Oscar for Best Animated Feature 2012

[estefan]

Genndy Tartakovsky

Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory, directed Hotel Transylvania.

[DisneyJedi]

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I deeply hope and pray Wreck-It Ralph takes home the gold and NOT Brave. Don't get me wrong, I loved the latter, but WIR had me seeing it once a week ever since its release date (seven times so far). And I've never seen a movie more than three times before in its theatrical run.

Yes. It's THAT great of a movie.

[PatrickvD]

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I deeply hope and pray Wreck-It Ralph takes home the gold and NOT Brave. Don't get me wrong, I loved the latter, but WIR had me seeing it once a week ever since its release date (seven times so far). And I've never seen a movie more than three times before in its theatrical run.

Yes. It's THAT great of a movie.

Frankenweenie is taking home all the critics awards. Ralph only had one so far. So no, Brave is not winning... Tim Burton is most likely winning his first oscar.

[estefan]

I do think Wreck-It Ralph is winning the Annie, though (Tim Burton was surprisingly snubbed in the directing category). Frankenweenie is definitely winning the Golden Globe, though. Remember these are the same people who nominated Alice in Wonderland for best picture?

[DisneyJedi]

Out of curiosity, what makes you guys so sure Frankenweenie/Tim Burton will win the Oscar and not Wreck-It Ralph or Brave?

[estefan]

Brave is definitely not winning, but I think it's a three-way race for the Oscar between Wreck-It Ralph, Frankenweenie and ParaNorman. This is the most competitive the category has ever been, since the winner is usually incredibly easy to predict.

[BK]

Out of curiosity, what makes you guys so sure Frankenweenie/Tim Burton will win the Oscar and not Wreck-It Ralph or Brave?

Just go one page back.

Frankenweenie and Paranorman are duelling it out.

I'd like Ralph to win. Best of all I've seen this year. Missing only Frankenweenie which I wasn't bothered to see at the cinema. Burton hasn't exactly set the world on fire with the crap he's directed lately.

[Icea]

I'm actually rooting for Rise of the Guardians to win. While I really liked Brave, it's been a long time since I came out of the cinema loving every last detail of a movie like I did with Rise of the Guardians.

[PatrickvD]

I'm actually rooting for Rise of the Guardians to win. While I really liked Brave, it's been a long time since I came out of the cinema loving every last detail of a movie like I did with Rise of the Guardians.

That's how I felt about Wreck It Ralph.

Either way, it looks like it's between Ralph and Frankenweenie, with most critics awards leaning towards Frankenweenie. While Guardians did get a Gold Globe nod, there's no way it's getting in the oscar top 5 over Paranorman.

[pap64]

I'm actually rooting for Rise of the Guardians to win. While I really liked Brave, it's been a long time since I came out of the cinema loving every last detail of a movie like I did with Rise of the Guardians.

That's how I felt about Wreck It Ralph.

Either way, it looks like it's between Ralph and Frankenweenie, with most critics awards leaning towards Frankenweenie. While Guardians did get a Gold Globe nod, there's no way it's getting in the oscar top 5 over Paranorman.

This is something I've been thinking about, and I actually believe that Wreck-It Ralph has a big chance of winning the awards. Why? Because out of all the possible nominees, Wreck-It Ralph has had both critical appeal and the support of the audience, regardless of what the fans may think about it.

Yeah, Wreck-It Ralph may be a misfit story, while something like ParaNorman appears to be more "unique". But I think (and trust me, this is just my mentality) the Academy tends to also look forward to how it is appealing as a movie.

Out of all the possible nominees, here are the ones that might make it in:
Rise of the Guardians for Dreamworks
Wreck-It Ralph from Disney
Brave from Pixar
Pirates! Band of Misfits for Sony
And either ParaNorman for Laika or an obscure indie animated film

Out of the two movies Dreamworks released this year, it is a sure thing that Guardians will be their movie because Madagascar 3 was just their standard sequel for the year.

Even though Frankenweenie has had better critical reception, audience reception though was mixed, and thus didn't earn a lot of money. So between Ralph and Frankenweenie, I think they would go with the movie that nailed both critics and audiences and is the "better" movie of the two.

