Anna & Bella

At the first sigh, a lovely portrait of sisterhood. In essence, a beautiful short animation, what an Oscar short film must be. But, more significant, a precise, honest, adorable definition of life. So, a just great work.

Børge Ring's Oscar-winning "Anna & Bella" focuses on a pair of sisters looking back on their lives. This cartoon affirms that the Netherlands make some of the best movies. "Soldier of Orange", "The Assault" and "Antonia's Line" are but a few. Of their cartoons, I've only seen this one and the animated feature "The Dragon Who Wasn't (or Was He?)". I should note that "Anna & Bella" is not for little children. There are some intense scenes. But that doesn't subtract from the movie's quality. Quite the opposite, it reminds us that animation is simply another kind of filmmaking, and it doesn't have to be for children. In my opinion, these short cartoons are more interesting than the features voiced by the celebrities of the moment.

Anyway, good little cartoon.

As two elderly sisters sit looking at a scrapbook, the hearken back to their lives. They were inseparable as children and continued that way for always. But nothing is perfect and there is a jealous romance in the middle which tests their love for each other. The conclusion is worth waiting for. The animation is not attractive, but it works anyway. Academy Award winner and I see why.

This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 1986 and it's pretty easy to see why. The film, while very good has an ending that is so sweet and so disarming that it makes this a wonderful short.

The film begins with two sisters playing and spending time together. Through all of this, the scenes continue to move forward a few years at a time, though periodically, the film jumps way ahead and you see the sisters now as older adults looking through a scrapbook. Apparently, the scenes you have seen and will continue to see all are reminiscences they are sharing together as they look back at their lives.

Ultimately, the film ends in a rather unexpected manner--leaving me impressed with the way they were able to bring it all together. The film is sweet, interesting and has a simple but very memorable animation style that is sure to please. Give this one a look.

This short justifiably won the Academy Award for Animated Short. At turns sad and funny, sweet and cruel and with a marvelous ending, it offers proof that the animated short is still being done well and is still a viable art form. Available on The World's Greatest Animation, anyone who takes animation to their heart and particularly the short form, should have this compilation. This short is just one of many reasons to pick it up. You won't be sorry. This short, by the way, was not made with young children in mind. They may not understand it particularly well.