Binary System Podcast #399 - WTNV #242 "The New Branch" and the Oscar-nominated Animated Shorts

This episode originally broadcast on February 22, 2024. The original podcast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2024/02/binary-system-podcast-399-wtnv-242-the-new-branch-and-the-oscar-nominated-animated-shorts/ On the latest episode of Night Vale the Librarians broke out of their cages but some heroes saved the day andnoweverythingisfineTheEnd SO! HOW ABOUT THOSE OSCAR ANIMATED SHORTS? (Kidding, it was a fun episode of Night Vale, we're just really excited to talk about cartoons.) Anyway, massive spoiler warnings as we discuss our favorite Oscar-nominated animated shorts, which were as surprising as they were upsetting, just how we like them. (This episode of VagueCast is brought to you by the 2024 Oscar Animated Shorts Collection: yiiiiikes.) And before we wrap up, we also have to go over the latest Hugo-Award-Clusterf*ck news, which was outdated even before we finished recording because it KEEPS GETTING WORSE. This week's outro is a clip from Illusion by Darkfluxx. Correction: we said passenger pigeon several times, when we meant carrier pigeon. Homing pigeon would’ve been even better. Correction 2: War Is Over isn’t a Beatles song, John Lennon released it outside of the band. Elizabeth apologizes to all the John Lennon fans out there. For that and for saying the cartoon would've been better if the song wasn't in it. In case you're curious, here's the list of all the Oscar Winning Animated Shorts. Turns out yes, some years the winner wasn't particularly family-friendly (2021's "The Windshield Wiper" has a lot of sexy content) but 2015's "Bear Story" beat "World of Tomorrow", and 2016's "Piper" beat "Pear Cider and Cigarettes" and that's when Elizabeth decided family-friendly beats edgy-and-cool most years. As of today the Oscar-nominated animated feature Nimona is still up for free on YouTube! Here's a good write-up of the Hugo Awards debacle. (Short version: the board self-censored anything they thought MIGHT upset the Chinese government, and were as stupid about it as you can possibly imagine.) (And the post doesn't mention the fact that the board did business with a Chinese company that's been sanctioned by the US Government, but we're still waiting to hear how all that turns out.) Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there, you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk. For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram!