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113 Animated Shorts Qualify For The 2026 Oscars — Full List And Voter Guidelines Inside
See the full lineup of 113 animated shorts vying for the 2026 Oscars, along with voting requirements and key Academy awards dates.
Shorts
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Whale 52’ Director Daniel Neiden (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO)
Renowned animator Bill Plympton brings his signature hand-drawn style to ‘Whale 52,’ elevating this tender, magically real tale of connection.
‘Little Amélie’ Adds Another Major Win At Manchester Animation Festival, ‘Sulaimani’ Takes Best Short, Cartoon Saloon Honored
Other awarded titles included ‘Two Black Boys in Paradise’ (British Short), ‘Twelve Inch Pianist’ (Student Film), ‘Ovary Acting’ ) Audience Award.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Pow!’ Director Joey Clift
‘Pow!’ blends three animation styles: 16-bit pixel art, hand-drawn 2D digital watercolor, and a unique sequence inspired by Plains ledger art.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Black Man, Black Man’ Director Frank Abney
Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony vet Frank Abney’s ‘Black Man, Black Man’ transforms a personal poem into a powerful visual meditation on identity and healing.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Hairy Legs’ Director Andrea Dorfman
Canadian filmmaker Andrea Dorfman’s ‘Hairy Legs’ turns a teen’s choice not to shave into a bold, artful, and very funny story of identity and self-acceptance.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’ Directors Chris Lavis And Maciek Szczerbowski
The hauntingly beautiful stop-motion short follows a poor boy who discovers a mysterious girl whose tears transform into luminous pearls.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘On Weary Wings Go By’ Director Anu-Laura Tuttelberg
DOK Leipzig winner ‘On Weary Wings Go By’ is a 16mm stop-motion poem about the Nordic winter, where porcelain beings wander through fading light.
The Animation Showcase Launches Best Of 2025 Animated Shorts Program For Awards Season
The Animation Showcase spotlights 2025’s top award-contending animated shorts, now streaming for free for industry professionals worldwide.
Heartland Animation: Sarah Schmidt’s Independent Route To Adult Swim (EXCLUSIVE)
Chicago-based animator Sarah Schmidt proves mainstream animation doesn’t have to come from Hollywood with her Adult Swim ‘Gassy’s Gas ‘N Stuff’ shorts.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘The Night Boots’ Director Pierre-Luc Granjon
Annecy Cristal winner ‘The Night Boots’ features expressive monochromatic pinscreen animation that makes it one of the year’s most unforgettable shorts.
Hear Jane Goodall Narrate In The Trailer For ‘anyone lived in a pretty how town,’ Premiering At SCAD (EXCLUSIVE)
Daniel Kreizberg’s short blends painterly 2D animation with Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’ to adapt E.E. Cummings’ classic poem.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Wednesdays With Gramps’ Directors Chris And Justin Copeland (EXCLUSIVE TRAILER)
‘Wednesdays with Gramps,’ is a vibrant DreamWorks short that celebrates gaming, family bonds, and finding connection across generations.
Annecy Winner Shaddy Safadi’s Terrifying New Short ‘Diaboli’ Debuts Online (EXCLUSIVE)
Annecy winner Shaddy Safadi (‘Christo the Civilized Barbarian’) debuts his dark horror short ‘Diaboli,’ a chilling tale of faith, fear, and the Devil’s return.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Trash’s’ Team Of ESMA Student Filmmakers
ESMA’s sharp CG short ‘Trash’ follows a rat and pigeon through a decaying city, blending dystopian tension with striking artistry and sometimes hopeful beauty.
Industry Veteran Eric Calderon’s Career Story Featured In ‘Frames Per Second,’ Aha Media’s Creative-Career Short Film Series
Aha Media releases a new ‘Frames Per Second’ short sharing Eric Calderon’s real-life journey in animation, produced through its student mentorship program.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Murmuration’ Directors Janneke Swinkels And Tim Frijsinger
A nursing home resident finds himself suddenly transforming into a bird. Although he is still accepted, he feels it may be time to join a new flock.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Autokar’ Director Sylwia Szkiłądź
Szkiłądź’s ‘Autokar’ turns a child’s unaccompanied 1990s migration by bus from Poland to Belgium into a magical-realist journey of self-discovery.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Versa’ Director Malcon Pierce
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ artistic director Malcon Pierce channels personal tragedy into a touching, dialogue-free story of loss and recovery.
2026 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘As If Swallowed By Earth’ Director Natalia León
This haunting 2D short sees its protagonist return to her childhood home in Mexico, where she unearths buried memories and the lingering ghosts of violence and loss.
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