Oscar Animated Shorts Semifinalists Announced

Ten films out of the 37 submitted for the Best Animated Short Oscar have been given the go-ahead through the Academy's voting process.

Pixar Animation's 'Partly Cloudy' -- a whimsical tale of storks, clouds and baby-making -- is the most high-profile entry, due to its enviable spot as theatrical lead-in to the studio's 'Up' this year. However, judging from past years, that doesn't guarantee a win, noted the Los Angeles Times. There are no corresponding advance awards like the Golden Globes nor critical hoopla to nudge voters toward certain shorts, plus academy voters must view all the nominees, so they often wind up voting for their actual favorites (imagine!).

In the 2008 Oscar race, Pixar's 'Presto' (featuring a magician and his obstinate rabbit), which had played in theaters with 'Wall-E,' seemed like a front-runner, along with the equally entertaining French short 'Oktapodi.' Yet it was the more low-key 'La Maison En Petits Cubes' from Japanese animator Kunio Kato that ultimately took the award. The last time Pixar won in the Animated Shorts category was 2001 for 'For the Birds'; all five of its subsequent nominations have failed to nab an Oscar.

Major competition for 'Partly Cloudy' is Nick Park's 'A Matter of Loaf and Death,' a mock murder mystery starring animated celebs Wallace and Gromit. Park has won three of his four Oscar nominations ('Creature Comforts' in 1990, 'The Wrong Trousers' in 1993 and 'A Close Shave' in 1995). It's hard to compete with his toothy stars.

The 10 films that have been short-listed, from which five nominees will be chosen, are:

'The Cat Piano': Eddie White and Ari Gibson, directors (The People's Republic of Animation)

'French Roast': Fabrice O. Joubert, director (Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films)

'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty': Nicky Phelan, director, and Darragh O'Connell, producer (Brown Bag Films)

'The Kinematograph': Tomek Baginski, director-producer (Platige Image)

'The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)': Javier Recio Gracia, director (Kandor Graphics and Green Moon)

'Logorama,' Nicolas Schmerkin, producer (Autour de Minuit)

'A Matter of Loaf and Death': Nick Park, director (Aardman Animations Ltd.)

'Partly Cloudy': Peter Sohn, director (Pixar Animation Studios)

'Runaway': Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada)

'Variete': Roelof van den Bergh, director (il Luster Productions)

Nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be announced Feb. 2.