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1944 Animated Short Oscar Analysis

1944 was a very weak year for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Certainly this year itself was far from weak for the animation medium, but the slate they went with is pretty uninspired. Of these seven films, only one is reliably great, others are all either weak or solid. But in terms of representation, it’s a solid slate with Disney, Warner Bros and Walter Lantz all getting their slots among others. I just wish that the cartoons’ premises were more creative and diverse themselves.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

7. Dog, Cat and Canary

As its title clearly would suggest, this short follows these three animals all chasing each other. And that chase happens throughout this entire very dull, repetitive movie. It belongs in the Screen Gems series, and how they tried to copy Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry is an obvious, but failed attempt for sure. The film is technically strong with the score and the animation both having good quality to them, but the characterization and especially the action are quite mediocre. It’s thus a deserved last spot on my list.

6. Fish Fry

Fish Fry is a Walter Lantz cartoon which is a part of the Andy Panda series. And to me there lies the biggest problem. The little guy appears only briefly in what is supposed to be his own movie. I wanted more from him for sure. But the cat is such a crazy lunatic and the best reason to see this otherwise not that good flick. We’ve seen this type of cartoon before where the cat tries to eat the fish, and the results are rather subpar and highly unoriginal. Again, technically it’s fine, but in terms of substance, not so much.

5. Swooner Crooner

Swooner Crooner is a Looney Tunes entry that had no business being released in this particular year when it pretty much belonged in 1934. Yes, that’s how dated and quaint this film is. I loved Porky here, though he got a very small role. I also really liked the animation which is very polished and nice. However, the WWII references are tired as they were getting annoying up until this point in the Warner Bros. oeuvre, and the whole plot is very dated and dull. It had no business being nominated.

4. My Boy, Johnny

As is to be expected, a World War II entry got on this slate. And it’s all rather forgettable stuff, though far from bad of course. The film offers a look at American patriotism, the pin-up girls, men returning from war and so on. It thus felt very busy in terms of storytelling, and it’s very documentarian in both approach and execution. I did like that approach and the titular song itself is excellent. But otherwise, the movie had an odd structure to it, it wasn’t all that meaningful and it felt quite repetitive overall.

3. How to Play Football

I really found this one incredibly overrated, and I unfortunately expected that having in mind that I am not a fan of sports, and especially of American football. There were so many similar cartoons before from many studios, and Disney did not do anything new here. What works, though, is Goofy who is terrific and per usual very entertaining in his clumsiness. The animation is also outstanding, and probably the best of the bunch here as it’s so polished, charming and pleasing to the eye.

2. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

This film with a huge title follows one boy and his imagination going wild as he describes this titular street. It’s based on a Dr. Seuss novel, and as a result it has that very charming storybook quality to it. The animation is wondrous, the attention to detail is admirable and the movie overall is so sweet. However, the story is nothing to write home about, at least not this adaptation, and this is the kind of slight narrative that I personally am not a fan of, especially its excessive narration. But in a weak year, it managed to get a second spot on the list.

1. Mouse Trouble

Tom reads a book in which it is explained how to catch a mouse. He tries numerous tactics, but fails every time. That’s the premise behind this iconic Tom & Jerry entry which ranks among the best in the series. This was probably the best year for this duo, and this is the shining example of that. The action here is brilliantly conceived throughout, both characters are amazingly utilized and there are many instantly memorable moments to be had throughout its concise runtime. It’s a hugely entertaining, classic movie that entirely deserved its Academy Award as it’s the only truly great nominee of this poor bunch.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Lost and Foundling – Sniffles the mouse finds an egg which develops into a hawk eventually. He tries to eat him, but can’t and eventually upon finding out that some hawk species with a red spot do not eat rodents, he paints himself a red spot as an excuse not to eat the mouse. That finale was beautiful and this is one of the most endearing, wonderful cartoons of the year.

The Million Dollar Cat – Tom inherits a huge sum of money but the contract states that he mustn’t harm Jerry if he wants to preserve the money. Everything here works from a premise superbly executed across the board to great characterization to fantastic humor to of course a stellar conclusion.

The Little Red Riding Rabbit – Warner Bros. is famous for fairy tale parodies among many things in their animated short series and this is one of the better such efforts. This tale is beautifully satirized here, and Bugs is fantastic as he usually is. The highlight is that hilarious, unexpectedly iconic ending.

The Bodyguard – Jerry helps Spike the dog and he for his gratitude tells him that whenever he is in trouble, he should just whistle and he will come to save him. That is such a great premise and wonderfully executed as well. The short is entertaining from start to finish and it is just so fun and so funny as well.

Plane Daffy – Hatta Mari is a German seductress who successfully seduces one of the carrier pigeons and learns one of the military secrets from him. He supposedly kills himself and then it’s up to Daffy Duck to go and confront her. This is a rare WWII cartoon that really works how funny and memorable it is. It definitely should have been nominated along with these four too.