Sure, it's early, but mark my words - on February 25, 2007 the winner of the Oscar for Animated Short Film is going to be First Flight, the short shown before Over the Hedge on approx. 400 out of it's 4,000+ screens.

It is an emotional, hilarious, and inspiring short cartoon featuring a commuter and baby bird, which uses CGI animation in a very painterly style...

Does Pixar have a short being released this year?

Looks like their going to release a short called One Man Band attached to Cars...

(They've always done great shorts, but I'm not chamging my prediction for First Flight - it's unbeatable!)

One Man Band was actually nominated this past year for an animated short Oscar.

I'd forgotten it was even a Pixar production.

I didn't mean to be a credit hog by noting the repost in the other thread - I'm happy to see First Flight get all the appreciation and attention it so richly deserves...

With animation shorts it is usually just about having been seen. Any animated short that goes before a feature hit will get a nomination. First Flight should be a lock

Where would I even be able to find the short that beat out One Man Band last year for the Oscar?

Keep in mind, not every Academy member votes for nominations, only the guilds, which raises the visibility of smaller films.

II. ELIGIBILITY
1. To be eligible for award consideration for the 2006 awards year, a short film must fulfill (within two years of the film's completion date) one of the following criteria between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006:

(a) The film must have been publicly exhibited for paid admission in 16mm, 35mm or 70mm or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format (minimum native resolution 1280 by 1024 pixels with pixel bit depth, color primaries, and image and sound file formats suitable for existing Digital Cinema sites or the current digital definition approved by the Board of Governors) in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County for a run of at least three consecutive days (no fewer than two screenings a day). Student films cannot qualify in this manner.
OR
(b) The film must have participated in a "recognized" competitive film festival and MUST HAVE WON THE BEST-IN-CATEGORY AWARD as specified in the Academy Festival List. Proof of award must be submitted with the entry. "Recognized" competitive film festivals comprise those established film festivals on the Academy's Short Films Awards Festival List which may be obtained from the Academy.
Non-theatrical exhibition (including but not limited to broadcast and cable television, home video sales and internet transmission) anywhere does not disqualify a film, provided such exhibition occurs after its Los Angeles theatrical release, or after receiving its festival award.

2. A student film may qualify only under II.1.(b) above or by winning a Gold Medal Award in the Academy's Annual Student Academy Awards competition of 2006 (excluding the documentary category), provided it meets the length requirement. However, any student filmmaker submitting a film for consideration in the Short Films Awards categories may not subsequently enter the same film in the Student Academy Awards competition.

You mean the Moon and the Son? I don't know. Besides, One Man Band was never exepcted to win (most people expected 9 to win).