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1948 Animated Short Oscar Analysis

1948 was a terrific year for animated shorts and the Academy unfortunately snubbed some amazing cartoons from both Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes series. Still, the nominees that they chose were still pretty good, albeit the winner was a bad choice. This is a particularly diverse slate that featured all three studios from the big trio (MGM, Warners and Disney), but also one entry from Columbia, which was refreshing to witness.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

5. The Little Orphan

In this Tom and Jerry short, Nibbles is back to wreck havoc while Jerry is annoyed by his behavior. The finale was strong and the whole movie was quite endearing. The problem here was that only Tom was used well while the other two characters were forgettable. The action and humor are mostly just okay with no particularly memorable set pieces. For all of these reasons, this one gets the last spot on my list and I am still baffled at why they bestowed one of the weaker Tom and Jerry shorts with an Oscar.

4. Tea for Two Hundred

Donald fights a bunch of ants who try to steal his picnic, but he deserves it as he started this fight in the first place. This is one of those cartoons about picnic and insects, thus it is far from original as there have been countless of these movies in the past. With that being said, it’s a solid Donald Duck short that is memorable in his signature frustrations and the ants’ point of view as well. The animation is so gorgeous and it elevated an otherwise rote storyline significantly.

3. Robin Hoodlum

Hailing from Columbia, Robin Hoodlum was a rare movie on this list that did not arrive from the big three studios and the Academy needs to be respected for this inclusion. While the action was too frantic and the short runtime prevented the movie from developing its characters more, this is still a beautifully animated, meticulously detailed flick that is a lot of fun in its well executed action set pieces. It was a clear influence on Disney’s ‘Robin Hood’ and it’s interesting how many parallels can be drawn between the two.

2. Mickey and the Seal

A seal wanders into Mickey’s bathroom and hilarity ensues. Mickey and the Seal is one of those Mickey Mouse shorts where he and Pluto encounter some kind of animal and many gags follow. It’s a familiar premise with no particularly outstanding gags present, but the seal is just so adorable and the animation is so gorgeous that the movie is still great. It is also one of the more memorable Mickey Mouse shorts as I can instantly remember some of its imagery, thus making its second spot here well deserved.

1. Mouse Wreckers

The mice named Hubie and Bertie try to make Claude the cat crazy so that he can leave them alone in the house all for themselves in this Looney Tunes short. Although incredibly aggressive in its physical violence even for this series’ standards, this movie takes the number one spot purely for its authenticity. This was an introduction to this Claude character and he was very sympathetic, but the highlight was the action as that upside down sequence in particular was jaw-dropping in its originality. It’s one of the more underrated Warner Bros. shorts and it should have won this time around.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

I Taw a Putty Tat – In this cartoon Tweety literally physically tortures Sylvester through a bunch of very amusing, inventive sequences. Not only is the little bird hilarious in his signature baby talk speech, but this movie is also surprisingly and unforgettable dark in its finale, leading to one of the best Tweety and Sylvester shorts that was shamelessly snubbed by the Academy.

The Foghorn Leghorn – This is the first true classic coming from legendary Foghorn Leghorn. Henery Hawk is after a chicken once again, but he thinks that Barnyard Dawg is a chicken, and that Foghorn is just a “schnook” which means a fool. Eventually, he finally connects the dots, and drags the chicken with him. It’s a hilarious, iconic short that was also sadly snubbed.

Old Rockin’ Chair Tom – Old Rockin’ Chair Tom is one very memorable Tom and Jerry entry that features an interesting new character in the form of old Lightning. A couple of great gags are also here while the usage of Mammy has almost never been better. It’s such a fun and funny cartoon.

The Truce Hurts – The premise of this Tom and Jerry short is so authentic because it incorporates the friendship between all three of them, even including Spike, and that was a new and exciting path for them to take. The action is phenomenal while the characterization reached new highs here.

Professor Tom – Tom tries to teach his little cousin named Topsy how to catch a mouse. Then, Jerry arrives and the two befriend, much to the disbelief of the big cat. This Topsy character was so well used here while the premise is excellent all around, resulting in a very charming and strong Tom and Jerry movie.