Oscars 2026: 'Girl Who Cried Pearls!' wins Best Animated Short

By Shreya Mukherjee

Mar 16, 2026

05:34 am

What's the story

The Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards went to the short, The Girl Who Cried Pearls!. Directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, the stop-motion is backed by the National Film Board of Canada and has been a favorite across film festivals and awards this season. It follows a girl whose tears turn into pearls and a boy who loves her.

Details

Here are the other nominees

The Girl Who Cried Pearls! was competing against Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears's Forevergreen, Konstantin Bronzit's The Three Sisters, Florence Miailhe's Papillon, and John Kelly's Retirement Plan. Interestingly, fans can watch The Girl Who Cried Pearls! on YouTube for free as it has been uploaded by the NFB Canada.

Twitter Post

The Oscar for Best Animated Short Film goes to... THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/X9BmtmahLv
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 15, 2026