Recommendation: SHOWTIME, 5 Stars

I’d like to begin this review with a true sense of shame. Like the plague, I avoid animated movies. Every year, I skip right over those features on my personal Oscar ballot. For the second year in a row, I have watched all the Oscar-nominated shorts and for the second year in a row, I am making a promise to myself to see more animated movies.

The five films nominated in this category are wonderfully creative and expose the beauty that can only be found in small things. They each expose a world unseen, and each possesses a unique animation style.

The first film is called “Dear Basketball.” It serves as a love letter and sense of appreciation from Kobe Bryant to the game in which he dedicated his life. If this short film does anything, it proves the true definition of passion we all of us fanatics express for sports.

The second film and my favorite of the bunch is “Negative Space.” Again, this is a love letter but directed at a father instead of sports. In it, we learn of boy’s connection to his dad through the art of packing a suitcase. It was both heartwarming and moving. It made me leave the theater and call my dad on the way home.

The third film was a Pixar entry called “Lou.” Lou is a creature created from all the lost and found items placed in a box near a school playground. Lou helps a bully learn the joy of play in this insanely creative story.

The fourth film, “Revolting Rhymes” is the longest of the bunch at 29 minutes. It is a retelling of fairy tales like “Snow White” and “The Three Little Pigs.” The way in which they blend these tales together is really imaginative and reminded me of everything I loved about the “Shrek” movies.

The final nominee is “Garden Party.” It is a story about persistent frogs who begin reclaiming a mansion after the owner goes missing. The story in this film is a little weak but it was beautiful to look at and reminded me that life will go on long after I am gone.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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