Brave is likely to make it in, but NOT win it because Brave represents Pixar doing something that has been done before and thus not as exciting. It's why Tangled was snubbed out of the category in 2011 in favor Dragons and Toy Story 3: Tangled was great but NOT in any way an exciting, breathtaking movie.

Pirates is almost a shoe in because the Academy loves Aardman animation and this did decent enough with critics so it might make it in. Finally, I mention that there could be the chance that ParaNorman's spot will be given to an indie film because they tend to include a smaller, lesser known movie to fill in the category.

There is the possibility that Frankenweenie could replace ParaNorman, simply because the two are very similar (stop motion animated horror films), and ParaNorman had too many story issues, unlike Coraline which was way better received.

So, when you factor in these things, out of the possible nominees, Ralph has the makings of a winner because...
1) It is a brand new story that's unique to the medium yet feels very familiar
2) It has won over audiences and critics

Rise of the Guardians is definitely a strong opponent because it too represents the studio creating something new that is beloved, but the critical reception was colder in comparison to Ralph.

Those are my thoughts, not likely to come true at all

[WonderNeverOz]

I watched Brave, ParaNorman, and Frankenweenie so far, and I didn't watch wreck-it ralph yet, but what ive seen so far and from the trailers, I think I would really like wreck-it ralph to win.

Brave was really great and I really loved it, (probably one of my favorite pixar movies), but the story kinda lacked creativity I think.

ParaNorman was surprisingly great too. The climax scene was amazing and probably one of the best scene in stop-motion animated movies, but the beginning was honestly kinda boring.... dont get me wrong, I know that part is important to build up the story, but i felt like that part was too long

and finally, frankenweenie. Honestly, I didn't really enjoy this movie. I love the characters, and I love the original short movie, and I thought it was sweet, but nothing more. I felt like it was really predictable, and I thought was corpse bride was much much better

so, as a conclusion, i know i shouldn't judge a movie before I watch it but i really want wreck-it ralph to win. besides i think WDAS deserves an award , considering the fact that tangled didn't even get a nomination, which is a movie that would have probably won an award if it was released this year.

[qindarka]

This is something I've been thinking about, and I actually believe that Wreck-It Ralph has a big chance of winning the awards. Why? Because out of all the possible nominees, Wreck-It Ralph has had both critical appeal and the support of the audience, regardless of what the fans may think about it.

Yeah, Wreck-It Ralph may be a misfit story, while something like ParaNorman appears to be more "unique". But I think (and trust me, this is just my mentality) the Academy tends to also look forward to how it is appealing as a movie.

Out of all the possible nominees, here are the ones that might make it in:
Rise of the Guardians for Dreamworks
Wreck-It Ralph from Disney
Brave from Pixar
Pirates! Band of Misfits for Sony
And either ParaNorman for Laika or an obscure indie animated film

Out of the two movies Dreamworks released this year, it is a sure thing that Guardians will be their movie because Madagascar 3 was just their standard sequel for the year.

Even though Frankenweenie has had better critical reception, audience reception though was mixed, and thus didn't earn a lot of money. So between Ralph and Frankenweenie, I think they would go with the movie that nailed both critics and audiences and is the "better" movie of the two.

Brave is likely to make it in, but NOT win it because Brave represents Pixar doing something that has been done before and thus not as exciting. It's why Tangled was snubbed out of the category in 2011 in favor Dragons and Toy Story 3: Tangled was great but NOT in any way an exciting, breathtaking movie.

Pirates is almost a shoe in because the Academy loves Aardman animation and this did decent enough with critics so it might make it in. Finally, I mention that there could be the chance that ParaNorman's spot will be given to an indie film because they tend to include a smaller, lesser known movie to fill in the category.

There is the possibility that Frankenweenie could replace ParaNorman, simply because the two are very similar (stop motion animated horror films), and ParaNorman had too many story issues, unlike Coraline which was way better received.

So, when you factor in these things, out of the possible nominees, Ralph has the makings of a winner because...
1) It is a brand new story that's unique to the medium yet feels very familiar
2) It has won over audiences and critics

Rise of the Guardians is definitely a strong opponent because it too represents the studio creating something new that is beloved, but the critical reception was colder in comparison to Ralph.

Those are my thoughts, not likely to come true at all

Strange that you think that Tangled was snubbed due to not being new and exciting when the winner that year, Toy Story 3, was a second sequel which also happened to be a rehash of the previous iteration in the series.
Pinnacle of creativity right there.

