ExclusiveThe Race for Oscar Best Animated Short

The Academy Awards are set to showcase a diverse array of storytelling techniques this Sunday as five distinct films vie for the Oscar for Best Animated Short. Leading the pack is the 2D comedy Retirement Plan, which explores midlife fantasies, and the French entry Papillon, a unique disappearing painted animation that captures a man's memories while swimming. Among the other contenders is Forever Green, a poignant tale of unconditional love between a bear cub and a tree, and the Russian comedy The Three Sisters, inspired by the silent film slapstick of Charlie Chaplin. Rounding out the nominees is The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a stop-motion production 20 years in the making that uses modeled sets to tell a haunting story of greed. As final votes are cast, the category remains a toss-up. Exactly. How do you pick is the point, and the whole thing about this, every animator who was nominated is here. We're all going to the same party. The fact that one of us makes a speech at the end, you know, I think everyone really has had a spectacular moment here, whether you're the one who makes the speech or not. The Oscars will be presented this Sunday, the 15th of March.