Not every story needs two hours to tell, and some of the best — like the 10 films nominated in the animated and live-action short film categories for the Academy Awards — offer snapshots that can intrigue, beguile and leave the audience wanting more.
In the animated section, the likely Oscar winner has the biggest star power: “Dear Basketball,” in which former Disney animator Glen Keane creates a luminous sketchbook of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant’s career, with Bryant reading his farewell letter to the game as the narration.
My favorite of the five animated shorts is well known to family audiences: “Lou,” directed by Dave Mullins, a clever and sweet Pixar production about a sentient pile of playground items teaching a bully a lesson.