Live-action terror, animated wit and docs that ask what defines us stand out in ‘2018 Oscar Nominated Shorts’

The Oscar-nominated shorts may have smaller running times, but the themes tackled are often big.

Of the live-action films, three explicitly dramatize real-life terror threats. Kevin Wilson Jr.’s dread-filled “My Nephew Emmett” — already a student Academy Award winner — follows the night in 1955…