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1950 Animated Short Oscar Analysis

1950 was an excellent year for animation as it saw the release of Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ above all else. But animated short movies had a major year with Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes being particularly strong with a couple of all-time classics produced for both series. Many of these movies were snubbed by the Academy, but at least the shorts that they nominated were pretty good themselves. This was the first year when the Academy only nominated three instead of five films for this award. Here is my ranking of all three movies.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

3. Trouble Indemnity

Trouble Indemnity is a pretty good Mr. Magoo flick. In it, an insurance salesman gets him to sign for insurance, but the guy then has to protect the clumsy and ignorant Magoo from hurting himself and his investment in the process. The third act at the construction site was somewhat standard and far from memorable, but the rest of the cartoon was pretty strong as it had a couple of amusing lines of dialogue. Both Magoo and that salesman were also very memorable here. It was overall a worthy Oscar nominee.

2. Jerry’s Cousin

Jerry calls his cousin Muscles for help with the cat and Muscles teaches Tom a lesson in this stellar Tom and Jerry episode. Muscles is a very memorable introduction with his voice and design both being quite effective. The movie’s middle section wasn’t as energetic and/or fun, but the beginning and ending were brilliant and the strong premise was mostly superbly executed. This was, however, a 1951 release, so it had no business being on this slate.

1. Gerald McBoing-Boing

Gerald McBoing-Boing is a UPA short that ended up winning the award, which was the right choice in this instance as it was the best of the nominees. It is about a boy who instead of speaking real words, speaks only through sound effects. This is a flawed movie as the sound effects are too loud and the protagonist needed more development. But other than those smaller issues, the comic-strip inspired animation was gorgeous and a story that was authentic, pleasingly weird and containing a great message at the end. Most importantly, the movie broke away an overly extended winning streak of Disney, Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. studios.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Rabbit of Seville – Brilliant throughout, Rabbit of Seville has that iconic barber sequence that is absolutely timeless. It is also one of the best Elmer and Bugs movies that utilized this pairing to its fullest. The classical score was perfectly in sync with the crazy animation, resulting in a masterpiece that was shamelessly snubbed by the Academy.

Boobs in the Woods – Boobs in the Woods is an absolutely hilarious, almost perfectly executed vehicle for Porky and Daffy that ranks among the finest Looney Tunes of the period. Not only was the concept fantastic, but so was the execution. A couple of lines here were surprisingly adult and all the funnier for it.

The Ducksters – In this short, Daffy Duck is a quiz show host and Porky Pig is a contestant. In the quiz, he gets asked many obscure and ridiculous questions, and when he doesn’t know, he gets physically tortured by Daffy. The ending is hilarious and the whole movie is brisk and highly entertaining. Porky and Daffy have rarely been better than they were in this classic short.