I'm not the only one who thinks that Wall-E deserved to be in the "Best Picture" category for this year's Oscars. Here's a snippet (okay, a little more than a snippet. What is a snippet anyway?) of a commentary by a film critic who questions why Wall-E was left out of the category:
Best picture? If ‘WALL-E’ couldn’t do it… - Oscars 2009- msnbc.com
By Alonso Duralde
Film critic
msnbc.com contributor
updated 2:24 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 27, 2009
Alonso Duralde
Film critic
It seems like a million years ago, sometimes, but it was really fewer than 20: In 1991, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made “Beauty and the Beast” the very first animated feature in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for best picture.
Ten years later, the Academy recognized the importance of animation in world cinema by creating the best animated feature category in 2001. While the gesture was certainly appreciated by animators and their advocates, some are questioning whether or not the best animated feature category has become a ghetto from which no animated film can ever escape.
The reason for this speculation comes on the heels of “WALL-E” being left out of the best picture category despite being one of the most well-reviewed films of the year. (So was “The Dark Knight,” of course, but that’s another discussion altogether.) “WALL-E” was honored as best picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (of which I am a member) and rated a 96 percent “Fresh” on RottenTomatoes.com, making it the highest-ranked film of 2008 on the critic-tracking Web site.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here
Film critic and animation expert Charles Solomon says the genre constantly gets short shrift from Hollywood, despite its popularity with both audiences and critics. “Animation remains at the forefront of contemporary filmmaking — four of the 10 highest-grossing films in the U.S. last year were animated,” he notes, citing the success of not only “WALL-E” but also “Kung Fu Panda,” “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” and “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”
And while no one expects the Academy to pay attention to box office — unless they decide to nominate something like “Ghost” or “The Sixth Sense” for best picture — many of today’s animated films rank among the most acclaimed movies of our generation. If you look at Rotten Tomatoes’ honor roll of the best-reviewed films from the years in which the site has been tracking reviews, one animated title after another pops up: “Ratatouille,” “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” “The Incredibles,” “Finding Nemo,” “Spirited Away,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Shrek” and “Chicken Run” were all at or near the top of the list in their respective years of release.
But when it came time for the Oscars to select the five best films of the year, none of them made the cut.
“A lot of it has to do with the box that animation has been slipped into,” says Dean DeBlois, co-director of the Oscar-nominated “Lilo & Stitch.” “Just the fact that animation is referred to as a ‘genre’ unto itself is cause enough to question the perception. Animated features come in as many genres as their live-action counterparts; their stories have as much potential to move, frighten, delight and provoke their audiences as any other medium. (The recent Japanese animated feature) ‘Paprika,’ for example, is as much a sophisticated, high-concept thriller as most live-action films of its genre, but few in the U.S. recognize it beyond the boundaries of ‘anime’ or ‘cartoon kiddie flick.’ It could simply be our society’s stigma on animation as entertainment for young people.”
Of course, Wall-E is going to win the "Best Animated Feature" category, but that doesn't do the film justice. I truly feel that this film is a masterpiece. To be able to covey a story with so few words and to be able to create characters (robots!) that emotionally affect you is just amazing.
I didn't watch the film as an "animation", but as a love story between two characters. The emotional reaction I had was real. I really did feel for the characters.
But I have to give props to the entire animation team. Flawless!
The only thing I thought that would make the film better would be a scene where Wall-E reunites with his long lost sister, Sheila.
The GY-HM00 records directly to SDHC memory cards in QuickTime format for Final Cut Pro, and can also record on SxS media compatible with Sony’s XDCAM EX format. JVC said this was done to help speed the post-production workflow, as footage can be ingested in its native format rather than having to be transcoded or rewrapped first.
"The First Avenger: Captain America," Marvel Studios announced Monday.
Recent Comments