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This story was first published on February 21, 2019.
It has been updated to include the winner of the97th Academy Awards.
The 93 winners of the Best Animated Short Oscar are a microcosm of the history of world animation.
Note: Many rankings have changed since this articles initial publication.
Those listed below can be considered definitive.
That is, until I change my mind.
93.Logorama (2009)
93.
Logorama makes every building, person, and prop out of corporate logos.
Its cool to look at, but it makes its point after the first two minutes.
The rest of it is an overblown action sequence with horrible dialogue and voice-over work.
92.Sundae in New York (1983)
92.
(That Koch wasless-than-forthcoming about his own sexualityadds another layer to the story.)
By the time Picker won his Oscar, at least 200 more gay men had died from AIDS-related illnesses.
91.Knighty Knight Bugs (1958)
91.
90.The Little Orphan (1948)
90.
The only thing worse than this cartoons racial and historical insensitivity is that its not funny.
89.Frank Film (1973)
89.
Although considered an animation landmark, its a headache-inducing experience thats too overwhelming to watch more than once.
88.A Greek Tragedy (1986)
88.
87.The Two Mouseketeers (1951)
87.
Tom, Jerry, and Nibbles engage in swordplay in 18th-century France.
This short features some good music, but its one of the weaker cartoons in the series.
86.The Milky Way (1940)
86.
Disneys eight-year winning streak broke in 1940, when none of its cartoons received a nomination.
85.War Is Over!
Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (2023)
85.
84.The Fly (1980)
84.
An insubstantial jaunt from a flys point of view as it flies around a house.
83.Surogat (a.k.a.
The Substitute) (1961)
83.
82.Three Orphan Kittens (1935)
82.
A Silly Symphony in which cute kittens get in trouble.
And it gets points docked for the racial stereotypes.
81.The Pink Phink (1964)
81.
That said, its always worth it to hear Henry Mancinis irresistibly cool theme music.
80.Lend a Paw (1941)
80.
79.Dear Basketball (2017)
79.
78.Is It Always Right to Be Right?
(1970)
78.
Orson Welles narrates a parable about a world divided because everybody feels the need to be right.
77.Magoos Puddle Jumper (1956)
77.
The film was a significant gamble for the fledgling studio.
76.Leisure (1976)
76.
75.Great (1975)
75.
The songs are catchy, but its basically aSchoolhouse Rockvideo stretched to half an hour.
74.The Tortoise and the Hare (1934)
74.
A standard retelling of Aesops fable.
It was followed in 1937 by a sequel, Toby Tortoise Returns.
73.The Country Cousin (1936)
73.
Another retelling of a fable, this time with the creatures who made the studio famous.
72.When Magoo Flew (1954)
72.
The humor grows a little stale, but the shots of his silhouette walking on the plane are gorgeous.
The film ends with a very funny self-referential joke.
71.Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
71.
70.Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)
70.
Tom and Jerry go at it, WWII style.
69.Manipulation (1991)
69.
A cartoon man struggles to escape the sketch pad his animator has confined him to.
68.Flowers and Trees (1932)
68.
As always, Disney knew what audiences wanted before they did.
67.Piper (2016)
67.
Still, its worth watching for the beautiful bird animation.
66.Feast (2014)
66.
Its a sweet story that becomes too sentimental in the final 30 seconds, but the dog isreallycute.
65.A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966)
65.
(More on Hubley and Storyboard below.)
64.Ferdinand the Bull (1938)
64.
Nearly 70 years before Blue Skys feature about this good-natured bull, Disney made its own version.
63.The Windshield Wiper (2021)
63.
62.The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011)
62.
61.Tin Toy (1988)
61.
Jobs agreed, and the film wowed audiences when it premiered, even though the animation hadnt been completed.
The next year, Tin Toy became the first computer-animated short to win the Oscar.
The title wasToy Story.
60.The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse (2022)
60.
59-58.The Crunch Bird (1971) and For the Birds (2001)
59-58.
Theyre both one-joke cartoons about birds, but theyre very funny jokes that dont overstay their welcome.
58.Speedy Gonzales (1955)
58.
57.Its Tough to Be a Bird (1969)
57.
56.The Box (1967)
56.
A sweet cartoon about an old man with a mysterious box.
The sparse setting, heavily percussive score, and final reveal add to its overall impact.
Hublot (2013)
55.
French steampunk artist Stephane Halleux provided the inspiration for Mr. Hublot, which brings his futuristic universe to life.
54.Mouse Trouble (1944)
54.
52.Quiet, c’mon!
(1945)
52.
51.La Maison en Petits Cubes (The House of Small Cubes) (2008)
51.
50.Tango (1982)
50.
When the cops showed up to take statements, Rybczynski said, American pig, I have Oscar!
and supposedly hit one of them in the groin, sending him to jail for the night.
Fortunately, the DA declined to prosecute him.
Rybczynski (who eventually learned English) went on to direct music videos for Mick Jagger and Lou Reed.
Reflecting on his Oscars night, he said, Success and defeat are quite intertwined.
49.The Lost Thing (2010)
49.
48.Quest (1996)
48.
The animation is extremely cool, especially in the backgrounds.
