bob the moo Fairy Tales are full of fantasy and hope and wonder and are often told to young children to help them get off to sleep with heads full of perfection and dreams of love. Of course, when they are being told by an aged Irish grandmother, perhaps some of the detail is different n the way it is told but, hey, Sleeping Beauty is Sleeping Beauty right? I watched this film (finally) because it somehow managed to get itself nominated for an Oscar – a fact which, no offence, suggests that it was a rather slow year in the ol' "animated shorts" category because, while amusing, it is certainly no more than that. The idea is sound though and I thought it would be much smarter than it was but it does still have enough about it in terms of potential to be "pretty good" even when it falls short of what it could have been. The fairy-tale section is rather crudely OTT and obvious and it does detract from the "real world" animated stuff that does have a touch of comedy about it. It is in these section where the bitterness of the grandmother comes through best, because it is a bit more subtle than the overblown version of the story she is telling – it also helps that the animation is more appealing too.As it is though it is never as sharp nor as funny nor as clever as one would have hoped (or the Oscar nomination suggests). It is amusing and technically well done but nothing more than that – solid little short film but the potential was there for more than that.

Brian Verderosa Very briefly...it's a gorgeous work of CGI and 2D animation, but the story is so blisteringly boring that it doesn't work. The grandmother just yells at the kid listening to the story, and that is supposed to be funny. Things like, "do you think the fairy did this?" to a headshaked no, "YOU BETTER BELIEVE SHE DID THIS!!!" It's a lot of yelling in the place of comedy, and there is nothing redeeming about her version of the story. It's flat, uncharming, and unfunny. Nothing happens in this version that we don't already know, and despite the apparent fact that Grandma is trying to do nothing but scare her storytell-ee, it fails to give us any reason to listen. Easily the weakest of the nominees this year, I believe Partly Cloudy was far more deserving of the coveted nomination. This is no waste of time by any means, but it is not a deserving Oscar nominee.

jaredmobarak Ever wonder what might happen to your beloved childhood bedtime stories if they were told to you by your bitter, disgruntled grandmother? Wonder no more because director Nicky Phelan has brought the world the experience with her animated version of writer Kathleen O'Rourke's character in Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty. There is nothing like a theatrical old woman telling a story, doing her best to draw out strong emotions while her own get the better of her. The short film's granddaughter just wants to go to bed with her stuffed animal, but Granny will have none of it, plopping down to tell one of her famous bedtime tales—starting sweet and normal, yet soon devolving into vengeful diatribe.You don't really know what to expect at the start, somewhat disoriented by the fear you see on the young girl's face once Grandma enters the room. This is not the first time she's stopped by for the nightly ritual, that's for sure. The name 'Grimm' itself should prepare you for the fact that the fantasy won't be a Disney-fied version, but I can't say I anticipated the direction it finally ends up going. Granny definitely has some pent-up rage hidden beneath her sweet, bifocal wearing exterior, ready to be unleashed on all those frowning upon her disintegrating, walker-dependent body. All those pretty little bimbos walking around oblivious to their future of gravity will have their comeuppance, even if it's only within the constraints of a fairy tale romance—funnily devoid of that one trait the actual Sleeping Beauty is known for.Rather then watch as Sleeping Beauty grows up and becomes enchanted in slumber until a handsome Prince can rescue her, Granny tells of an elderly fairy not invited to the young one's party. In her anger she crashes the scene and makes her displeasure known, cursing those in attendance and cackling profusely. The granddaughter desperately tries to shield herself from the scary visage sitting at the side of her bed, hoping for the chance of a happy ending to maybe let her wide eyes find solace in even a wink of sleep that night.The true success really lies in the performance of O'Rourke in portraying Granny O'Grimm as the two-faced Irish woman. People have thrown fairy tales on their heads before, using them for fright rather than hope, so nothing in that regard is new and original. No, the over-the-top theatrics trump the piece's artistry and story due to its sheer hilarity as the woman goes from soft dulcet tones to loud anger-laced screams—even doing her own foreboding echo to add a little pizazz. Not to say the animation is bad; it's actually really good. The use of both computer-generated 3D work for the 'real world' and 2D perspective for the fantasy is handled successfully. I also loved the blurred reflection of our two leads in the mirror across the room from the bed. It is a beautiful rendering of depth in the room and a nice detail.Perhaps the series will expand with more tales we know and love, altered to cause Granny's little girl to grow up jaded and paranoid—especially if the poster is to be believed, talking about 26 x 11 minute episodes. Will they work now that the premise is revealed? I'm not so sure. That surprise of tonal shift really did it for me. I don't quite know if the freshness can continue to be sustained on subsequent entries.

Gordon-11 This Oscar nominated animated short is about a grandmother who tells a bedtime story to her grandchild, which is a scary version of Sleeping Beauty."Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" is technically great, with cute characters, nice 3D animation of the bedroom and also visually pleasing 2D animation of the fairyland. The contrast of the dark and eerie bedroom and the delightful fairyland is interesting, as the colour schemes do not fit in the mood of the subplots. However, the plot itself is rather flat. We only see the grandmother telling a scary story which makes the grandchild frightened. There is nothing else on offer. No ups or downs, no things to learn from. I am left to wonder what the point of the short is.