Pearl (2016), a 360 animated short film from director Patrick Osborne and Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP), has landed an Academy Award nomination for this year’s best animated short film, making it the first VR film in the running for an Oscar.
Pearl is an emotionally-charged ‘coming of age’ tale of a single father raising his young daughter on the road. Presented as a vignette spanning the life of both the father and daughter, you sit as an unnoticed observer in the little hatchback’s passenger seat.
“It’s a story about the gifts we hand down and their power to carry love. And finding grace in the unlikeliest of places,” writes Google ATAP.
Pearl is Osborne’s second Academy Award nomination following the Disney-produced animated short Feast.
Pearl is in competition with 4 other short films: Blind Vaysha (2016), Borrowed Time (2016), Pear Cider and Cigarettes (2016), and Piper (2016).
The full 360 video is available below for viewing both on traditional monitors and VR devices. The video can be viewed using the YouTube app for Android or the Google Spotlight Stories app for IOS.
