2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Retirement Plan’ Director John Kelly

Welcome to Cartoon Brew’s series of spotlights focusing on the animated shorts that have qualified for the 2026 Oscars. The films in this series have qualified through one of multiple routes: by winning an Oscar-qualifying award at a film festival, by exhibiting theatrically, or by winning a Student Academy Award.

Today’s film is Retirement Plan from director John Kelly. The film has received four Oscar-qualifying awards: SXSW Grand Jury Award; Animation Dingle, Best Irish Professional Short; Bali International Film Festival, Best Animated Short; Palm Springs Int. Shortfest, Best of the Festival Award.

The film features relaxing music and the dulcet Irish accent of voice actor Domhnall Gleeson as he expresses the inner monologue of Ray, a man fantasizing about everything he’ll do with all the free time that comes after retirement.

Cartoon Brew: What was it about this story or concept that connected with you and compelled you to direct the film?

John Kelly: The film has an outwardly simple structure: Ray lists all the things he plans to do when he retires. Animation is a brilliant Trojan horse for deeper subtexts, however, so this is really a vehicle to talk about many other things I find interesting. I was also interested in how I could steer this vehicle off a cliff.

All credit to my co-writer , Tara Lawall , though, for making my idea infinitely better than it had any right to be. If I’d made this film without her, it would be as painful and depressing as witnessing someone’s actual mid-life crisis.

What did you learn through the experience of making this film, either production-wise, filmmaking-wise, creatively, or about the subject matter?

Editing the animatic was hugely enjoyable, figuring out the tonal balance and the timing. And I think I learnt how to trust my instinct for the first time? Something I’d heard about in countless film podcasts and screenwriting books but had never knowingly encountered myself.

One moment, I would think the entire film was dreck. Then I’d make a few tweaks and feel a complete rush. The joy of this DIY style and tiny team meant I could be super nimble. Any idea that hit me could be trialled at any stage of production; if I had a shot idea I could quickly draw it up and throw it in there. For better or worse, the final outcome is a product of this spontaneity.

Can you describe how you developed your visual approach to the film? Why did you settle on this style/technique?

I hadn’t made a short film in a long time, and the reason is because I typically arrive at some ridiculously complicated and unachievable approach, or use it as an excuse to learn three different types of computer software. With this film, I knew I had to put some strict parameters in place in order for it to get this idea beyond the vault. This began with using my own drawing style.

I typically work in mixed media, so my own drawings don’t usually make it past storyboards. I liked the challenge of taking this deliberately stripped-back style and trying to make something filmic and emotional. For instance, much of our frame of reference was live action documentary, where shots are often completely static. So with animators Marah Curran and Eamonn O’Neill, we talked about how little movement we could get away with in each scene. They’re both massively experienced (and designers and directors themselves) and brought amazing sensitivity and restraint to Ray’s performance.

Often, when struggling for a question, I’ll ask a filmmaker: “Who did you make this film for?” But with Retirement Plan, that seems less like a fallback and more like the key question needing to be asked. Was this meant as self-reflection, a warning to yourself to live in the moment more and not wait to do these things? Or were you thinking about the audience and what you wanted to say to them while writing?

Typically, I’m a bit of a people pleaser, but I wasn’t really thinking about the audience when making this film. I chose to go the other direction, in fact, sort of re-rack my brain and make something I want to watch myself. Something that was funny, and then sad, and then ping-pongs furiously between funny and sad for seven minutes. And just hope somebody else will want to watch it too.