Animayo 2025: When Animation Becomes Art and Shorts Become Gold
The Animayo Gran Canaria festival has handed out awards like candy at its twentieth edition, crowning the best animated short films of the year. 🏆 Among the winners, two lucky ones have secured their direct pass to the Oscar pre-selection, proving that sometimes great talent comes in small formats... about 9 minutes long, to be exact.
The Winners That Made the Jury Cry (In a Good Way)
This year, the awards have gone to works that demonstrate animation is not just for kids:
- Playing God: Italian stop-motion that makes clay seem more alive than some actors
- Nube: A tender 3D metaphor about motherhood that will make you look at the sky with new eyes
- La Rivière des Ourses: Hand-drawn social criticism that hurts more than an electricity bill
"It's like the Goya Awards for animation, but with fewer speeches and more characters that don't exist"
Techniques That Defy Gravity (and the Budget)
From puppet stop-motion to hyper-realistic 3D, the winning shorts prove that:
- Clay can convey more emotion than a romantic drama
- Clouds have more to say about life than many influencers
- A student short film can put million-dollar productions to shame
And all this while some still think animation is just "that thing kids watch." 🙄
Awards That Recognize the Unexpected
Animayo doesn't just reward what's pretty, but what makes you think (and sometimes feel uncomfortable):
- Best Adult Comedy: Because cartoons can also be for those over 18
- Social Consciousness Award: For those who use art as a form of protest
- Special Mention: Because sometimes the jury just can't decide
In a world obsessed with special effects, Animayo reminds us that what matters is telling good stories, even if it's frame by frame. And if you get an Oscar along the way, well, all the better.
PS: If after watching these shorts you still think animation is a minor genre, you probably need a dose of animated... reality. 🎨