The Missing Scarf

This year's crop of Oscar-nominated animated shorts is unusual. In the past, normally there are 2 or 3 films which are exceptional and I would be happy seeing any of them win. This year, however, "Get a Horse!" is so superior that I would be incredibly shocked if it did not win. Now I normally prefer shorts from small film companies--as I want to encourage the non-corporate players and an Oscar is a great way to do it. But Disney simply outdid itself and the rest just pale in comparison.

In addition to the nominees, the show also included a few so-called 'commended films'--excellent films that did not receive nominations. Oddly, this year's crop of three commended shorts were better than several of the actual nominees! "The Missing Scarf" is narrated by George Takei (yes, THAT George Takei). It's a very simple story that sounds like it's out of a children's book and the animation style is unusual but not the type you'd normally see nominated. I liked the animation but it was very minimalistic. So why did I like it? Well, the surreal and bizarro ending made me laugh--and with so few actually funny nominees this year, it was like a breath of fresh air. Well worth seeing--and I won't say more about the ending!

'THE MISSING SCARF': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Every year the Oscar nominated animated shorts are also shown in theaters with a couple other so-called 'highly commended shorts' (which bring the total running time to feature length). This year the commended cartoons include this dark satire about overcoming fear. It was written and directed by Eoin Duffy and is narrated by George Takei. It's filled with pretty simplistic animation and tells a pretty simple story about a squirrel, in search of his scarf, who comes across a series of insecure animals on his journey. The short is also filled with dark and edgy humor and comes to a great (somewhat shocking) conclusion. It's one of the more funny animated short films I've seen recently and anything George Takei does is almost sure to be brilliant and amusing!

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAefz9rzS5w

George Takei narrates this animated short subject from Ireland. Actually, it isn't particularly animated. It falls into that class of show that is referred to slightingly as "radio with pictures". If this had been offered as a radio script, it would have worked very well. Given its appearance in a visual medium, however means that it needs some pictures and movement: hence the put down phrase.

That said, it is a very amusing bit of radio with pictures as a squirrel goes in search of .... his missing scarf. He discovers a series of animals, each of whom recounts his increasingly long-winded, neurotic phobia and listens to the squirrel's analyst-like comments. It's hard to tell which is being mocked more: the psychotic, self-absorbed modern mind or the methodology which ignores emotions as illogical and contra-factual. Maybe they should have gotten George Takei's ex-cast mate, Leonard Nimoy, to narrate. Or perhaps he would have charged too much.

One day Albert the squirrel wakes up only to find that there is an empty space where his favorite scarf should be. He heads out into the woods to try to find it, only to encounter other animals with problems which he can help to address.

I have read a few children's books in my time, and this short film is very nicely structured to be like this – a simple journey of one cute animal, who meets other cute animals with problems or with which to have some form of interaction. The film sets this out very well, with deceptively simple animation of an origami squirrel, and animals made up of colored shapes. The narration of this children's story is delivered in a warmly singsong manner by George Takei and it is quite engaging to see the clever way that the animated problems and their solutions are delivered.

What makes the film standout is where it goes from these small problems which are solved by pat advice. Once we get to the bear, the worry is something massive which sees the short expand visually and in terms of Takei's narration, to be something much bigger than the other problems, and we slip through dying suns, destroyed matter, and nothingness everywhere. Likewise the squirrel's usual pat solution is in the same style, making it an engagingly fluid and impressive sequence. The punch line at the end is also good, and a satisfyingly adult reality to the childish solutions of the squirrel.

Duffy delivers well with the idea and script, but visually and thematically the film is also a treat, nicely setting out to be one thing then being another; it is cleanly made, clear in its goal, and very effective in the delivery. Well worth seeing.