Oscar for Best Animated Feature 2012

[Sotiris]

Great news! It looks like we're going to have five nominees this year as well. To get five nominees, 16 or more features must be deemed eligible by the Academy. Currently, there're 19 features that will get an Oscar-qualifying run and be submitted by their distributors.

These are alphabetically:

1. After School Midnighters

2. A Liar's Autobiography - The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman

3. Arjun: The Warrior Prince

4. Brave

5. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

6. Frankenweenie

7. From Up on Poppy Hill

8. Hotel Transylvania

9. Ice Age: Continental Drift

10. It's Such a Beautiful Day

11. Le Tableau

12. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

13. ParaNorman

14. Rise of the Guardians

15. Secret of the Wings

16. The Pirates! Band of Misfits

17. The Rabbi's Cat

18. Wreck-It Ralph

19. Zarafa

Sources:
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/gkids-pu ... wards.html
http://www.hitfix.com/contenders/best-a ... ature-film
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... -for-oscar
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film ... 70192.html


Which five of these do you think will get nominated?

[Atlantica]

I know it won't go through, but it is lovely to see Secret of the Wings up there with the big leagues!

Personally, and only going on the ones I have seen (which is about half), I would pick Brave personally.

But if I was going on what I personally wanted, it would be Secret of the Wings

[Lnds500]

I have only seen "From Up on Poppy Hill" but here's my guess... actually they are completely random

2. Brave (Walt Disney Pictures)

6. Hotel Transylvania (Columbia Pictures)

10. ParaNorman (Focus Features)

13. Rise of the Guardians (DreamWorks)

16. Wreck-It Ralph (Walt Disney Pictures)

[Sotiris]

Oddly, The Secret World of Arrietty is not mentioned in the press as a contender. Does this mean that Disney won't be submitting it or was it an oversight? Why would Disney submit 'Arjun' and 'Secret of the Wings' but not 'Arrietty'?

[Disneyphile]

I don't know what the rules are, but the fact that Arrietty opened in Japan in 2010 may mean that it's not considered to be a new movie this year.

[Sotiris]

Awards per Film

Rise of the Guardians
• Won the Hollywood Animation Award at the Hollywood Film Awards 2012.
• Won the Vanity Fair International Award for Cinematic Excellence at the Rome Film Festival 2012.

Pirates: Band of Misfits!
• Nominated for the European Film Awards 2012 in the Animated Feature Film category.

From Up on Poppy Hill
• Won the Japanese Prize of Animation of the Year 2012.
• Nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2012 in the Best Animated Feature Film category.

The Rabbi's Cat
• Nominated for the European Film Awards 2011 in the Animated Feature Film category.
• Won The Cristal for Best Feature at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2011.
• Won the Special Jury Prize at the Taormina Film Festival 2011.
• Won the César Award for Best Animated Film 2012, nominated in three categories total.

Le Tableau
• Nominated for four César Awards, including for Best Animated Film 2012.

[pap64]

Man, this year will be tough to tell...

Usually, the best animated feature category has at least one Dreamworks movie, one Disney/Pixar movie, and one critically acclaimed/unknown movie.

Last year, the critically acclaimed movie was Rango. This year, there hasn't been THAT kind of movie. The Lorax was largely commercial, Brave was middling with critics, Madagascar 3 and Ice Age 4 are major sequels and Wreck It ralph and Rise of the Guardians have yet to prove themselves.

This year the winner will be surprise for me since there doesn't seem to be a sure, strong contender.

[estefan]

ParaNorman has been getting great critical notices this year. I think that's the one to beat at this point, but we'll see how Hotel Transylvania, Frankenweenie, Rise of the Guardians and Wreck-It Ralph go. Or maybe a smaller feature will swoop in for the win.

Arrietty opened in Japan in 2010 may mean that it's not considered to be a new movie this year.

No, with foreign films only the year released in the U.S. counts so since 'Arrietty' was released in 2012 it is eligible.

I also thought Arrietty was eligible, but then I read the Academy rules and they say if a film is two years old, it's ineligible. So, unfortunately, Arrietty wouldn't be allowed even if Disney did try to submit it.

