HISTORY OF SHORT FILM

In anticipation of the Oscars, The New York Times published a decade-by-decade history of the short film and its place in the awards ceremony. The piece is fun and informative and includes links to a variety of shorts dating back to the ‘30s. I recommend scrolling through the full history, but if you want to jump straight to the action, check out BEN & ME and THE ABSENT-MINDED WAITER. Paving the way for RATATOUILLE, Disney’s animated BEN & ME from 1953 suggests that Ben Franklin’s accomplishments are actually attributable to a friendly mouse named Amos. The slightly lower concept 1977 short THE ABSENT-MINDED WAITER stars Steve Martin as, yes, an absent-minded waiter. Neither film took home the statue, but both are worth your time.

—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant