Butterfly (Short Film)

Rating

Director

Florence Miailhe

Screenplay

Marie Desplechin, Florence Miailhe

Length

15m

Starring

Fayçal Safi, Jessica Jaouiche

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

We’ll kick off the animated program reviews with the film that seems more like a strong contender to win the prize based on its subject matter alone even if it’s not the most appealing animation. Butterfly is a French production that follows a Jewish swimmer coming of age to compete at the 1936 Olympics in Germany, which was under the rule of Adolf Hitler and should have been the alarm bell that sent the world into conflict against them. The title refers to a swimming stroke this particular character specializes in.

With several metaphorical twists revolving around various bodies of water and the prejudice he faced from Nazi Germany, it is a fitting tale to be told at this point in history when the United States and other world leaders are tacking hard right towards fascism. It’s a simple message that must be drawn by the audience as it isn’t explicitly stated in the dialogue-limited short film. The animation has a painterly quality but doesn’t have a classical beauty to it that many fine art pieces would. The labor of love comes through and the axiom of “show don’t tell” is a key component. Unfortunately, it’s a short that many audiences will disregard not because of its content but because of its style.

There is always a place for different forms of animation and when they bring forward such poignant stories, it’s easier to overlook the animation style but that might not be a enough for some audiences. It’s solid work but is imperfect in a lot of ways, which may hamper attention to the film’s pointed themes. That might be enough to hinder its Oscar chances but for now, I suspect its modern salience will keep it in the running for the win.

Review Written

February 18, 2026

Forevergreen (Short Film)

Rating

Director

Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears

Screenplay

Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears

Length

13m

Starring

None

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

One of two animated shorts with no dialogue, this one tells the story of a bear cub who is struggling to find food when a kindly tree provides the bear sustenance from its own branches. When a careless camper leaves behind an addictive snack, the cub goes in search of more, leading them to a campsite where they’re startled and start a forest fire.

There are two relevant themes to this short. One is about found family as the tree nurtures and guides the cub into teenhood despite their obvious physiological differences. Like a parent, the tree tries to prevent the bear from leaving but in the end, it realizes there is no other choice than for the bear to face the consequences of their actions despite the unconditional love and support the tree provides them.

The second theme is an admonition of modern society of invading natural environments and proving detrimental to the animals’ safety. From the carelessness of processed foods as litter to the bringing of fire into untouched spaces, Forevergreen wants to encourage conscientious use of natural environments to discourage a situation which the bear and the tree might otherwise have never endured.

The animation is crisp and vibrant, flowing from scene to scene with a measure of beauty that few of the other shorts in this program possesses. However, as an environmental and family-oriented subject matter, it won’t have the same impact on the audience as many of the other productions will.

Review Written

February 18, 2026

The Girl Who Cried Pearls (Short Film)

Rating

Director

Chris Lavis, Maciel Szczerbowski

Screenplay

Chris Lavis, Maciel Szczerbowski, Isabelle Mandalian

Length

17m

Starring

Gabrielle Dallaire, Colm Feore, James Hyndman, Jeanne Madore, Simone Paradis

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

The longest short in the animated batch clocks in at only 17 minutes but it feels much longer. That isn’t because it’s a boring story but because it tells such a complex and dense narrative yet only comes in at barely over a quarter of an hour.

Realized with stop motion animation, The Girl Who Cried Pearls featuring a wealthy old man (Colm Feore) telling a story from his childhood explaining how he became the rich man he is today. Starting as a penniless waif, he recounts his tale of a sad young girl whose tears became perfect pearls that he would secret away and trade in to a greedy, unscrupulous pawnbroker, making decent money at someone else’s sorrow.

Over the course of the film, the audience must come to terms with a young boy using someone else’s sadness to enrich himself. It’s a dark tale that examines human nature from several angles although all of them are beautifully animated. As with many stop motion projects, the lip syncing doesn’t work between spoken word and character but the visual splendor of the material overcomes those small misgivings.

