Oscar Facelift

The rules of the Best Animated Feature category are going to be changed...

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news today: More people will be able to serve the Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee. Why is that?

Screeners.

These people will now be able to watch all of the potential nominees for Best Animated Feature thanks to the discs. Ergo, it won't seem like the winner took home the award without a challenge. Prior to this, the committee had to attend the nominees in November, as special screenings were held on Sundays... And did all of them go? Of course not! They are now required to view the screeners, thankfully. Again, with much more voters, we may see some diversity. A big studio might not even take home the award next year!

Now if anything, I see this as a response to the previous animated feature Oscar win...

Brave winning - beating out Wreck-It Ralph and ParaNorman no less! - more than caused a backlash. It seemed likely that Pixar's fairy tale film won because everything was rigged, or because no one in the branch even saw Wreck-It Ralph or ParaNorman. Well, now these people will be able to see those films and we'll see a much more balanced ceremony this coming February. I hope...

As for my Oscar nomination predictions? Well, here's my rough guess for now. (5 slots)

The Croods

Ernest and Celestine

Frozen

Monsters University

The Wind Rises

We should be hearing about the nominees in a couple months... What do you think of this change to the category's rules?

The Winners

Well, it's official. Pixar's beautiful, moving fairy tale took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. That's right... Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews' Brave. Pixar has won again at the Academy Awards. It was a tight race with some great competition, but it won just like it did at the Golden Globes last month.

To be honest, I'm not satisfied with this and a good many people aren't. Now hear me out, I loved Brave. Like I've said on here many times before, I don't think it's the extremely flawed film that others made it out to be. I felt it was a well-made, well-told spin on the typical fairy tale conventions with two very likable leads, some good humor and lots of heart. I'm not part of the "Brave is garbage"/"Pixar is no longer good" bandwagon. Not at all. I loved the film.

That being said, I felt it had some problems, but overall I think it's a very good film. Now you probably know what film I was rooting for. That's right... Wreck-It Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph was, to me, 2012's greatest animated film. It had so much good in it and very little bad. It had a confident screenplay, a very creative story that isn't in your typical animated film, excellent characters all around, a killer score and soundtrack (sans "Shut Up and Drive"), loads of references that never felt like they were thrown in to pander to gamers and of course, stellar animation and design. It was the kind of film that I want from Disney.

Walt Disney Animation Studios knocked it out of the park if you ask me. Wreck-It Ralph was risky and conventional enough for audiences, it toed the fine line between trying something new and satisfying moviegoers. Creative idea, familiar but well-done story and some twists and turns along the way. To me, it should've won, plain and simple...

Why Brave won, we may never know. Theories will probably be thrown around over the next few days. Some will say that it won because the Academy automatically awards Pixar (except if their film involves anthropomorphic vehicles) every year or because Brave was an animated film with a female lead and is a "feminist" film. I won't go into that, but some may see it that way. Why would the Academy NOT give the award to Ralph? Let a thousand theories spring forth.

My theory is that the Academy saw Ralph as a loud, noisy "video game" movie. Video games, like animation, aren't seen as an art form by many. So maybe that could be why the film didn't win. Brave on the other hand was about human beings, magic and adventure. Perhaps the mother-daughter story of the film appealed more to the Academy voters. Just look at Ralph and then look at Brave. I can see the Academy not feeling that Ralph was "Best" material. If you ask me, it would be the equivalent of them giving the Best Picture award to an action-heavy (but well-written and heartfelt) film.

ParaNorman and Frankenweenie didn't have much of a chance getting the award, because the Academy does think of box office when it comes to awards. ParaNorman and Frankenweenie didn't double their production budgets. The Academy most likely saw them as out-of-the-way flops, which is wrong because... What if those two were far superior to everything else? The Pirates! Band of Misfits? Out of all the nominees, that had the least chance at winning. Again, popularity and box office does play a part in what wins and what doesn't. Sad fact.

I will say though, it was nice to see Brenda Chapman being on stage and accepting the award with Mark Andrews. She wasn't present at the Golden Globes, and if I can remember correctly, she wasn't even invited. But to see Chapman on stage was good, so now she'll get the recognition she deserves for the film.

I am overall upset. I felt that Walt Disney Animation Studios was going to get the Oscar, one they deserved. They never got an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature before, since the category was created when the studio was being run into the ground. During its rebirth (2007-2009), it had tough competition. Bolt didn't stand a chance against WALL-E, ditto The Princess and the Frog against Up. Tangled wasn't nominated for 2010, ditto Winnie the Pooh for 2011. Here I thought this film would get it and finally prove to everyone that they are back. But to paraphrase Doc Hudson, it's just a golden statue. That being said, I wanted the win to boost Disney Animation's reputation...

Best Animated Short Film? By contrast, I was very happy with the results. Who won? Paperman... That's right, John Kahrs' beautiful and innovative meshing of hand-drawn art and crisp computer animation. While some of the competitors were impressive (particularly Adam and Dog), I was really happy to see Disney take home the award they deserved.