Don't think Pirates will get in. There hasn't been much excitement about it and for good reason, it is their weakest film thus far. Academy also doesn't seem to be that fond of Aardman. Flushed Away deserved a nomination for 2006 but was snubbed. So was Arthur Christmas for last year when it should have won.

And I hope that Paranorman doesn't win anything. Some appalling characterization, no sense of danger, and a pivotal scene being laughable in its execution. Also not too fond of the execution of the message there, I actually felt that at times, it veered towards excusing bullying and victim blaming. For this last point though, I've found absolutely no one who has agreed with me so I may just be imagining it.

Don't think Rise of the Guardians has good enough reviews to get nominated, though I hope it does. May just edge out Brave, which is also deserving.

Would think that this would be the line-up:
Wreck-it-Ralph
Brave
Paranorman
Frankenweenie
Token foreign non-mainstream movie

[pap64]

This is something I've been thinking about, and I actually believe that Wreck-It Ralph has a big chance of winning the awards. Why? Because out of all the possible nominees, Wreck-It Ralph has had both critical appeal and the support of the audience, regardless of what the fans may think about it.

Yeah, Wreck-It Ralph may be a misfit story, while something like ParaNorman appears to be more "unique". But I think (and trust me, this is just my mentality) the Academy tends to also look forward to how it is appealing as a movie.

Out of all the possible nominees, here are the ones that might make it in:
Rise of the Guardians for Dreamworks
Wreck-It Ralph from Disney
Brave from Pixar
Pirates! Band of Misfits for Sony
And either ParaNorman for Laika or an obscure indie animated film

Out of the two movies Dreamworks released this year, it is a sure thing that Guardians will be their movie because Madagascar 3 was just their standard sequel for the year.

Even though Frankenweenie has had better critical reception, audience reception though was mixed, and thus didn't earn a lot of money. So between Ralph and Frankenweenie, I think they would go with the movie that nailed both critics and audiences and is the "better" movie of the two.

Brave is likely to make it in, but NOT win it because Brave represents Pixar doing something that has been done before and thus not as exciting. It's why Tangled was snubbed out of the category in 2011 in favor Dragons and Toy Story 3: Tangled was great but NOT in any way an exciting, breathtaking movie.

Pirates is almost a shoe in because the Academy loves Aardman animation and this did decent enough with critics so it might make it in. Finally, I mention that there could be the chance that ParaNorman's spot will be given to an indie film because they tend to include a smaller, lesser known movie to fill in the category.

There is the possibility that Frankenweenie could replace ParaNorman, simply because the two are very similar (stop motion animated horror films), and ParaNorman had too many story issues, unlike Coraline which was way better received.

So, when you factor in these things, out of the possible nominees, Ralph has the makings of a winner because...
1) It is a brand new story that's unique to the medium yet feels very familiar
2) It has won over audiences and critics

Rise of the Guardians is definitely a strong opponent because it too represents the studio creating something new that is beloved, but the critical reception was colder in comparison to Ralph.

Those are my thoughts, not likely to come true at all

Strange that you think that Tangled was snubbed due to not being new and exciting when the winner that year, Toy Story 3, was a second sequel which also happened to be a rehash of the previous iteration in the series.
Pinnacle of creativity right there.

Don't think Pirates will get in. There hasn't been much excitement about it and for good reason, it is their weakest film thus far. Academy also doesn't seem to be that fond of Aardman. Flushed Away deserved a nomination for 2006 but was snubbed. So was Arthur Christmas for last year when it should have won.

And I hope that Paranorman doesn't win anything. Some appalling characterization, no sense of danger, and a pivotal scene being laughable in its execution. Also not too fond of the execution of the message there, I actually felt that at times, it veered towards excusing bullying and victim blaming. For this last point though, I've found absolutely no one who has agreed with me so I may just be imagining it.

Don't think Rise of the Guardians has good enough reviews to get nominated, though I hope it does. May just edge out Brave, which is also deserving.

Would think that this would be the line-up:
Wreck-it-Ralph
Brave
Paranorman
Frankenweenie
Token foreign non-mainstream movie

OK, let me explain myself about the Tangled snub...

