15 Animation Shorts for the 2024 Oscars: 'Eeva', '27', 'Letter to A Pig'

The Academy Awards shortlisted animation shorts for the 2024 award ceremony -the 96th- was (as always) a mixed bag of the arthouse, and the ones adhering to the cartoon tradition.

There were happy surprises, since the Palme d'Or winner '27' by Flóra Anna Buda, an excellent study on a young woman's life, was included in the list. The Berlinale-premiered film 'A Kind of Testament' by Stephen Vuillemin, another French production, and a testament to our modern times, found a place in the shortlist.

The list includes 5 US films, including an 'official' Disney film ('Once Upon A Studio'), a film by the Disney veteran John Musker ('I'm Hip), and a film by a Pixar alumnus, Dave Mullins ('War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko'). The celebratory 'Once Upon A Studio' film (100 years of Disney) is a strong contender for the 5 final nominees, even though the feeling it eludes is mostly one of reverence rather than fun.

There are other gems here, like the Holocaust-themed 'Letter to A Pig' by Tal Kantor; the list also features another Holocaust-themed film 'Smoke' by Rita Basulto (Mexico).

Estonia has two films in the final list, 'Eeva' by Morten Tšinakov, Lucija Mrzljak and 'Dog House' by Priit Tender. The big surprise was the omission of 'Electra' by the already Oscar-nominated Daria Kashcheeva (Daughter). The film's psychoanalytic themes perhaps didn't do well with the Academy Awards Animation branch.

It is difficult to make predictions for the final nominees, but we can safely predict that two US films will make the final cut -and some French-produced films will have a space there.

The Full Oscar Shortlist of Animation Shorts 2024

(in alphabetical order)

• 27 by Flóra Anna Buda (France/ Hungary)
• 'A Kind of Testament' by Stephen Vuillemin (France). 
• 'Boom' by Gabriel Augerai, Romain Augier, Charles Di Cicco, Yannick Jacquin, Laurie Pereira de Figueiredo (France). 
• 'Dog Apartment (Koerkorter)' by Priit Tender (Estonia)
• 'Eeva' by  Morten Tšinakov, Lucija Mrzljak (Estonia/ Croatia)
• 'Humo' (Smoke) by Rita Basulto (Mexico). 
• 'I'm Hip' by John Musker (US). 
• 'Letter to a Pig' by Tal Kantor (France/ Israel) 
• 'Ninety-Five Senses' by  Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess (US). 
• 'Once Upon a Studio' by Dan Abraham, Trent Correy (US). 
• 'Our Uniform' by Yegane Moghaddam (Iran). 
• 'Pachyderm' by Stephanié Clement (France).
• 'Pete' by Bret “Brook” Parker (US). 
• 'War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko' by Dave Mullins (US). 
• 'Wild Summon' by Saul Freed, Karni Arieli (UK). 

Animation Shorts That Were Left Out But Should Have Been In:

• 'Dede Is Dead' by Philippe Kastner
• 'Electra' by Daria Kashcheeva
• 'Epicenter' by  Hee-yoon Hahm
• 'Miserable Miracle' by Ryo Orikasa
• 'Night' by Ahmad Saleh
• 'Oneluv' by Varya Yakovleva
• 'Skinned' (Écorchée) by Joachim Hérissé
• 'Zima' by Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki

Related: Our Top Animation Shorts of 2023

Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, 23 January 2024. The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, 10 March 2024, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.