"Simpsons," anime, Disney make animated Oscar shortlist
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The diminutive Maggie Simpson, Japanese anime and an Edgar Allen Poe horror story are among the animated short films that made the shortlist for this year's Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subjects.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for this year's Academy Awards. Originally, 56 films had qualified in the category.
Click through to view several trailers or featurettes for these short subjects, listed in alphabetical order.
"Adam and Dog" - Minkyu Lee, director (Lodge Films)
Hand-drawn animation about the relationship of Man and canine, for which Disney animation artist Minkyu Lee won the Annie award for Best Animated Short Subject. Lee created this independent film with friends from Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar.
"Combustible" - Katsuhiro Otomo, director (Sunrise Inc.)
Otomo, the director of the anime classics "Akira" and "Steamboy," produced this short romantic tragedy set in 18th century Edo. The film's design is heavily influenced by traditional Japanese paintings and woodblock prints.
"Simpsons," anime, Disney make animated Oscar shortlist
"Dripped" - Leo Verrier, director (ChezEddy)
An homage to Jackson Pollack, "Dripped" tells of a thief with a hunger for great art. A mix of 2-D and 3-D animation styles.
"The Eagleman Stag" - Mikey Please, director, and Benedict Please, music scores and sound design (Royal College of Art)
Stop-motion animation is used in this monochromatic story of an entomologist obsessed with time. Winner of the 2011 BAFTA Award.
"Simpsons," anime, Disney make animated Oscar shortlist
"The Fall of the House of Usher" - Raul Garcia, director, and Stephan Roelants, producer (Melusine Productions, R&R Communications Inc., Les Armateurs, The Big Farm)
Garcia, who produced an award-winning version of "The Tell-Tale Heart," returns to Poe territory with this creepy tale narrated by Christopher Lee.
"Fresh Guacamole" - PES, director (PES)
Delightful stop-motion animation from the director of "Western Spaghetti."
"Simpsons," anime, Disney make animated Oscar shortlist
"Head over Heels" - Timothy Reckart, director, and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly, producer (National Film and Television School)
New York animator Timothy Reckart's student film from the U.K.'s National Film and Television School tells of a splintered marriage - splintered, it seems by gravity - as a man and woman share a home at opposite ends.
"Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare" - David Silverman, director (Gracie Films)
Little Maggie Simpson is dropped off at the Ayn Rand School for Tots, where she encounters another child intent on squashing insects. What can save the butterfly from the fateful mallet? This 3-D film was screened in theaters with the feature "Ice Age: Continental Drift."
"Simpsons," anime, Disney make animated Oscar shortlist
"Paperman" - John Kahrs, director (Disney Animation Studios)
Screened with Disney's latest animated feature, "Wreck-It Ralph," "Paperman" fuses traditional hand-drawn animation with vector-based CG in a tale of lost love.
The above video is a featurette which explores the making of the film.
"Tram" - Michaela Pavlatova, director, and Ron Dyens, producer (Sacrebleu Productions)
A female tram operator's imagination runs wild - erotically so - as she drives her train full of male passengers in this comic, highly-stylized Czech short.
Members of the Academy's Short Films and Feature Animation Branch will select between three and five nominees from the shortlist.
Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Oscars will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.