Animation Is Back, Baby! Short Film Oscar Presentation Will Return To Live Broadcast In 2023
The upcoming 2023 Oscars will once again air all 23 categories live, including best animated short.
Last year, the Academy earned the ire of just about everyone in the industry when it decided to drop eight awards from the live broadcast – besides animated shorts, the other categories were documentary short subject, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score), production design, live-action short film, and sound.
Now, Academy CEO Bill Kramer has confirmed to Variety that “all categories will be included in the live telecast.”
He went on to explain:
We are committed to having a show that celebrates the artisans, the arts and sciences, and the collaborative nature of moviemaking. This is very much what the mission of the Academy is, and I am very hopeful that we can do a show that celebrates all components of moviemaking in an entertaining and engaging way.
The Oscars have long been the most prestigious and visible award that a short-form animation filmmaker can hope to win in the U.S. By denying filmmakers a platform to make a live acceptance speech, the Oscars significantly devalued the prestige of the award. It was also a stark reminder that the Academy at large has no idea what to do with animation and doesn’t understand or respect the art form, as was proved again in the way it handled the best animated feature prize at the 2022 ceremony.
Last year’s best animated short award eventually went to Alberto Mielgo’s The Windshield Wiper. His speech, recorded before the live transmission started and later spliced into the broadcast, wasn’t without a bit of mild controversy. While opinions about his speech may have been divided, Mielgo certainly deserved the chance to give his speech under the same circumstances that other filmmakers were offered.
To see our breakdowns of this year’s animated short category, click here.
The 2023 Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 12, 2023. In the U.S., the ceremony will air live on ABC.
