Oscar Shortlist Interviews: Director Loïc Espuche Shares His Favorite Shot From ‘Yuck!’ (Exclusive)

By Kévin Giraud | 01/06/2025 11:14 am | Be the First to Comment!

Cartoon Brew invited the filmmakers behind each of this year’s 15 Oscar-shortlisted animated shorts to share their favorite shot from their film and explain why it’s special to them. The pieces are being published in the order that materials were received.

In this piece, we’re looking at the Yuck! by Loïc Espuche.

In Yuck! (or Beurk! in its French original title), a group of kids witness young and old adults kissing in public during their campsite holidays. For Léo and his friends, there’s nothing more disgusting. And the worst thing is, you can’t miss it: when people are about to kiss, their lips turn a glossy pink. That’s when things start to get complicated for Léo. Because even if he laughs at those ugly kissers, Léo secretly wants to give it a try too.

Espuche recently spoke with Cartoon Brew about the making of this short. Below, he shares his favorite shot from the short and why it’s significant to him:

It’s hard to single out a shot, because for me, they only make sense in relation to each other. But if I had to single out my favorite, it would be shot 20, because it’s the one shot that contains all the film’s stakes. It shows little Léo, our main character, alone in the frame. He’s looking at Lucie, his girlfriend from the next location, and before he knows it, his mouth begins to glow neon pink. When he realizes it, he quickly shakes his head to erase it… He looks left and right to make sure no one has seen anything…

Suddenly, off-camera, his mother calls him to the table and Léo runs to join his family, giving way to the title Beurk! which settles in full frame.

While the other characters in the film didn’t see anything, the viewer did witness the appearance of these neon pink sequins on Léo’s mouth. And he knows exactly what they mean: he wants to kiss Lucie! Now that he’s in the know, the viewer is hooked: how will Léo deal with his secret? Will the kiss happen?

In this shot, it’s not just the birth of love that is expressed, but also the shame that accompanies it, and the fear of the other’s gaze. This is expressed with the quick disappearance of the mouth, and the looks on Léo’s face, worried that he may have been unmasked. This shot was animated by Léo Schweitzer, one of my best friends, but also the animator who spent most time working on the film. I love the way he animated this shot, both sensitive and natural, yet slightly cartoony. The delay on the pink of the mouth and the volume distortions when Léo shakes his head convey all the character’s problems, while retaining the film’s joyful tone.

The birth of love is carried by the music, composed by Aliénor Doublet, whose bewitching chords and “lalalala” convey the slightly naive discovery of first feelings. It immerses us in Léo’s point of view, making us forget the world around him. It fades as the pink sequins disappear, interrupting this suspended moment as the sounds of reality reappear, the clatter of cutlery and the voices of Léo’s family.

And then the title appears. On the one hand, the word “beurk” reminds us of the disgust with which kisses are perceived by children at the campsite. And on the other, it’s visual, all pink glitter, supported by the “lalala” of the music, takes us back to the budding romance. The appearance of this title underlines the irony of this introduction sequence and the adventure that awaits our little Léo.

Read the other entries in the series: