One of the 15 selections on this year’s Best Animated Short Film Oscars shortlist is Wild Summon, a fascinating *tail* of the life cycle of salmon, shown to us in human form. It’s an instantly captivating live-action / animation hybrid that screened at Cannes in May to rave reviews. The directing duo Karni & Saul […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]