Categories One-by-One: Animated Feature

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Mister Tee
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Re: Categories One-by-One: Animated Feature

Post by Mister Tee »

Way late, but I just got around to My Life as a Zucchini -- and I frickin' loved it. It deals with a multitude of real-world issues -- more than any US animated film in a while -- but never loses a narrative buoyancy that's irresistible. Belatedly, it'd get my vote in (for this category of late) an unusually strong field.
Mister Tee
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Re: Categories One-by-One: Animated Feature

Post by Mister Tee »

My Life as a Zucchini doesn't open here till Friday, so, unless I find myself so over-prepared for my Oscar party that I'm looking to fill a few spare hours, I'm going to end up 4-for-5 in this category. (The fact that it's only opening that day suggests its studio doesn't expect to compete.)

I found The Red Turtle a bit disappointing -- it's a pleasant enough thing, but rather wispy, and I didn't find the imagery all that striking. In terms of Japanese efforts, I think this comes nowhere near Spirited Away or The Wind Rises.

It's a mystery why Moana didn't put up more of a fight. The reviews were very good, and the grosses more than fine, if not Frozen-like. But it feels like people stopped talking about this in November.

Zootopia winning NY Critics, the Broadcasters and the Globe seemed to mark the film a sure winner, but, even before BAFTA, an inordinate number of those minor-league critics groups went for Kubo, indicating it had some sort of appeal.

My own opinion? I think this is the clearest case of Do we vote for the apple or the orange? in some time. Zootopia is witty, cleverly plotted, and covers social issues without getting sticky about it. Kubo has some wonderful visuals and an overall sense of magic in the narrative. Whoever wins in this face-off will let us know which of those two gestalts voters were more in a mood for.
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Re: Categories One-by-One: Animated Feature

Post by Big Magilla »

Kubo and the Two Strings for the reasons I've stated in other threads.

It's simply the best. If the animators were the only ones voting, the Disney partisans would see to it that Zootopia wins, but with the entire Academy membership voting, Kubo could and should prevail.
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Categories One-by-One: Animated Feature

Post by anonymous1980 »

The nominees:

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia


There was a discussion starting at the BAFTA's so I'm gonna put this here. Zootopia seems to be the front-runner in this category....until Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA. Ever since the BAFTA started giving out their own Animated Feature award, all but one of them also won the Oscar. The only one that didn't was The LEGO Movie which wasn't Oscar-nominated. Personally, though I liked both films, I'm rooting for Kubo to win. Though it looks like, apart from this hiccup, Zootopia is headed for an inevitable win, there are several strikes against it if one looks closer. a.) Moana is also nominated which may split the Disney block vote. b.) It did not get an Original Screenplay nomination in a category with two wild-card spots since Moonlight was competing in Adapted. They nominated two small quirky films ahead of it. c.) Kubo has that super-rare Visual Effects nomination which animated films typically don't get.

I'm not saying Kubo is for sure going to win but all these factors indicate Zootopia is not yet foregone conclusion.
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