Jared and Jerusha Hess, the duo behind Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, present their first-ever animated short film. The excellent Ninety-Five Senses stars Tim Blake Nelson as the voice of Coy, a man reflecting on all facets of his life and body. The Hesses give me a taste of how this short came to be […]
Archive for the ‘Short Film’ Category
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INTERVIEW: A New Beginning With “Awakening: The First Day”
December 12th, 2023 
Jackson Murphy Santiago Carrasquilla and Jos Diaz Contreras are the directors of the visionary new animated short film Awakening: The First Day. It’s a cool, gripping look at the planet. The talented duo shares how this presentation has gone from stage to screen. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was conducted as an Email Interview and was edited for […]
INTERVIEW: Detailing “The Day I Became a Bird”
December 8th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Oscar and Emmy winner Andrew Ruhemann (of The Lost Thing and Love, Death + Robots) has adapted the book The Day I Became a Bird — about a boy’s first love — into a sweet and tender new animated short. We take flight for this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This was conducted as an Email Interview […]
INTERVIEW: “Starling” Shines Brightly
December 6th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Animation Scoop first profiled Starling as part of a 2023 Tribeca Film Festival preview piece earlier this year. It ended-up winning at the fest, sending it on a major trajectory for this awards season. Director Mitra Shahidi describes the emotion and power behind this short about parents remembering their daughter on her birthday. (This Animation […]
INTERVIEW: Time To Meet “The Smeds And The Smoos”
December 5th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Magic Light Pictures has adapted many of author Julia Donaldson’s books for the screen, in delightful 20-plus minute animated short films. The latest is The Smeds and The Smoos, about red and blue creatures who vow not to interact with each other. Two younger members of these families want to change that. Directors Samantha Cutler […]
INTERVIEW: A Personal Journey For “Rosemary A.D. (After Dad)”
November 30th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Awards season is in full swing, with the Best Animated Short Film Oscars shortlist announcement coming in December, as well as the official Academy and Annie Awards nominations in January. One short hoping to make an impact this year is Rosemary A.D. (After Dad), from director Ethan Barrett. He narrates an exploration into his thoughts […]
Julia Morizawa’s animated short “Dragonfly” at the LA Femme International Film Festival
October 9th, 2023 Jerry Beck Julia Morizawa’s captivating animated short film DRAGONFLY is a finalist in the Animation Short Competition at the LA Femme International Film Festival and will screen in the Animation Block at 10AM, Sunday October 22nd at the Regal Cinema at LA Live. Top Japanese animation creator and festival alumni Minako Fujiyoshi (MEGALOBOX, NOMAD) is head of […]
INTERVIEW: “Jelly” Is Robin Budd’s Jam
August 16th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Emmy-winner Robin Budd (director of the Beetlejuice animated series and Disney’s 2002 Peter Pan sequel Return to Never Land) presents a new animated short film that recently premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival. Budd gives me the 411 on the Nelvana Produced Jelly in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length […]
TRAILER: “Buckets City”
June 12th, 2023 Jerry Beck Buckets City, a quirky, imaginative animated short film by Writer/Director Dave Quion about two best friends who finally get sweet revenge on the streetball rivals of their youth, is an official selection at this year’s Dances With Films (DWF) Festival, June 22-July 2, 2023 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. Take a look:
Celebrating The 2023 Tribeca Animated Shorts
June 11th, 2023 Jackson Murphy This year’s group of “Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G” (hand-selected by Academy Award winner and The View host Whoopi Goldberg) just screened for the first time at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. They’ll be back on the big screen again Sunday June 11th and Saturday June 17th, before being available to stream […]
INTERVIEW: “Amok” Director On Annie Nominated Short
February 14th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Following its Annecy 2022 Cristal win, Amok is now one of the nominees for Best Short Subject at the 2023 Annie Awards. You can watch the ceremony live Saturday February 25th at 10pmET / 7pmPT at AnnieAwards.org. This a bold, wild saga of a man whose life dramatically changes… a few times. Director Balazs Turai […]
INTERVIEW: The Chills And Thrills Of “Ice Merchants”
January 17th, 2023 Jackson Murphy João Gonzalez directs Ice Merchants, one of the 15 2023 Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film finalists. It’s about a father and son who live in a house on the edge of a cliff. Each day, they dive way, way down, providing ice to townspeople. Their lives are exciting… and quite dangerous. Gonzalez details the […]
INTERVIEW With The Team Of Shortlisted “My Year Of Dicks”
January 16th, 2023 Jackson Murphy My Year of Dicks is one of the 15 finalists for the 2023 Best Animated Short Film Oscar. Director Sara Gunnarsdottir, writer Pamela Ribon and producer Jeanette Jeanenne present a memorable year in the life of a teen girl, who goes through some personal ups and downs, learning what it truly means to have a […]
INTERVIEW With The Team From “More Than I Want To Remember”
January 15th, 2023 Jackson Murphy More Than I Want to Remember screened earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. It’s now available to watch on Paramount+ and is one of the 15 finalists for the 2023 Best Animated Short Film Oscar. Director Amy Bench presents the story of Mugeni Ornella. At age 14, she became separated from her family […]
INTERVIEW: Preparing For The “Black Slide”
January 14th, 2023 Jackson Murphy Uri Lotan is the director of Black Slide, one of the 15 finalists for this year’s Best Animated Short Film Academy Award. It’s based on true events from his childhood. A boy named Eviah is nervous about going down a massive, black slide at a water park. But there’s more that’s on his mind. Lotan […]
