The Cousins (1959)

(Note: This article was originally posted by Mick Cohen-Carroll on Medium in 2020. Check out the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards here.)

The 92nd Academy Awards were an interesting bag of snubs and nominations, especially concerning diversity, but here’s a quick rundown of an area that's often overlooked: the animated short films.

This short normalizes Black hair and celebrates Black beauty. It shows a father tenderly helping his daughter style her hair and embracing her femininity. Director Matthew A. Cherry says, “We’re not used to seeing Black fathers depicted in this light. In the media, Black dads are often not present, or if they are, it’s some kind of negative connotation. This seemed like a good opportunity to tell a story about a Black family that has natural hair, and in the medium of animation.” The director has succeeded in showing a compassionate and affectionate father-daughter relationship, and the themes of self-acceptance, love, and beauty shine through.