What a phenomenal year for animation 2012 was. In fact, it was so good, that the Academy couldn't even fit all the amazing movies into one category (think: Rise of the Guardians). All five of this year's nominees are bold, dynamic and expertly crafted. I'd go so far as to say that 2012 was a landmark year for animation in general.
The Oscar race for Best Animated Feature is just that this year- a race. And it's a tight one. For the first time, anyone could win. Pixar's winning streak was broken last year by Rango, but can it re-establish itself as an Oscar baby with Brave? Will Tim Burton finally win his very first Oscar for Frankenweenie? Will Aardman pick up another Oscar like they did with Wallace and Gromit for The Pirates!? Could underdogs LAIKA grab their first Oscar for ParaNorman? Or will it all come down to the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios' Wreck-It Ralph, which proved that they still have what it takes to reclaim their hold on the animation industry (without buying out every company out there)?
Let's take a look at each film, shall we?
ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE- 2013
1. BRAVE (Pixar Animation Studios): Brave received a lot of press for being Pixar's first feature film with a female protagonist. The movie is a technical marvel, with Merida's fiery hair and Scottish highlands looking unbelievably real. However, critics weren't too receptive of the movie, calling it a retread of past Disney fairytales and lacking in emotional value. That is somewhat true, but Brave stands far above standard kiddie animated fare. Pixar has won the Best Animated Feature Oscar six times (four of which were in a row), but this time, the competition doesn't make its prospects look very bright. The Academy might actually consider Pixar's history and not give it this award. But than again, Pixar is considered an Oscar favorite, and Brave isn't as bad as Cars 2, so you never know.
MY RATING: ★★★★
Read my detailed review of Brave here.
2. FRANKENWEENIE (Tim Burton Productions): Tim Burton has only been nominated for an Oscar twice, once for Corpse Bride in 2005, and now for Frankenweenie. This time around, he could actually win his Oscar- and make his fans rejoice. Frankenweenie is far superior to Corpse Bride and is inventive, unsettling and full of heart (yes, Tim Burton movies are the only movies where "unsettling" and "full of heart" go together). Artsy and completely black and white, this is the kind of film that the Academy goes nuts over. And it doesn't hurt that it's a loving ode to classic horror movies like Frankenstein. I say that this has the strongest chance of winning the trophy.
MY RATING: ★★★★1/2
3. PARANORMAN (LAIKA): LAIKA returns to it's creepy stop motion roots (Coraline) with ParaNorman. ParaNorman is as good as Coraline, if not better. It's genuinely scary, mature and tells a really solid story. It's also notable for featuring animation's first openly gay character, for which it probably deserves its own set of awards. The animation in ParaNorman is brilliant and some of the best stop motion work I've seen. All in all, a great movie and deserving of the Oscar.
MY RATING: ★★★★1/2
4. THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS (Sony Pictures Animation/Aardman): The Pirates! is a surprisingly funny, vivid and fun movie. Does it have Oscar written all over it? I'd say no. Of the five nominees, I'd put this in the lower half. It's richly animated, has a laugh out loud moment every few seconds and has a solid story at its core. Voice acting is top notch and it is overall, a very good film, but I just don't see this one winning the Oscar. But then again, Wallace and Gromit has won before, so who knows?
MY RATING: ★★★★
5. WRECK-IT RALPH (Walt Disney Animation Studios): After the infamous Tangled snub in 2010, it's time for Disney to take it all. I want Wreck-It Ralph to win, personally. It's brilliant. The animation quality, writing, voice acting, and music all add up to create a modern Disney classic that can stand alongside movies like Cinderella and Aladdin. Disney animation has been on an upward trend recently, after a creative slump in the early 2000s, and Wreck-It Ralph proves that the magic is still alive. Walt Disney Animation Studios has shown that it can give Pixar and DreamWorks a run for their money. If Wreck-It Ralph wins this, it will be the very first Best Animated Feature Oscar for Walt Disney Animation- another reason I want it to win.
MY RATING: ★★★★1/2
Read my detailed review of Wreck-It Ralph here.
.jpg)
So there you have it! It's a petty tight race, and I can see any film apart from Pirates! (and perhaps ParaNorman) winning, but then again, who knows? I predict that Frankenweenie will win it, because it's artistic and old fashioned. Which I don't have a problem with, because it's a really good film. Personally, I want to see Wreck-It Ralph win it. It's high time Disney Animation gets the Oscar.
But then again, ParaNorman could be the dark horse and surprise us all. I think Brave or Pirates! winning would be a pretty major upset (I personally know people who will smash their TVs). Side note: I think it's cool that three of the five movies (Brave, Frankenweenie and Wreck-It Ralph) are all distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Also, three of the five (Frankenweenie, ParaNorman and The Pirates!) are stop-motion. Pretty cool facts.
