Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts Open in Theaters

- This year's nominated films come from a range of countries, including France, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Israel, and Cyprus. - The nominees feature a variety of animation techniques, including the oil-painted "Butterfly," the stop-motion fable "The Girl Who Cried Pearls," and the line-drawn comedy "The Three Sisters." - "Butterfly" tells the true story of Alfred Nakache, a French Olympic swimmer of Algerian Jewish descent who survived Auschwitz. Another nominee, "Retirement Plan," features the voice of actor Domhnall Gleeson. - Two-time Oscar nominee Konstantin Bronzit is nominated for "The Three Sisters," a dialogue-free film about three sisters on an isolated island whose lives are disrupted by a visiting sailor. - The theatrical compilation of all five animated shorts has a total runtime of 83 minutes and is considered to have a PG-13 equivalent rating due to some mature content. - ShortsTV has been packaging and distributing the Oscar-nominated short films for theatrical release for over 19 years, showing them in more than 700 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. - The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film was first presented in 1932, with Walt Disney's "Flowers and Trees" being the first winner. Disney holds the record for the most nominations (39) and wins (12) in this category. - Historically, major studio cartoon series dominated the category, with MGM's "Tom and Jerry" shorts earning 13 nominations and 7 wins. In recent decades, independent and international filmmakers have become more prominent.