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The Best Oscar-Winning Shorts You Can Watch Free Right Now

17 must-watch films spanning 80 years of Academy Award history — all streaming free.

Animated

Der Fuehrer's Face (1942)

Dir. Jack Kinney

Donald Duck has a nightmare about living in Nazi Germany. Biting wartime satire that won Disney the Oscar and remains shockingly funny today.

The Cat Concerto (1946)

Dir. Joseph Barbera, William Hanna

Tom performs Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 while Jerry disrupts from inside the piano. Peak Tom & Jerry — every gag timed to the music.

For Scent-imental Reasons (1949)

Dir. Chuck Jones

Pepe Le Pew pursues a painted cat through a Parisian perfume shop. Chuck Jones at his most elegant and absurd.

The Dot and the Line (1965)

Dir. Chuck Jones

A straight line falls in love with a dot. Norton Juster's story becomes a dazzling lesson in geometry and emotion.

Closed Mondays (1974)

Dir. Will Vinton, Bob Gardiner

A drunk stumbles through a museum where the art comes alive. The film that launched claymation as an art form.

Every Child (1979)

Dir. Eugene Fedorenko

An abandoned baby is passed from door to door until a whole community takes responsibility. Simple, powerful, unforgettable.

Crac (1981)

Dir. Frédéric Back

The life of a rocking chair mirrors the history of Quebec. Frédéric Back's painterly animation is breathtaking.

The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)

Dir. Frédéric Back

A shepherd single-handedly reforests a barren valley over 30 years. One of the most beautiful animated films ever made.

The Wrong Trousers (1993)

Dir. Nick Park

Wallace and Gromit vs. a criminal penguin. The train chase finale is one of the greatest action sequences in animation history.

Hair Love (2019)

Dir. Matthew A. Cherry

A father learns to do his daughter's hair. Sweet, specific, and gorgeously animated — it became a movement.

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Documentary

Churchill's Island (1942)

Dir. Stuart Legg

NFB's account of Britain's defence during the Blitz. The first documentary short to win the Oscar.

With the Marines at Tarawa (1944)

Dir. Louis Hayward

Unflinching combat footage from the Pacific. One of the first films to show American casualties to the public.

Seeds of Destiny (1946)

Dir. US War Department

Post-war Europe's displaced children. Helped build public support for the Marshall Plan.

Neighbours (1952)

Dir. Norman McLaren

Two neighbours fight over a flower. McLaren's pixillation technique turns real humans into stop-motion puppets.

Why Man Creates (1968)

Dir. Saul Bass

The legendary title designer explores human creativity through eight wildly different segments.

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Live Action

Six Shooter (2006)

Dir. Martin McDonagh

Brendan Gleeson meets a disturbing young man on a train. McDonagh's debut — dark comedy at its sharpest.

The Shore (2012)

Dir. Terry George

An Irish emigrant returns to Belfast after 25 years. Warm, funny, and quietly devastating.

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