Works from Iran, Japan, France, Netherlands, and Belgium make up the field of 2025 Best Animated Short Oscar nominees, a category that, though often underseen, traditionally contains some of the finest and boldest offerings in the whole competition. Is that the same case with this year’s Best Animated Short Film crop? We’ll find out in this ranking of all five nominees.
5. Yuck!
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Director: Loïc Espuche
Writer: Loïc Espuche
A kid called Léo and his friends feel disgusted every time they see couples kissing. But deep down, Léo longs to have his first kiss. It is a simple concept for a nice little coming-of-age short that doesn’t overstay its welcome nor leave a lasting impression. Director Loïc Espuche developed the film’s aesthetic around the pink color of his characters’ lips, which start glowing every time they are about to kiss. This little feature allows for some fun moments where Léo tries to hide his glowing lips from all the other kids.
The film’s biggest highlight was the romantic scene where a Cristiano Ronaldo-wearing jersey young man is about to kiss his Messi-wearing jersey friend. However, there’s not much else. Yuck! is a cute surface-level exploration of the social elements surrounding children’s burgeoning feelings of love. There were better, more interesting, shortlisted animated works (like Me and A Crab in the Pool), so it’s disappointing that this one got the Best Animated Short Oscar nod.
4. Magic Candies
Director: Daisuke Nishio
Writer: Heena Baek, Ichiro Takano
Dong-Dong (voiced by Haruto Shima) is a lonely kid with no friends who loves marbles and spends his time dragging his old dog, Gusuri, around the park. One day, he buys a new bag of shiny marbles that turn out to be magic candies.
This is, no pun intended, a mixed bag of a film, as far as Best Animated Short films go. Every candy gives Dong-Ding a different power that allows him to have unexpected conversations and learn new things about those around him, which gives the film an episodic quality that doesn’t always work. The first half offers some meaningful reflections, but the last couple of “candy powers” don’t have the same emotional force. For instance, the second conversation is a gorgeous lesson in empathy that allows Dong-Dong to profoundly connect with someone very dear in his life.
Director Daisuke Nishio gives this moment time to simmer and create emotion, something that doesn’t happen later in the film; the effects and lessons from the fourth and fifth candies feel rushed in comparison nor do they feel convincingly connected to the rest of the film. The visual style is fascinating and even bold: Toei Animation could’ve used cutesy designs for easy emotional manipulation, but instead, the character designs, which are not exactly pretty, have realistic features that give a much-needed mature quality to the coming-of-age aspect of the film.
The dog, for instance, doesn’t look adorable but old and tired: this intelligent decision is crucial to convey its wisdom and the importance of the moment for the character as well as Dong-Dong. However, if you want to be cynical and look at Magic Candies from a whole different perspective, it’s messed up that a creepy shopkeeper sells psychedelic candies to a kid. That’s not the Best Animated Short film’s intention at all, but it’s something that definitely pops out when you watch it.
Nevertheless, Magic Candies is a heartwarming tale about a kid learning to communicate with the world. His learnings from the candies allow him to learn about the past and strengthen his connection with his family. This, in turn, encourages him to connect with new people and make friends.
3. Beautiful Men
Director: Nicolas Keppens
Writers: Nicolas Keppens, Angelo Tijssens
In this thoughtful story about loneliness and insecurities, three bald brothers, Koen, Bart, and Steven, travel to Istanbul for a hair transplant surgery. As we learn throughout the film, these characters see a head full of hair as the path to a new life and a transformation beyond appearance.
Despite the short running time, you get to know a lot about the characters and their insecurities thanks to the expressivity achieved by the astonishingly detailed silicone puppets used for the stop-motion animation. The beautiful sets around them are effectively used to convey a sense of melancholic claustrophobia, as well as a dreamlike atmosphere that helps convey the emotional state of the three brothers.
Nicolas Keppens patiently allows us to observe the differences between the characters’ behavior when alone versus accompanied. Koen, for instance, acts as a confident and supportive brother while talking with Bart and Steven, but his whole demeanor changes when alone in his room. Why does he feel ashamed of being caught doing push-ups? How would having hair help his deteriorating health?
Beautifully crafted, Beautiful Men lets you ponder on these and other questions while examining the urge some men have to change their physical appearance as a means to hide their internal issues. You could say this is a “Men would rather fly to Istanbul to get a hair transplant instead of going to therapy” story.
2. Wander to Wonder
Director: Nina Gantz
Writers: Daan Bakker, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, and Nina Gantz
Mary (Amanda Lawrence), Billybud (Terence Dunn), and Fumbleton (Toby Jones) are the miniature puppet stars of Wander to Wonder, an 80’s children’s TV show with the vibes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. But when their creator (played by Neil Savage) dies, they are left alone, locked in a studio. How will they survive?
This is by far the Oscars’ creepiest Best Animated Short Film nomination since Bestia in 2022. Using excellent stop-motion animation, director Nina Gantz skillfully juxtaposes the colorful characters and production design of the TV show with the horror imagery derived from their almost postapocalyptic situation. The unsettling atmosphere is everpresent thanks to the macabre artistry of the sets and character designs.
The film’s main subject is grief. Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton continue recording episodes by themselves while their dead creator lies on the floor surrounded by flies. They don’t understand how to deal with his death and the radical change that brings to their lives: what will be of them without the show and their fans? The lack of food and decay around them force these puppets to try to move on in some very dark ways.
Furthermore, the subtle inclusion of social themes in the production of the TV show, presented by the creepy misconduct of the male puppets, gives the film even more depth. Equal parts disturbing and original, Wander to Wander might be the most memorable of the nominees.
1. In the Shadow of the Cypress
Directors: Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
Writers: Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
A young woman tries in vain to help her father, a former captain suffering from PTSD. The appearance of a whale stranded on the beach represents an opportunity to work together, but it might also make things even more difficult for their relationship.
Directors Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi have said in many interviews about their Best Animated Short-nominated film that they spent a lot of time developing the story (they compared it to making an herbal drink), and it shows. This is a layered, poetic film that not only offers many reflections on trauma and how it endures and affects everyone around you but also weaves those themes with environmental concerns. The decision to make the film without dialogue bolsters the emotional weight of the silence between father and daughter.
Every aesthetic decision feels fleshed out and well-thought-out, too. The gorgeous 2D hand-drawn style uses its diverse and changing color palette, filled with the warmth of muted oranges and blues, to express hope. Every shot feels different in a good sense. Through the extraordinary use of lighting and color, you can sense the passing of time and how it weighs on the characters.
In the Shadow of the Cypress uses a subtle and contemplative approach to tackle its subject matter. The daughter’s actions to aid the whale are a beautiful metaphor for the difficulties of trying to help someone dealing with mental health. Sometimes progress is made, but a flock of problems (seabirds, in this case) can come out of nowhere to set you and your loved one back.
Trauma and the way it haunts someone can be unpredictable. Sometimes, it feels like no matter what you try, nothing helps: you might feel shattered by the weight of living with someone who doesn’t want to be helped or doesn’t know how to be helped. There might not be easy solutions; but, as Sohani and Molayemi handsomely convey here, love is the strongest motivation to find the right path to recovery and healing.
What did you think of the five Best Animated Short Films nominated at the 2025 Oscars? Do you agree with this ranking? Let us know on our social media.
