This is the first Oscar nomination for all filmmakers except for The Flying Sailor director Wendy Tilby, who previously competed in this category in 2011 for Wild Life and in 1999 for When the Day Breaks. Ice Merchants and The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse took home prizes at the Annie Awards. Rounding out the category are two more upbeat, humorous shorts: An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It and the spectacularly-named My Year of Dicks.

Should win: My Year of Dicks

Will win: My Year of Dicks

Alternate: Ice Merchants