So... Were you satisfied with the Oscars? Are you happy with the winners? Or not? Which film deserved the award in your opinion and why? The same goes for the Best Animated Short Film category. Sound off below!

Stop-Motion and Disney: The Nominations

The Academy Awards have announced all of their nominations today, so what animated films made the cut? 4 out of 5 my predictions came true. How many of yours came true?

The Nominations

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-It Ralph

I had thought that the French-Austrian hand-drawn animated film The Rabbi's Cat would get a nomination, given the Academy's usual routine. Ever year, they try to get an animated film (usually hand-drawn) from another country (with the exception of the UK and Japan) in there somewhere (2009 with The Secret of Kells, 2010 with The Illusionist and 2011 with A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rito), so I was pretty sure they would nominate that film or another French animated film called The Painting.

Nope, that slot went to The Pirates! Band of Misfits, a very good film. What's more important is that all the stop-motion films released this year were nominated. Wreck-It Ralph made it, deservedly, as I was hoping for. Brave also made it too, and I was somewhat convinced that it wouldn't. All three Disney releases got nominated.

So, who will take it home? Frankenweenie was a critical darling this year but not a box office success (the Academy Awards do think of box office, whether it's right or wrong). Brave got good but not great reception, but it's generally seen as a good Pixar film and not "bad" like the previous one. The Pirates! Band of Misfits got very positive reviews, but it only did moderately well at the box office. Aardman took home the award before (in 2005 with Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit), so I'm not sure if this will win.

ParaNorman and Wreck-It Ralph are the two that I think will take it home. It's going to be close, that's for sure. ParaNorman was innovative, bold, daring and pushed the envelope for what a PG-rated family film could do. Wreck-It Ralph is one of Disney's best and an overall great film, with lots of creativity, a strong screenplay and a concept that is thankfully out of Disney's comfort zone. I'll be happy if either one wins, but I'm rooting a little bit more for the nine-foot-tall colossus.

For me, I think Walt Disney Animation Studios needs a Best Animated Feature Oscar since they never got one. Being a studio that was there since the Golden Age and one that delivered some of the greatest animated films of all time, I think they are overdue for one. Laika on the other hand didn't get an Oscar yet, Coraline was up against very tight competition in 2009. It'd be nice to see them get it too.

On a side-note, it's too bad DreamWorks was left out of the race, considering how impressive their fare has been lately. Rise of the Guardians getting a slot would've been nice, but maybe next year, DreamWorks can score a spot. Everything else that was up and running for a nomination didn't seem like Oscar material to me, aside from the two Japanese animated films: From Up on Poppy Hill and The Mystical Law. When will a Japanese animated feature ever be nominated again?

Who do you think should win?

Who Will It Be?: Oscar News and Revised Oscar Predictions

As Oscar season gets closer and closer, the more we find out. The critics' circles are currently picking the films they deemed the best of the year. Of course, they also have a slot for animated features. So far, the results have been... Interesting, to say the least.

It seems as if Tim Burton's Frankenweenie is getting a lot of love, on top of getting warm reception from critics. The Boston Society of Film Critics and The New York Film Critics Circle went for Burton's re-imagining of his 1984 short film. I have not seen the film yet, but I'm happy to see that stop-motion is getting some form of recognition.

Another stop-motion great got props from the Washington DC Area Film Critics, Laika's brilliant ParaNorman. How this one isn't edging out Frankenweenie on its story, creativity and originality is beyond me. Not that I'm decrying Frankenweenie, it could very well be a better film or one that's equally supreme, but ParaNorman seemed like it would be the year's best-received stop motion film.

The National Board of Review was the only force rooting for Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, which is the film I am personally rooting for in the race (as well as the Annies, of course). Perhaps the video game theme, the loud and busy pacing of the film and the familiar story turned off other critics. Or maybe they just felt that it held the film back from being the best of the year. That being said, it's still a very well-received film that's sure to at least get a nomination. I'm glad that one circle called it the best.

Brave, on the other hand, hasn't gotten any love. I have a strong feeling that the Academy Awards are just going to leave Pixar's film out of the race, since it got good-but-not-great critical reception. Then again, it was relatively more successful with critics than most of the films released this year, so it may get by on that. Disney's "For Your Consideration" ads are effective and striking, but who knows where that will get the film.

So what does that mean for this year's Best Animated Feature category? Here are my revised predictions for the Oscars.

Earlier Predictions

Brave

The Painting

ParaNorman

Rise of the Guardians

Wreck-It Ralph

Current Predictions

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Rabbi's Cat

Wreck-It Ralph

I had assumed that The Painting, a 2011 French animated film that will be released here this year, would be the foreign title to snag a nomination. This is the Academy's deal now, as they want to honor animated films from around the world instead of American endeavors. However, I think the nomination will go to another French-Austrian animated film, The Rabbi's Cat. This hand-drawn animated film also got a nomination for Best Animated Film in the Annie Awards, so I think it'll be the Academy's foreign animated pick.

