2026 Animated Oscar Nominated Shorts

The annual audience favorite programs are back for another year at the Circle! The Animated Oscar® Shorts will open on Fri 2/20 starting in screen #4 for the first week, moving to a larger auditorium for second week starting Fri 2/27. The Circle will also open the Live Action shorts on Fri 2/27, and Documentary shorts on Fri 3/6. Tickets and showtimes coming soon.

Roadside Attractions will distribute the 98th Oscar® Nominated Shorts, presented by acclaimed filmmaker, writer, and actor Taika Waititi, exclusively in theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The program features three feature-length theatrical presentations, one for each Academy Award® Short Film category—Animated, Documentary, and Live Action—showcasing outstanding short films from around the world. Oscar® Nominated Shorts Program offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience these celebrated works on the big screen ahead of the Oscars®. Honoring short films as a distinct art form, Roadside Attractions will support the program as a must-see theatrical event, uniting film lovers and the global filmmaking community in a shared cinematic experience. The 98th Oscar® Nominated Shorts is presented by Roadside Attractions and is not a release presented by, sponsored by or endorsed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy has licensed Roadside Attractions the right to use the Oscar® trade name in connection with such release.

Animated Shorts - total runtime 1h23min - Some films in this program include some disturbing and mature content and may not be suitable for very young children.

The Three Sisters - 14min, Ireland, Cyprus

Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of the houses.

Forevergreen - 13min, USA

A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the allure of easy food. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls - 17min, Canada

A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.

Butterly - 15min, France

A poignant retelling of Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache's life, from his rise to fame to surviving Auschwitz, presented as memories flashing back during his final swim.

Retirement Plan - 7min, Ireland

Retirement Plan tells the story of Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) as he fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”

Eiru - 13min, Ireland

Additional presentation - shortlisted for the awards but not a final five nominee. When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it. Éiru is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion.