Michael Granberry’s Wild Oscar-Eligible Animated Short ‘Les Bêtes’ Is Ready to Devour the Competition

You know we live for two things: overly complicated animated lore, and the glorious, ridiculous slugfest that is the Oscar season. And right now, all eyes should be on director Michael Granberry, who is stepping into the ring with his animated short, “Les Bêtes,” which has officially snagged that coveted, golden ticket to potential 2026 Oscar eligibility.

This isn’t just some run-of-the-mill short film; this is the kind of distinctive, boundary-pushing independent work that reminds us that animation is not just about CGI sequels and IP nostalgia—it’s about pure, unadulterated art with a capital ‘A’ and maybe a little dash of ‘W’ for weird.

This isn’t a Pixar short about a cute lamp; this is the kind of emotionally raw, character-driven narrative that feels like it crawled straight out of a beautiful, disturbing dream.

Granberry’s style seems to be focused on stripping down the complexity and focusing on the human (or possibly inhuman) condition, using animation to convey feelings and ideas that live action can’t touch. This is the stuff that gets festival critics frothing at the mouth, and rightfully so. When an artist uses animation as a medium for genuine expression, not just rendering, you stop and pay attention.

Achieving Oscar eligibility for an animated short means this little powerhouse of a film is now officially in the running for the biggest prize in Hollywood. The Animated Short category is notoriously vicious, pitting massive studios with infinite resources against determined, scrappy indie filmmakers.

The fact that “Les Bêtes” is even in this conversation is a huge win for independent animation everywhere. It means the Academy voters might actually have to put down their iPads for a second, open their eyes, and acknowledge the deeply personal, often profound, work happening outside the traditional pipeline.