When I said that it wasn't as "creative" as the other movies, I meant that it was a fairy tale musical film by Disney. Most people outside the Disney fandom and the general audience have this idea that fairy tale movies are "shallow" and "childish", too typical for most people. Yeah I realize that Princess and the Frog got nominated, but that was hyped up as a progressive animated movie with an African American cast. Tangled was perceived by many as being a CG comedic fairy tale, especially in comparison to the other movies that were nominated.

Yes, you are right that Toy Story 3 was a sequel therefore not the most creative thing ever, but it did one thing very well that the Academy loves...

IT MADE PEOPLE CRY.

And they didn't sniffle, they CRIED BUCKETS. Critics raved it as the best thing ever, people were talking that grown men were crying, it made people think of their childhood, WOW hype everywhere! PLUS, it was a movie that dethroned Lion King briefly, tons of money were made. The critics just flocked to this movie as being a heavy existential piece that involved beloved childhood characters in grand danger. In other words...



The Academy ADORES that sort of thing. If the movie can get people to cry their eyes off and inspire them and be really good at it, they will eat it up, and Toy Story 3, despite being the third in a series, was very, very, VERY good at that.

The main reason I see Pirates being the Sony representative was because out of the two movies they released, Pirates just seems more "Oscar worthy" so to speak. Hotel Transylvania was fun and all, and the better money maker, but it was a standard CG comedy with big name actors (known mostly for adult comedies). So if Sony were to pursue a nomination, Pirates would be it, regardless if it was weak or not.

Guardians I still see as the nomination for Dreamworks because they would want a movie that's original for them to represent the studio, even if its chances of winning are low compared to the other nominees.

And yes, ParaNorman was AWFUL. Talk about an angry, misguided, biased movie. Coraline had that issue too, but it handled itself way better than Norman did. The characters are all horrendous archetypes with a story that, as you said, seems to excuse outlandish behavior. It just seems like it was made by people that were in a similar situation as Norman, but rather than creating something more meaningful, they created something to vent their anger upon.

[qindarka]

OK, let me explain myself about the Tangled snub...

When I said that it wasn't as "creative" as the other movies, I meant that it was a fairy tale musical film by Disney. Most people outside the Disney fandom and the general audience have this idea that fairy tale movies are "shallow" and "childish", too typical for most people. Yeah I realize that Princess and the Frog got nominated, but that was hyped up as a progressive animated movie with an African American cast. Tangled was perceived by many as being a CG comedic fairy tale, especially in comparison to the other movies that were nominated.

Yes, you are right that Toy Story 3 was a sequel therefore not the most creative thing ever, but it did one thing very well that the Academy loves...

IT MADE PEOPLE CRY.

And they didn't sniffle, they CRIED BUCKETS. Critics raved it as the best thing ever, people were talking that grown men were crying, it made people think of their childhood, WOW hype everywhere! PLUS, it was a movie that dethroned Lion King briefly, tons of money were made. The critics just flocked to this movie as being a heavy existential piece that involved beloved childhood characters in grand danger. In other words...



The Academy ADORES that sort of thing. If the movie can get people to cry their eyes off and inspire them and be really good at it, they will eat it up, and Toy Story 3, despite being the third in a series, was very, very, VERY good at that.

The main reason I see Pirates being the Sony representative was because out of the two movies they released, Pirates just seems more "Oscar worthy" so to speak. Hotel Transylvania was fun and all, and the better money maker, but it was a standard CG comedy with big name actors (known mostly for adult comedies). So if Sony were to pursue a nomination, Pirates would be it, regardless if it was weak or not.

Guardians I still see as the nomination for Dreamworks because they would want a movie that's original for them to represent the studio, even if its chances of winning are low compared to the other nominees.

And yes, ParaNorman was AWFUL. Talk about an angry, misguided, biased movie. Coraline had that issue too, but it handled itself way better than Norman did. The characters are all horrendous archetypes with a story that, as you said, seems to excuse outlandish behavior. It just seems like it was made by people that were in a similar situation as Norman, but rather than creating something more meaningful, they created something to vent their anger upon.

I don't think they neatly allocate nominations based on studio. It's not as if they have to give Sony one nomination and Dreamworks one nomination and so on. For example last year, Pixar and WDAS weren't represented at all while Dreamworks got 2 nominations. Not to mention that Sony aren't a big name yet, their best movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, didn't get nominated in 2009.

