2020 Oscar Predictions: Best Short Film (Animated)
Updated: Feb 6, 2020
Nominees:Dcera (Daughter)—Daria Kashcheeva, Hair Love—Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver, Kitbull—Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson, Memorable—Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre, Sister—Siqi Song
Will Win: Hair Love—Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
Runner-up: Kitbull—Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
Should Win: Memorable—Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre
Runners-up: Dcera (Daughter)—Daria Kashcheeva, Hair Love—Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
My Choice: Memorable—Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre
My Nominees: Dcera (Daughter)—Daria Kashcheeva, Hair Love—Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver, Sister—Siqi Song, Kitbull—Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
Hair Love, a beautiful emotional film about a father's relationship with his daughter and her hair-care, works as a voice for young Black girls finding who they are in a society that often rejects them. The film is both universal and timely, especially given the recent controversies surrounding hair restrictions for young Black girls and boys in public schools across the U.S., and definitely deserves its nomination.
It is, however, not the best choice to win due to the impressive and incredibly inspiring animation styles of its competition, which dare to push the animation genre beyond traditional approaches. The standout among films in this category is Memorable, a stop-action short that animates the screen with a painterly beauty akin to Vincent van Gogh's bleeding surrealism. The medium of its animation style perfectly underscores its narrative, that of a painter who is slowly succumbing to dementia and blending past with present memories.