47.A Close Shave (1995)
47.
46.Johann Mouse (1952)
46.
A year later, they produced a follow-up film that redesigned the characters and renamed them Tom and Jerry.
The last was for Johann Mouse, wherein Tom and Jerry become a musical sensation in 1890s Vienna.
As with Disney, it all started with a mouse (and a cat).
45.The Danish Poet (2006)
45.
She plays all the characters, and her lilting tones help make this cartoon a lovely experience.
44.Special Delivery (1978)
44.
A mans refusal to clean the snow off his front porch leads to to the death of his mailman.
43.Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953)
43.
Jobs replies, Musicians play the instruments I play the orchestra.
The same could be said of Walt Disney.
42.Closed Mondays (1974)
42.
41.Bao (2018)
- for I love you.
40.Paperman (2012)
40.
The style and the lack of dialogue serve the story beautifully.
39.Charade (1984)
39.
38.Balance (1989)
38.
Like the best stop-motion films, Balance leaves viewers breathless, wondering how the animators did it.
It inspired the finale ofNational Treasure: Book of Secrets.
37.The Dot and the Line (1965)
37.
(Narrator Robert Morley provides humorous math puns in his dry voice.)
(1981)
36.
One of the greatest things about animation is the way it can imbue inanimate objects with emotions.
Over its life, the chair observes the farmer, his wife, and their family for generations.
35.The ChubbChubbs!
(2002)
35.
The twist at the end is great too.
34.Moonbird (1959)
34.
33.A Christmas Carol (1972)
33.
32.The Old Mill (1937)
32.
The most famous of these is The Old Mill, the first animated cartoon to use the multiplane camera.
31.Tweetie Pie (1947)
31.
The film showcases Freleng at his absolute best with his virtuosic matching of action to music and absurdist gags.
When asked why he included it, Freleng just said, Because its human.
After Selzers death, the Oscar was passed to Freleng.
30.Bobs Birthday (1994)
30.
29.Bear Story (2014)
29.
28.Der Fuehrers Face (1942)
- in his distinctive squawk.
The title song became a hit for Spike Jones and his band.
(It loses points for insensitive drawings of the Japanese, however.)
27.Birds Anonymous (1957)
27.
26.Peter & The Wolf (2007)
26.
The stop-motion animation seems to have influenced Wes AndersonsFantastic Mr. FoxandIsle of Dogs.
25.In the Shadow of Cypress(2024)
25.
The animation, drawn in 2-D and consisting of largely basic geometric shapes, enhances the films impact.
24.For Scent-imental Reasons (1949)
24.
This time, however, Penelope goes afterhimat the end, freaking him out.
Bonus points for writer Michael Malteses hilariousfaux-French dialogue.
23.Munro (1960)
23.
22.Geris Game (1997)
22.
Geri cameos inToy Story 2as the repairman who sews Woodys arm back on.
21-20.Anna and Bella (1985) and Bunny (1998)
21-20.
Tom Waits provides the soundtrack for Bunny and sings over the end credits.
19.Every Child (1979)
19.
Producer Derek Lamb made Every Child in conjunction with UNICEFs International Year of the Child campaign.
18.Harvie Krumpet (2003)
18.
Its the work of a true humanist.
17.Father and Daughter (2000)
17.
16.The Sand Castle (1977)
16.
15.The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation (2005)
15.
14.Three Little Pigs (193233)
14.
Where to begin with the impact of the most popular cartoon short ever made?
The fact that it was held over in theaters for months by popular demand?
Thelegions of merchandiseit spawned?
The catchy hit song that inspired the title of one of the most famous American plays?
This makes it stand out from the other Disney Silly Symphonies of that time.
Fifer and Fiddler Pig are a fun-loving unit off-set by their smart brother, Practical Pig.
13.Creature Comforts (1989)
13.
12.The Critic (1963)
12.
11.Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992)
11.
10.Hair Love (2019)
10.
The animation on the hair is beautiful too.
9.The Ugly Duckling (1939)
9.
8.The Hole (1962)
8.
Released the same year as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the short foreshadows films likeFail-SafeandDr.
7.The Old Man and the Sea (1999)
7.
Denis L. Chartrand and Normand Roger provide the beautiful score.
6.If Anything Happens I Love You (2020)
6.
Only the most stonehearted people can watch it without crying.
5.Ryan (2004)
5.
Anais Nin once wrote that we dont see things as they are; we see them as we are.
This could describe Ryan, Chris Landreths extraordinary documentary about Canadian animator Ryan Larkin.
4.Gerald McBoing-Boing (1950)
4.
Gerald McBoing-Boing features all of the hallmarks of UPA animation.
As the backgrounds change, the characters skin tones change with them, giving the film an emotional dynamism.
When Gerald is happy, both he and the background are yellow.
When hes sad, dark blue dominates the screen.
3.The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)
3.
Frederic Back (who directed Crac!
Tolstoy would have loved it.
2.The Cat Concerto (1946)
2.
2, disturbs Jerry, who has made the piano his home.
From there, they torment each other using every part of the instrument.
1.The Wrong Trousers (1993)
1.