Basically with you on the Toy Story 3/Tangled bit though I don't like it one bit.

And so glad I found someone else who disliked Paranorman. Wasn't a huge fan of Coraline either but at least it didn't piss me off.

[pap64]

I do see what you mean about studios and their nominations. I mainly say that because in some years you do see that mentality going on, especially if each of the major studios provided at least one major movie that was a success either critically or commercially. Last year I think was an exception because Disney didn't exactly provide Oscar worthy films. Cars 2 was seen as the worst Pixar movie ever, while Winnie the Pooh, as great as it was, was just too simple and too much like an effort to re-create a bygone era instead of creating something new. So that's why I think last year they had a varied selection because the biggest studios didn't have that much of an exciting year, hence why Rango easily won (a movie I find dreadfully overrated).

This year should be different because a lot of the major studios did create award worthy efforts, some more so than others. I still believe that the three major animated movies of the year will see a nomination, while the last two could be anyone's guess.

[qindarka]

What notable foreign animated movies are out this year? I know the Academy likes to give them token nominations with no chance of actual victory. Not necessarily a bad thing, it still draws attention to them.

[BK]

All are acronym critics groups. Not all that have announced have the animated category.

Rundown:

NYFCC: Frankenweenie
NBR: Wreck It Ralph
BOFCA: Paranorman
BSFC: Frankenweenie
LAFCA: Frankenweenie RU: It's Such a Beautiful Day
WAFCA: Paranorman
SDFCS: Paranorman
LVFC: Paranorman
KCFCC: Frankenweenie
SFFCC: Paranorman
IFJA: Rise of the Guardians RU: Paranorman
SFCA: Paranorman RU: Frankenweenie
SLFC: Wreck It Ralph RU: Paranorman
CFCA: Paranorman
Satelites: Rise of the Guardians
FFCC: Frankenweenie
PFC: Wreck It Ralph
TFCA: Paranorman
AFCA: Wreck It Ralph

Still to come:
Golden Globes: Brave, Frakenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, Rise of the Guardians, Wreck It Ralph
BFCA: Brave, Frakenweenie, Madagascar 3, Paranorman, Rise of the Guardians, Wreck It Ralph
Houston: Brave, Frakenweenie, Paranorman, Rise of the Guardians, Wreck It Ralph

[PatrickvD]

THANK YOU.

A lot of people don't seem to understand that all you need to do is look at the critics awards to see which one is the frontrunner. Guardians is the one that should be lucky to be nominated.

This battle is between Frankenweenie and Paranorman with Wreck-It Ralph as the underdog.

I'm betting on Frankenweenie. But Paranorman could easily win as well. Also, the Annie winner will most likely take home the Oscar as it has many times in the past (excluding the years when Dreamworks rigged the awards).

[estefan]

There was also the year where Cars won the Annie, but Happy Feet took home the Oscar.

I think Wreck-It Ralph will win the Annie, but the Oscar is more competitive this year. Usually, the more populist choice wins, which this year is Wreck-It Ralph. But, ParaNorman appears to be the critical favourite and one with a big fanbase. And Frankenweenie could get the sentimental vote as a chance to award Tim Burton an Oscar (because, let's face it, his live-action films just aren't the Academy's cup of tea and I don't see him winning Best Director in the future).

What notable foreign animated movies are out this year? I know the Academy likes to give them token nominations with no chance of actual victory. Not necessarily a bad thing, it still draws attention to them.

I think The Rabbi's Cat will get the indie slot. It was nominated for the Annie for Best Animated Feature, much like The Secret of Kells which surprised everybody with an Oscar nomination.

Other contenders I've heard really good things about are The Painting and Studio Ghibli's From Up on Poppy Hill.

[PatrickvD]

Frankenweenie winning just to throw Burton a bone would be such a typical thing for the Academy to do. He was robbed a Best Picture and Best Director nomination twice before (for Ed Wood and most notably Big Fish).

I mean I get that his films aren't the academy's cup of tea, but Big Fish is both better and more memorable than Seabiscuit or Master & Commander. Easily his most sincere and beautiful film.

I'm rooting for Ralph to win, but if it doesn't, I'd say Paranorman is a worthy winner.