Other foreign nominees like Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Chico & Rita and A Cat in Paris all opened in their home countries only a year before their US qualifying run.

[ajmrowland]

Oddly, The Secret World of Arrietty is not mentioned in the press as a contender. Does this mean that Disney won't be submitting it or was it an oversight? Why would Disney submit 'Arjun' and 'Secret of the Wings' but not 'Arrietty'?

It doesnt qualify, because the film's original jp release was in 2010 and for it to qualify, there has to be about one year between original and NA release dates.

Edit: ninja'd.

[qindarka]

It's hard to care much for the Oscars for Best Animated Feature with this much inconsistency in the submission process. Also, some great foreign animated movies never have a chance of getting nominated due to not being released in US theaters and lack of mainstream exposure.

[Disney's Divinity]

@estefan: Yeah, I see ParaNorman winning this year, too, and I hope it does actually.

[qindarka]

Why are we speculating and hoping that certain films will win when not all of them have been released yet?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

It's hard to care much for the Oscars for Best Animated Feature with this much inconsistency in the submission process. Also, some great foreign animated movies never have a chance of getting nominated due to not being released in US theaters and lack of mainstream exposure.

I guess the main argument would be that since the Oscars, aka the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, are based in America, that for films to be considered/eligible they have to play in America. That does make some sense, though; I think (though I don't know) the BAFTA Awards is similar in structure: films have to be released in the UK to be eligible. It may not be the best way to showcase the world's film-making talent, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

[JiminyCrick91]

I may end up seeing A Liar's Autobiography - The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman at TIFF this year. I don't see that winning the Oscar but I could see it being nominated as one of the obscure 'other' titles they always nominate.

-Skyler

[Disney's Divinity]

Why are we speculating and hoping that certain films will win when not all of them have been released yet?

Because we want to?

I don’t really see a large possibility in many of the others. In Disney's case, Wreck-It Ralph looks no more promising than the Dreamworks films, but it could be surprising (like the rare Dreamworks film). Although there is Brave which hasn't been as well-received as most Pixar films, though not as badly as Cars 2, of course.

[qindarka]

Wouldn't it be better to reserve judgement on Wreck-it-Ralph and the Dreamworks films until they are actually released? We can't exactly gauge their quality until we have actually seen them. Of course, you can discuss this all you want but discussing what is supposed to be the best animated film of the year seems like a pointless pursuit when it is only September. Or is Paranorman that good?

[SWillie!]

In Disney's case, Wreck-It Ralph looks no more promising than the Dreamworks films....

I think that's HIGHLY subjective. There have only been great reviews from those who have seen parts of it (with the exception of a very small criticism regarding fart jokes), and the "buzz" surrounding it has been pretty fantastic so far. Many who couldn't care less about Disney films seem very excited for this. In fact, the only qualms I've seen about it thus far are from fans on this board, hating it prematurely based on the fact that it's not your typical Disney fare.

While it might not be your favorite thing ever (truthfully, I'm still hesitant about it), you can't just write it off quite so easily.

[Sotiris]

I also thought Arrietty was eligible, but then I read the Academy rules and they say if a film is two years old, it's ineligible.

You're right. I've found the rule:

A picture first theatrically exhibited outside the U.S. prior to the Los Angeles County qualifying run shall be eligible for submission provided the prior exhibition takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after January 1, 2011.

I wonder why GKids didn't submit Tales of the Night for consideration. They should have saved Zarafa for next year since it was released in 2012 and submitted Tales of the Night instead which was released in 2011.

[Disney's Divinity]

In fact, the only qualms I've seen about it thus far are from fans on this board, hating it prematurely based on the fact that it's not your typical Disney fare.

That's also highly subjective: that’s not why I dislike it at all; I was one of the few people looking forward to it when the project was first announced, because the video game aspect was interesting to me. The addition of Silverman and then the trailer were around the time I jumped ship; the characters and animation look bland, and the story about a villain who isn’t really a villain sounds tired. I’m sure it’ll do well, following Tangled and having the feel it does--most Dreamworks films do well, after all.

[monorail91]

I'd love to see ParaNorman get nominated, I really enjoyed it. Very offbeat with a wicked sense of humor. Brave deserves the trophy though.