Although The Girl Who Cried Pearls tells a story that the audience can find morals in, it’s unclear if any of those are the aim of the filmmaker who just wanted to tell a tale. Is the wealthy man as unscrupulous as the pawnbroker he outwits or should he be celebrated for pulling himself up by his bootstraps. Opinions may vary and the ungenerous explanation is perhaps a bit harsher than these but requires a knowledge of the conclusion that I won’t spoil. That said, it’s the most solid of the three best films of the program though I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite.

Review Written

February 18, 2026

Retirement Plan (Short Film)

Rating

Director

John Kelly

Screenplay

John Kelly, Tara Lawall

Length

7m

Starring

Domhnall Gleeson

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

At a breezy seven minutes, this is the shortest animated film of the bunch, almost half the length of the next longest. The reason for its shortness is how quickly the narrative progresses.

Narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, the simple line drawings of this short follow an older gentleman who is finally able to retire and talk about all the things he plans to do with his free time. They run the gamut from learning a musical instrument to going camping and aims to infuse a bit of humor as the various things he tries are enjoyed with varying degrees of success.

For many older viewers, there is a charm to this film that explores all the myriad types of projects and goals they all hope to take part in when they finally reach retirement age but adds a bit of wistfulness as well, suggesting that there isn’t always time to do everything you want, intimating that you shouldn’t wait until it’s too late to enjoy these things.

Although retirement for me is probably still two decades away, I can appreciate the sometimes cheeky, sometimes sad moments this short imparts. Many of the things he chooses to try aren’t necessarily things I’d be interested in, but it’s easy to understand why retirees so often pursue them. Younger audiences might not find the kind of life affirmation the older generations would in the short but it isn’t a production for them, it’s for folks who don’t often get to enjoy animated shorts since they so seldom speak to their interests.

Review Written

February 18, 2026

The Three Sisters (Short Film)

Rating

Director

Konstantin Bronzit

Screenplay

Konstantin Bronzit

Length

14m

Starring

None

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

The last of the Oscar nominees in this bunch is the one that has the most enjoyable elements. The three sisters of the title live on a remote island where their sole connection to the outside world is a merchant vessel that brings them supplies to survive. After an accident sends their money pouch to the bottom of the sea, they consolidate accommodations and rent out one of their homes to a swarthy sailor who changes their lives in rather unexpected ways.

While the sisters are reticent at first to trust this new neighbor, one by one they begin to fall for him and enjoy his bellowing personality and his skills that can only be experienced behind closed doors. From that point on, their luck changes further, both for the better and for the worse. This is director Konstantin Bronzit’s third Oscar nomination and first in ten years. Both of his prior shorts came before I had access to the short film programs so I’m not familiar with his work but this short has a terrific heart, a sly sense of humor, and solid animation.

It reminds me in style of last year’s winner In the Shadow of the Cypress, especially in how it uses simple line drawings to tell a complex story. This one doesn’t have the depth of Cypress but it’s an enjoyable tale that keeps the viewer smiling throughout.

Review Written

February 18, 2026

Éiru (Short Film)

Rating

Director

Giovanna Ferrari

Screenplay

Giovanna Ferrari

Length

13m

Starring

Coco Teehan Rice, Michael McGrath, Lydia Deegan, Lucy Philpott

MPAA Rating

Not Rated

Review

The short films program typically only includes the 15 films nominated for the Oscars. This year, they’ve added a spare sixth animated short film, likely to bulk up the incredibly short batch of nominees in that category this year.

Éiru tells the story of a little girl who wants to join the adults in the village as a warrior but being too young, is ignored and ridiculed. When the town’s well dries out, the large warriors are unable to fit through the tiny hole and Éiru volunteers to go down and save their community’s water supply. There she finds a wondrous magical world and two other girls who have sought the same source of their plundered water supply.

While this year’s batch of nominees are fairly adult-oriented in theme with Girl Who Cried Pearls and Forevergreen being the only ones that should appeal to incredibly young viewers, this is just the kind of film that will speak to them, especially girls. It’s a cute story with a lively animation style that fully envelops the audience with its storytelling techniques and moral anecdotes. It was on the Academy’s shortlist and, honestly, I could name at least one of this year’s nominees that it should have replaced but I’m glad it’s included with this program as it gave me a chance to see an endearing animated effort that reminds favorably of the heyday of Pixar shorts.

Review Written

February 18, 2026