Live-Action Short: The Confession

“The Confession” follows the life of a young British boy on the cusp of admitting his first confession. Being only nine years old, the kid is really too innocent to have a meaningful confession. To remedy this problem, the young man and his friend hatch a plan that ultimately goes terribly wrong. In a spiral of bad events that follow, the lad is left with the death of two people on his hands. As the most gripping and prophetic of all the shorts nominated, “The Confession” should walk away the night’s big winner.

Animated Short: Day & Night

There is not much that Pixar ever really does wrong. From virtually sweeping the Academy’s animated category since its conception, Pixar is a powerhouse in its own right. While mostly known for their long features, Pixar is consistently delivering numerous animated shorts that are worthy of Oscars. This year, Pixar released “Day & Night,” a short shown before the studio’s summer smash “Toy Story 3.”

“Day & Night” is a cleverly scripted and delightfully animated short that follows two characters that are supposed to represent different times of the day. As the two discover the benefits of each other’s differences, Pixar’s creativity comes in at full blast. While “Day & Night” is facing formidable competition from the British short titled “The Gruffalo,” if Academy voters are looking for creativity then “Day & Night” is the obvious choice.