I eliminated Rise of the Guardians, as the reviews were positive but the consensus is that it isn't anything beyond something simple. DreamWorks is pushing for a Best Picture nomination for this film (and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, which is absurd if you ask me), but I have a feeling that it will be left out of the race due to the reception it has gotten plus the box office numbers. The Academy Awards won't nominate a film that's deemed a box office dud or failure. This doesn't apply to independently released foreign films, for the most part. The Academy does tend to contradict the "box office" rule. (After it, it is the Academy Awards...)

I kept Brave and Wreck-It Ralph, because both films got better reception than most of the animated films released this year. Brave might be axed in the end if the Academy doesn't feel like giving three slots to Disney, or if some behind-the-scenes work gets it booted out. There's no way Frankenweenie can be cut at this rate, given the acclaim it's getting, but the box office returns may hold it back from winning. Wreck-It Ralph got a small piece of the acclaim, but Brave didn't get any. It might just not make it.

But if Brave were to go, what would take it's place? Another foreign animated film? Perhaps the Academy will also nominate The Painting or something else. Maybe Aardman's The Pirates! Band of Misfits? That got warm reception, though a few dissenting voices thought it could've been better. Anything else? Well something like The Lorax or Hotel Transylvania certainly has no chance, so it's either Brave or a foreign film. I still think Brave has a good chance because the film still got praise from a good number of critics. The critical reception was Cars-level.

ParaNorman also remains on board given some of the love it's gotten, and there's no way the Academy Awards should snub the film because it's a Laika film, the critical reception was great and the film is seen as a real game changer for animation (which I believe it is).

So there you have it, three Disney releases (unprecedented), a foreign feature and a Laika film. Out of those, who do you think would take home the prize?

What are your Best Animated Feature predictions?

The Animated Race

Yesterday, 21 titles have been confirmed for this year's animation Oscar race. Though I'll always be against the idea of "Best Animated Feature" (an animated feature is a motion picture, don't separate it from live action), this is actually the fun part: Predicting!

With twenty-one films, that means there will be five slots for Best Animated Feature. There is also a possibility that one of these films may get nominated for Best Picture (that should have happened last year with Rango), so it will be interesting given this year's batch.

The Players:
- Adventures in Zambezia
A South African computer animated film, also simply known as Zambezia. The film debuted earlier this year in South Africa, but no stateside release is planned yet. I have a feeling this one will have a limited run just in time for the Oscars. I believe, though, it'll have a very small chance at getting nominated.

- Brave
This one has a big chance at getting nominated, being a Pixar film and the fact that it got good critical reception. Cars 2 was left out, but we all know why. This'll be nominated.

- Delhi Safari
An Indian computer animated feature that apparently got some good reception at film festivals. The film opens here in the states on December 7th. Like Zambezia, I don't think this one has much of a chance though it is said to be a good film.

- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Environmental themes aside, this probably won't get nominated.

- Frankenweenie
Being a well-received Tim Burton film, this has a great chance at getting nominated.

- From Up on Poppy Hill
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea), this 2011 Studio Ghibli production has a good chance though Ponyo was not nominated in 2009. It could surprise, you never know. The film will be given a limited run in the US on March 15th.

- Hey Krishna
Another Indian animated feature. Has a slight chance.

- Hotel Transylvania
This one probably won't get nominated, since this film is more of silly fun comedy than anything.

- Ice Age: Continental Drift
Definitely not getting nominated.

- A Liar's Autobiography - The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman
Not sure about this one, though it is very interesting visually.

- Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
This one has a decent chance, being a well-received film and one that did make quite a splash at the Cannes Film Festival though it may not be one of the finalists.

- The Mystical Law
A Japanese animated film. Not sure if this one has much of a chance.

- The Painting
A 2011 French animated film. Like A Cat in Paris, this may have a very good chance.

- ParaNorman
This will definitely be nominated. If it isn't, there will be an uproar amongst most animation fans.

- The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Aardman's Arthur Christmas didn't get nominated last year (though it should have been nominated), I can't see this one making the cut either. It does have a chance, though.

- The Rabbi's Cat
A French/Austrian animated film released a year ago. This one has a chance at getting nominated, just as much as The Painting.

- Rise of the Guardians
Has a great chance, unless it gets mixed-to-negative reviews. Still, I can see it getting nominated.

- Secret of the Wings
Why is this even qualifying? It's another Tinker Bell direct-to-video movie. I mean, doesn't Disney realize that something like this will never get nominated?

- Walter & Tandoori's Christmas
Apparently this is based on animated television series, and this one also came out last year. I can't see this one getting nominated.

- Wreck-It Ralph
Personally, I'd like this one to take home the Oscar. It's definitely getting nominated.

- Zarafa
A French/Belgian animated film. This one has a slight chance.

Anyways, here's my early prediction:

Brave

The Painting

ParaNorman

Rise of the Guardians

Wreck-It Ralph

What's your prediction? Sound off!