Ellington

People who say animated films aren’t for adults doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Look at the parallels between “The Lion King” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” or the environmental ethic in “FernGully: The Last Rainforest.”

Luckily, the makers of this year’s Oscar-nominated animated shorts are aware of this, or at least most of them are.

“Sunday/Dimanche” tells what appears to be a simple story: a family’s run-of-the-mill Sunday. The protagonist is a child with a penchant for putting coins on railroad tracks, waiting for passing trains to flatten them. It becomes surreal when a bear mounted on the wall of his grandparents’ house comes to life. Overall, however, “Sunday” feels flat. It attempts to address the cultural barriers between children and parents, but lacks depth.

Conversely, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” has depth to spare. When a tornado carries the bookish Lessmore to a far-away land, he discovers a library of living and airborne books. Before entering the library, Lessmore is black-and-white. Once in the presence of the books, he gains color, like Dorothy when she enters Oz. This device captures the magic of reading simply enough to fascinate children and profoundly enough the intrigue adults. This film works because it presents a sentimental concept cleverly.

There isn’t much to say about “A Morning Stroll.” It features a chicken walking in New York City to the confusion of passersby, and it’s about an impending apocalypse.

The short has three parts. The first takes place in 1959, and uses bare-bones animation. The second occurs in 2009, adds color, and satirizes smartphone addicts. The third transpires in 2059, and sports an excellent chase scene, where a hungry zombie pursues the apparently immortal chicken. It’s funny, but not very substantive.

“La Luna,” Pixar’s contribution to this year’s nominees, walks the line between cute and contemplative. It’s a coming-of-age story about a father and grandfather introducing a young boy to their bizarre family profession: tending to the moon. By the end, the boy learns to think for himself. It’s food for thought in a pretty package.

“Wild Life” is the artsiest of the bunch, constructing an interesting analogy between a comet passing by Earth and an Englishman moving to Canada. The only short to feature extended dialogue, “Wild Life” tells a sad story through the Englishmen’s letters to his family back home. He dreams of being a cowboy and never quite makes it. This film doesn’t lack insight, but it’s too obtuse for an all-ages audience.

The verdict: There are a couple of duds, but, overall, this year's animated shorts will intrigue people of all ages.

The Oscar-nominated animated shorts are now playing at the Landmark Varsity Theatre, on the Ave across from the U-Book Store.

Reach reporter Joseph Sutton-Holcomb at arts@dailyuw.com.