One of the primary advantages animation has always had over live action film is its ability to depict anything imaginable without concern for budget, temperamental actors or the audience’s capacity to suspend disbelief. Anyone with rudimentary equipment and the patience to sit alone in the dark for weeks on end can produce an animated film, and this accessibility has helped it to remain a fertile medium for experimentation and innovation for more than a century. This limitless potential for variation is exemplified by this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short, an international selection of five stylistically unique films featuring, among other things, feral children, cyborgs with OCD, possessed housewares and a throwback Mickey Mouse. Animation fans, Academy wannabes and local stoners will have the opportunity to view all of the contenders before the Academy Awards at The Magnolia (3699 McKinney Ave.) as part of ShortsHD’s eighth annual Oscar Nominated Short Film program. Thursday’s the last day for the program, but there are several showtimes. Tickets are $10.50 for general admission, $8.50 for seniors, children and students.
Thu., Feb. 6, 2014