It all comes down to the evening of February 24 at the Dolby Theatre. Stay tuned!
The Oscar race for Best Animated Feature is just that this year- a race. And it's a tight one. For the first time, anyone could win. Pixar's winning streak was broken last year by Rango, but can it re-establish itself as an Oscar baby with Brave? Will Tim Burton finally win his very first Oscar for Frankenweenie? Will Aardman pick up another Oscar like they did with Wallace and Gromit for The Pirates!? Could underdogs LAIKA grab their first Oscar for ParaNorman? Or will it all come down to the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios' Wreck-It Ralph, which proved that they still have what it takes to reclaim their hold on the animation industry (without buying out every company out there)?
Let's take a look at each film, shall we?
ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE- 2013
1. BRAVE (Pixar Animation Studios): Brave received a lot of press for being Pixar's first feature film with a female protagonist. The movie is a technical marvel, with Merida's fiery hair and Scottish highlands looking unbelievably real. However, critics weren't too receptive of the movie, calling it a retread of past Disney fairytales and lacking in emotional value. That is somewhat true, but Brave stands far above standard kiddie animated fare. Pixar has won the Best Animated Feature Oscar six times (four of which were in a row), but this time, the competition doesn't make its prospects look very bright. The Academy might actually consider Pixar's history and not give it this award. But than again, Pixar is considered an Oscar favorite, and Brave isn't as bad as Cars 2, so you never know.
MY RATING: ★★★★
Read my detailed review of Brave here.
2. FRANKENWEENIE (Tim Burton Productions): Tim Burton has only been nominated for an Oscar twice, once for Corpse Bride in 2005, and now for Frankenweenie. This time around, he could actually win his Oscar- and make his fans rejoice. Frankenweenie is far superior to Corpse Bride and is inventive, unsettling and full of heart (yes, Tim Burton movies are the only movies where "unsettling" and "full of heart" go together). Artsy and completely black and white, this is the kind of film that the Academy goes nuts over. And it doesn't hurt that it's a loving ode to classic horror movies like Frankenstein. I say that this has the strongest chance of winning the trophy.
MY RATING: ★★★★1/2
3. PARANORMAN (LAIKA): LAIKA returns to it's creepy stop motion roots (Coraline) with ParaNorman. ParaNorman is as good as Coraline, if not better. It's genuinely scary, mature and tells a really solid story. It's also notable for featuring animation's first openly gay character, for which it probably deserves its own set of awards. The animation in ParaNorman is brilliant and some of the best stop motion work I've seen. All in all, a great movie and deserving of the Oscar.
MY RATING: ★★★★1/2
4. THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS (Sony Pictures Animation/Aardman): The Pirates! is a surprisingly funny, vivid and fun movie. Does it have Oscar written all over it? I'd say no. Of the five nominees, I'd put this in the lower half. It's richly animated, has a laugh out loud moment every few seconds and has a solid story at its core. Voice acting is top notch and it is overall, a very good film, but I just don't see this one winning the Oscar. But then again, Wallace and Gromit has won before, so who knows?
MY RATING: ★★★★
5. WRECK-IT RALPH (Walt Disney Animation Studios): After the infamous Tangled snub in 2010, it's time for Disney to take it all. I want Wreck-It Ralph to win, personally. It's brilliant. The animation quality, writing, voice acting, and music all add up to create a modern Disney classic that can stand alongside movies like Cinderella and Aladdin. Disney animation has been on an upward trend recently, after a creative slump in the early 2000s, and Wreck-It Ralph proves that the magic is still alive. Walt Disney Animation Studios has shown that it can give Pixar and DreamWorks a run for their money. If Wreck-It Ralph wins this, it will be the very first Best Animated Feature Oscar for Walt Disney Animation- another reason I want it to win.
MY RATING: ★★★★1/2
Read my detailed review of Wreck-It Ralph here.
.jpg)
So there you have it! It's a petty tight race, and I can see any film apart from Pirates! (and perhaps ParaNorman) winning, but then again, who knows? I predict that Frankenweenie will win it, because it's artistic and old fashioned. Which I don't have a problem with, because it's a really good film. Personally, I want to see Wreck-It Ralph win it. It's high time Disney Animation gets the Oscar.
But then again, ParaNorman could be the dark horse and surprise us all. I think Brave or Pirates! winning would be a pretty major upset (I personally know people who will smash their TVs). Side note: I think it's cool that three of the five movies (Brave, Frankenweenie and Wreck-It Ralph) are all distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Also, three of the five (Frankenweenie, ParaNorman and The Pirates!) are stop-motion. Pretty cool facts.
It all comes down to the evening of February 24 at the Dolby Theatre. Stay tuned!