The Dam Keeper

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Jacob B It's a shame I don't pay attention to Best Animated Short Oscar contenders because the main reason I've even heard of this short is, once again, because of Pixar's Wikipedia navbox due to the directors being staff members there who decided to make this project after finishing work on Monsters University. Honestly, the real surprise is that this has a more detailed Wikipedia page than most of the articles dedicated to short films from the A-list animation studios. This short is also a notorious pain in the ass to track down online. Which is upsetting since this is a really good short. I actually wish this short won the Oscar instead of Feast, which was fine but wasn't my favourite Disney short, not being as good as the last two WDAS shorts. It has a distinctive visual style that's nice to look at that helps the simplistic character designs stand out more than if it were done in the established Disney/Pixar/DreamWorks style, the music is lovely, the two characters are likeable with their developing friendship being the most endearing attribute of this short and the story might not be the most complex but it does a good job going from sad to heartwarming. I can see why this studio is trying it's best to turn it into a franchise and I can understand why some people compared it to a Stephen King story if he were a more family-friendly author. See if you can track down this short or, if you're lucky, catch it on TV if some channel decides to air it; hell, build a time machine and journey back to a film festival from 2014, I don't care; and see why animation directors from the big leagues seem to really love this 18-minute story. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/05/25 Full Review Audience Member Oscar nominated animated short and my personal favorite of this past Oscar competition. The play of light and shadow and the muted colors are just amazing. We're in a town of animals who dress like humans and talk. A little orphaned pig is left responsible for keeping a windmill working that keeps suffocating smog out of the village valley. The pig is an outsider who is bullied at school. Then a new kid, a little fox who likes to sketch and draw funny caricatures, befriends the friendless pig. After a misunderstanding, the pig is angry and betrayed and purposely fails to maintain the windmill. Everyone in town is at risk until the little pig realizes the mistake he made in jumping to a quick assumption and must heroically save the black sheeted valley. This heartfelt tale about bullying and friendship is something really special. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Dam Keeper

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