2026 Oscar Shorts: Animated

For the 21st consecutive year, ShortsTV presents the Oscar-Nominated Short Films, opening on Feb. 20th (and Documentary Shorts on Feb. 27) With all three categories offered – Animated, Live Action and Documentary – this is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar pool)! A perennial hit with audiences around the country and the world, don’t miss this year’s selection of shorts. The Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 15th 2026.

2026 Oscar Shorts: Animated
The Three Sisters, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Butterfly, Retirement Plan,
Eiru (shortlisted extra short)

The Three Sisters
Dir. Konstantin Bronzit/Israel, Cyprus/14min.
Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of the houses.

Forevergreen
Dirs. Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears/USA/13min
A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the allure of easy food. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Dirs. Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski/Canada/17min.
A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.

Butterfly
Dir. Florence Miailhe/France/15min.
A poignant retelling of Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache's life, from his rise to fame to surviving Auschwitz, presented as memories flashing back during his final swim.

Retirement Plan
Dir. John Kelly/Ireland/7min.
Retirement Plan tells the story of Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) as he fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time. ”

Eiru (shortlisted extra short)
Dir. Giovanna Ferrari/Ireland/13 mins.
When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it. Éiru is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion.