This is one of the better crop of animated shorts the Animation Branch has rewarded this decade. “Animal Behavior” is quite funny, “Late Afternoon” is beautifully animated with a universal story, “One Small Step” is imaginative and “Weekends” is wonderfully impressionistic and haunting, but it’s hard to see any of them overcoming “Bao.” Pixar has an impressive history in this category and, moreover, it’s one of the most original and surprising of the bunch. That being said, “Weekends” or “Late Afternoon” could surprise.
Prediction
1. “Bao”
2. “Weekends”
3. “Late Afternoon”
4. “Animal Behaviour”
5. “One Small Step”
More predictions:
Best Picture
Best Director
Actress
Actor
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Foreign Language Film
Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
