9) Sensology, Michel Gagne, director-producer (GAGNE International LLC)
This is a very good experimental film, but experimental films have a hard time winning over voters in big numbers. You never know (especially in this category) but it seems like a steep road from this one.

10) The Silence Beneath the Bark, Joanna Lurie, director (Lardux Films)
Very pretty looking with a unique style, this short suffers from a flaw that has dashed the chances of many other films in the past. At 11 minutes it feels really long. Unless you're Aleksandr Petrov, short and sweet is what you need to nab a nod.

 * As is the case with any year in the Best Animated Short category, predictions chosen by expert panels and randomly picking names from a hat have the same accuracy. Last year I went two for five in shorts and four for five in features, hopefully I'll fare better this year.

Rick DeMott is the director of content for Animation World Network, VFXWorld and AWNtv. Additionally, he's the creator of the movie review site, Rick's Flicks Picks, which was recently named one of the 100 best movie blogs by The Daily Reviewer. He has written for TV series, such as Discovery Kids' Growing Up Creepie and Cartoon Network's Pet Alien, the animation history book Animation Art, and the humor, absurdist and surrealist website Unloosen. Previously, he held various production and management positions in the entertainment industry.