Oscar nominated animated short: Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'

Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'


Short Description (from IMDB):
Maggie Simpson spends the day in the Ayn Rand School for Tots.


Random info:
Starring Maggie Simpson, the youngest member of the Simpsons.
The credits state that "No butterflies were harmed during the making of this motion picture, although two kids were pretty banged up".

Credits:
Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly (those are the two people that are to receive an Oscar if it wins)


The trailer:


The film is available here (at the time of posting)

My personal say on it:
This short apparently overshadowed Ice Age Continental Drift, which it was shown along with in cinemas (I hadn't seen either before creating this article, so this is not my own opinion).
I saw it in 2D only, fyi.
The first time I saw it, my intention was of course to judge it. Admittedly there were some funny things in there, but I thought them forgettable. It was okay.
The second time I saw it was with my sister, we watched it to simply enjoy it. The second time around I thought it was more funny, interesting how your personal intent changes your experience, right?

Well anyway, I still think the jokes were forgettable. The story itself, at least a little less so.
The main story itself only starts very late in the film. Before that they make you care for the fact that she's not with the more intelligent kids, which does provide the setting of the main story, but that part of the story feels unfinished. It felt like it had too big a significance to be left unresolved.
I'm loving the fact that no speech is used, I've always had admiration for shorts that can do that. but the story is a very simple one at that. The animation itself is nothing special either.


The whole short is really not much different from what's shown on tv, so it doesn't feel too special, which I'd hope an Oscar nominee would do. What am I saying, it's what I expect an Oscar winner would do. The question has been posed quite a lot; why was this 5 minute long Simpsons episode nominated for an Oscar? Well seeing some of the other contestants, it looks like it wasn't a very strong year for animated shorts. I'd kind of like to see the other shorts that were submitted now.
I guess the shorted conclusion that I can draw is that the short doesn't excel in anything it does. I am disappointed, but I still enjoy some of the jokes in there, even if they are completely forgettable.