April 30th, 2019 
Jackson Murphy 
Since 2016, Academy Award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg has been curating the Tribeca Film Festival’s annual animation program. Goldberg has selected six shorts from around the globe for this year’s event, which will be available for attendees of the NYC festival three times.
Past shorts screened as part of this program include the two most recent Best Animated Short Film Oscar winners — Pixar’s “Bao” and “Dear Basketball”, from Kobe Bryant and Glen Keane. Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated “Late Afternoon” was also part of last year’s Tribeca showcase.
I would not be surprised if one or more of this year’s shorts emerge as 2020 awards season contenders. If you’re in the NYC area this week check-out “Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G”. Here’s what you’ll see:
– “La Noria” is a CG short from Spanish writer/director Carlos Baena. It’s about a boy who loves building ferris wheels and misses his dad. What follows is an unexpected story that contrasts darkness and light. It includes some of the eeriest, most visually striking sequences I’ve ever seen in animation.
– “PeiXes” also comes from Spain. Juan C. Pena’s quirky, memorable CG fish tale builds and builds to a major payoff.
– “Mind My Mind” is the longest short of the group, at just under 30-minutes. But it’s well worth the trip. This funny, inventive, hand-drawn Netherlands/Belgium film is even more thorough than Pixar’s “Inside Out”. Christopher is a guy obsessed with making model airplanes. But how will his mind be able to handle a new love interest entering the picture? Floor Adams has crafted a detailed script about our thought process.
– “My Mother’s Eyes” is a UK entry. Filmmaker Jenny Wright’s hand-drawn visual exercise explores parent-child attachment in ultimately painful ways.
– “These American Truths: The History of White People in America” is episode five of a multimedia series. This chapter exposes Thomas Jefferson’s views on African Americans. There are six directors – Ed Bell, Clementine Briand, Pierce Freelon, Jon Halperin, Aaron Keane, Drew Takahashi, with Freelon and Halperin serving as writers.
– My favorite of the bunch is The Downfall of Santa Claus. This stop-motion, claymation dramedy from Norway is a sweet, unconventional take on the classic Santa/Child Christmas Eve relationship story. There’s a strong amount of heart and humor in a short that can be enjoyed any time of the year.
“Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G” debuted last night at TFF and will be shown again today, Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are going fast, so if you’re in NYC and want to go, you can purchase them here: https://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/shorts-animated-shorts-curated-by-whoopi-g-2019
Because of the content of some of these shorts, the presentation is recommended for ages 14 and up.
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