2011 NOMINATED SHORT: Let's Pollute

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are taking a closer look at this year's nominees. Today, one of this year's Best Animated Short Film contenders, Let's Pollute.

Best Animated Short Film nominee, Let's Pollute

LET’S POLLUTE USA/6 MIN 

Director/Writer/Producer: Geefwee Boedoe  

Cast: Jim Thornton

In the spirit of 50's & 60's educational films, Let's Pollute is a modern satire on how pollution is our heritage and keeps our economy growing strong, while instructing us how to be better polluters for a better blighted tomorrow. 

Upon graduation from CalArts in 1988 Geefwee Boedoe has worked as an animator, and in story and visual development for Pixar, Disney Feature Animation, ILM, DreamWorks, and others. 

The Opening Title Sequence to Monsters, Inc. which received high critical acclaim was conceived, storyboarded, and designed by Mr. Boedoe, who also directed the animation. 

Since 2002 Geefwee Boedoe has been pursuing an independent career as a film maker, designer and writer/illustrator of children's books. In 2004 his first children's book, Arrowville, won a Ruben Award from the National Cartoonists Society and was voted a 10 best Illustrated Children's Book by the New York Times. 

In 2006 he began work on his first independent film. Over three years in the making, Let's Pollute was completed late in 2009, and has been slowly picking up positive attention and momentum in film festival worldwide. 

View an exclusive clip from Let's Pollute below.

2011 NOMINATED SHORT: The Gruffalo

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are taking a closer look at this year's nominees, all of which will be available to download from iTunes on February 22nd. Today, one of this year's Best Animated Short Film nominees, The Gruffalo.

Best Animated Short Film nominee, The Gruffalo

THE GRUFFALO UK/27 MIN

Directors: Jakob Schuh, Max Lange

Writers: Julia Donaldson, Max Lang, Jakob Schuh

Producers: Michael Rose, Martin Pope

Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson


Based on the best-selling children’s book by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler, the magical tale of a mouse who takes a walk through the woods in search of a nut. Encountering three predators who all wish to eat him -- a fox, an owl and a snake -- the plucky mouse has to use his wits to survive, creating an imaginary monster who then turns out to be only too real.


Jakob Schuh was born in Munich in 1976, and after his school graduation in 1995, he first studied in the department of dramaturgy at the LMU in Munich. From 1996 to 2003, Jakob Schuh was a student in the department of direction/animation at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg; parallel to this, in 1996 he studied illustration as a fellowship-holder at the Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, and in 1997 he attended the master’s class of painting and experimental animation at the College of Applied Arts in Vienna. Jakob Schuh has been involved in various animation film productions since 1995, and has worked as a caricaturist and illustrator for the Süddeutsche Zeitung; he has been a shareholder in Studio Soi GmbH & Co. KG since 2003.


Max Lang studied animation at the prestigious Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg in Germany. Whilst there he worked on numerous productions as director, character designer, animator and storyboard artist. He was co-director of the animated trailer which launched the 2008 Cartoon Forum held in Ludwigsburg, Germany and has worked on several productions with Studio Soi. The Gruffalo is his first commercial film as director.


View an exclusive clip from The Gruffalo below.