It has been revealed that Toei Animation's short animated film "Magic Candies" (directed by Nishio Daisuke), based on a picture book by Korean picture book author Baek Heena, has been nominated for the Best Animated Short Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. This is the fourth Japanese film to be nominated in the category, following "Head Mountain" (directed by Yamamura Koji) in 2002, "House of Stacks" (directed by Kato Kunio) in 2008, and "Tsukumo" (directed by Morita Shuhei) from the 2014 anthology series "SHORT PEACE." This is the first time that a Toei Animation work has been nominated for an Academy Award.
This is a full CG short anime by Toei Animation, and is also a hot topic as it is the first collaboration in about 20 years between Director Nishio, known for "Dragon Ball Z," "The Kindaichi Case Files," and "Futari wa Pretty Futari wa Pretty Cure," and Producer Washio Ten, also known as the creator of the "Pretty Cure" series. The production team from Dandelion Animation Studio, which worked on "THE FIRST SLAM DUNK," gathered together. Naoki Sato, known for the "Pretty Cure" series, was in charge of the music.
Director Nishio commented, "It is such an honor and I can't believe it. First of all, I would like to thank those who nominated this film and everyone involved in the Academy Awards organization. I would also like to give my highest praise to all the staff and cast of 'Candy Cane'. I am convinced that it is only thanks to their sincere and tenacious work that the world view of this film has been expressed so vividly. Above all, I am deeply moved that so many people from various regions have resonated with this film we made. I am filled with gratitude to everyone who has seen 'Candy Cane' and those who have not yet seen it. Thank you."
Producer Washio said, "Thank you so much to all the Academy members and everyone involved for the nominations. I believe this is a recognition of the sincere approach of all the staff who tried to think deeply about how to convey the appeal of the original work through the film, and what is important in terms of the film. I sincerely hope that it will aim for even greater heights and become a work that is loved by everyone."
The film is based on the picture books "Magic Candies" and "I'm a Dog." It has been the talk of the town, winning the Jury Prize and Audience Award in the short animation competition at the 25th New York International Children's Film Festival, and was also selected for the Jury Prize in the children's short film category at the 64th Zlín International Children's and Young People's Film Festival.
