The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival screened its Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G presentation in-person and online earlier this week. I had the chance to screen all eight shorts at home. I’m impressed by all of them, and I think we could be talking about at least a few from now to the 2022 Annie and Academy Awards.

Joanna Dudek’s “Ashes” centers on Danuta, who reads old letters from her late husband. She’s falling in love with him all over again. Strong sound effects. And you can tell the amount of care that was put into the script and unique visuals.

“Blush” is a beautiful CG short from Emmy-winning former Disney story artist Joe Mateo. He went over to newbie Skydance Animation to direct his first-ever short, about an astronaut who lands on a planet and soon meets the love of his life. It’s inspired by Mateo’s late wife Mary Ann, who passed away of breast cancer in 2017. The impact of the story, especially in the third act, is tremendous. “Blush” will be on AppleTV+ later this year.

In “Death and the Lady”, an older woman and her dog (named Jackson!) receive a special visitor during a storm. Jackson isn’t pleased with who stops by. Geoff Bailey and Lucy Struever present a distinct CG look and a story with legitimate surprises.

“Dirty Little Secret”, from Emmy-winning director Jeff Scher, is a black-and-white visual re-telling of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Using chalk-like animation and song, Scher gives us an effective short that isn’t just a look back but a connection to today. “Can we all get along?” Scher thanks the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum.

In “Leaf Boat”, two women discuss whether they want to be together and if they can make their relationship work. Writer/director Efa Blosse-Mason uses waves, creatures and weather to examine their possible future. Blends intimacy and extravagance well.

“Navozande, the musician” is one of the best of the group. In 1259, 40 years after they were separated, a male musician and a woman reunite under the most emotional of circumstances. The flashbacks add to the intensity and power of this story, with a heartbreaking final scene. I applaud writer/director Reza Riahi for the consistently excellent choices made.

“There are Bunnies on Fire in the Forest” is only four minutes long but packs a lot in. It’s a contemporary story, set during the COVID pandemic. A girl gets into trouble at school for kissing her friend on the cheek. She’s also dealing with the death of her pet rabbit and isn’t quite sure how to handle everything going on. The human characters are dolls, which is creative, and writer/director JLee McKenzie’s offbeat humor about serious topics is bold and mostly successful.

And “Try to Fly” is about a baby owl whose mother throws her off a branch to see if she can fly. I’ve always loved owls, and co-writer/voice actress Simone Swan and the Affolter Brothers have taken this wise animal and given her a very human, honest perspective. Swan’s voiceover as the baby owl is filled with rapid, detailed dialogue focusing on the past, present and future. There’s an even balance of comedic and dramatic moments. Overall: charming.

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Jackson Murphy

Jackson Murphy is a movie critic and entertainment columnist. He is the creator of the website Lights-Camera-Jackson.com, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio.

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