that’s not the case. At the Academy Awards, there is a separate nomination called "Best Animated Short Film." Although this award has had different names over time, you can find a more detailed title for the award by year on Wikipedia.
The names of the nomination have changed over the years. From 1932 to 1971, the category was called "Best Short Subject (Animation)." From 1972 to 1974, it was named "Best Short Subject (Animated)." Since 1975, it has been referred to as "Best Animated Short Film." Initially, the award was presented to the producer or production company, but since 1989, it has been awarded to the director of the animated film.
So this award has been given since 1932, and I plan to revisit all these short films, or at least those that I can find. Additionally, I want to compile a separate list of all the short films from Pixar, a special company that I have been paying closer attention to recently.
In conclusion, I will leave two links: one to Kinopoisk with a list of winners from recent years, and another to Wikipedia with a complete list by year, including even the nominees.
