Animated Films Seek to Find a Place in Best Picture Oscar Race
"Inside Out 2" was the highest grossing film of 2024 and is the highest grossing animated film of all time, but it was shut out of the best picture Oscar race along with acclaimed animated films "The Wild Robot" and "Flow."
Animated filmmakers now aim to be included to the best picture race after being shut out for several years.
"In general, animation is just in its little corner on its own, so we'd love to champion it to be considered for best film," said Merlin Crossingham, who co-directed "Wallace and Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl."
Among the top 10 grossing films in 2024, five were animated sequel movies: Disney's "Moana 2" and "Mufasa: The Lion King," Universal Pictures' and DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda 4," and Universal Pictures "Despicable Me 4," Box Office Mojo said.
"I think more and more that we're being considered in that area, it's a little bit of a glass ceiling for us," said Bonnie Arnold, veteran film executive who worked for Disney Animation, Pixar Animation and DreamWorks Animation.
While there have been some animated films nominated for best picture, including "Beauty and the Beast" in 1991, "Up" in 2009 and "Toy Story 3" in 2010, they have been overlooked in recent years.
There is a stigma that animated films are just for children, rather than audiences of all ages.
Arnold also said that while animated theatrical releases are frequently family-oriented in her opinion, versus adult animation with a stronger streaming presence, she does not believe family inclusive elements limit audience.
By contrast, "Inside Out" director Peter Docter believes that sometimes animated films do not meet the expectations of a best picture contender due to low humor.
"There is a certain caliber that people are looking for in a best picture, so we gotta step it up," Docter told Reuters.
Breaking those barriers, Screen Australia's adult stop-motion animated film "Memoir of a Snail" is the second R-rated animated film ever to receive an Oscar nomination.
The movie follows a girl named Grace growing up in 1970s Melbourne, Australia, as she uses an obsession with snails to cope with the traumas of life.
LANDING HIGH SCORES
The 2024 Disney and Pixar movie "Inside Out 2" crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office in less than three weeks of its release, reaching that level in the fastest time of any animated film in history.
"Inside Out 2" is a sequel to Docter's 2015 film, which follows five humanoid emotions inside the mind of a girl named Riley.
For "Inside Out 2" director Kelsey Mann, the sequel was successful due to encouragement from Docter.
"He (Docter) said 'the sooner you start thinking of this film as an original, the better off you're going to be' and I really took that to heart," Mann added.
By contrast, the DreamWorks Oscar contender "The Wild Robot" introduces a new cinematic story based on a 2016 novel, written and directed by industry veteran Sanders.
"The Wild Robot" has received high acclaim, including a 97% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie follows a service robot named Roz who is shipwrecked on an island, eventually becoming the adoptive mother to an orphaned goose.
For Sanders, who worked on successful animated films "Lilo and Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon,The Wild Robot" was an opportunity to revisit raw aesthetics.
"The Wild Robot" incorporated "beautiful painted characters and painted backgrounds" that do not tend to make it into CGI movies.
LATVIA'S 'FLOW' IS CONTENDER
One film that has become an unexpected contender is the Latvian independent animated film, "Flow."
The movie is a standout in the 2024 season having no dialogue.
"Flow" follows a cat that finds refuge on a boat along with other animals that work together after a flood has destroyed their homes.
"Flow" entered the Oscar race after big studio films like "Inside Out 2,Moana 2" and "The Wild Robot," which all had higher box office numbers, lost the Golden Globe to the small independent film.
The "Flow" team transformed its smaller budget into a best international film Oscar nominee, getting rare recognition for an animated film within two major categories and making history with the first Oscar nominations for Latvia ever.
Despite obstacles, animation filmmakers are hopeful for the future.
The "Chicken Run" filmmakers noted progress with the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nomination for Best British Film that put "Wallace and Gromit" up against live-action films.
"Wallace and Gromit" has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Gerard Butler on bringing Stoick to life in live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon'
RIYADH: Scottish actor Gerard Butler is returning to the Viking Isle of Berk, but this time he is trading his animated voice for full costume and presence in the live-action adaptation of 'How to Train Your Dragon' — a remake of the beloved DreamWorks franchise, helmed by three-time Oscar nominee Dean DeBlois. In this new retelling, which releases on June 12, Mason Thames plays the inventive Hiccup, a young Viking who defies tradition to befriend Toothless, a Night Fury dragon. Butler reprises his role as Stoick the Vast, Hiccup's formidable father, stepping from the recording booth into full-bodied performance. A post shared by How to Train Your Dragon (@httydragon) 'It's a big change,' Butler told Arab News. 'When I'm doing the recording, the animation, I could pretty much turn up in my pajamas if I wanted to. But there's no getting away with that here. It was all of me. There's no excuses.' He described the live-action shift as 'a chance to bring Stoick's bigness and smallness' to life in a whole new way. Butler praised his co-stars, including Nico Parker as Astrid and Nick Frost as Gobber, and especially young lead Thames. A post shared by How to Train Your Dragon (@httydragon) He reflected on the dynamic between the father and son, saying: 'Well, he's an incredible young actor. And I feel like the characters and the relationships that our writer-director Dean DeBlois (has created), there's a reason they became so beloved and people feel so strongly because they're incredibly emotional. 'So, I think to play that Viking father who expects so much from his son, and his son who's trying his best and actually has all these incredible characteristics that I just can't see, was beautiful to delve into ... on sets with our clothes, with our costumes, and really believe that we were in that world. That was pretty epic.' Returning to Saudi Arabia for the film's press tour, Butler shared his affection for the Kingdom, saying: 'I had an incredible experience here and made some really nice friends. AlUla is beyond. I became very attached to that place, to its energy, its history, and to the community there.' Butler expressed his excitement for the audience, adding: 'There's so much … for them to see because there's so much in this movie. I think that some of the scenes of the dragons flying are some of the most beautiful, immersive, powerful scenes that I've seen on a big screen. But on top of that, I think that we have very complex, emotional, heartfelt performances and a story that they can also climb into. I think we have a lot of modern references that we can all like; the characters are so relatable. 'It's a big honor for me to be able to play this character again. I feel very lucky to be part of this franchise. I feel very protective of it because I was there. I was actually there even before Dean DeBlois was there, you know, because we had a different director way, way back. So I've been with it for a long, long time, and to see it start as just a little planet and then become a whole universe has been amazing.'
Saudi Gazette
03-06-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Disney lays off hundreds more as it cuts costs
ORLANDO — Disney says it is laying off several hundred more people around the world, with workers in its film, television and finance departments impacted. The entertainment giant has been under pressure as viewers move away from cable TV subscriptions in favor of streaming platforms. "As our industry transforms at a rapid pace, we continue to evaluate ways to efficiently manage our businesses while fuelling the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect from Disney," a spokesperson told the BBC. The latest job cuts follow major layoffs announced in 2023, when around 7,000 workers were let go as part of a drive by chief executive Bob Iger to save $5.5bn (£4.1bn). The cuts will impact multiple teams including marketing departments for its film and television units. Workers in Disney's casting and development and corporate finance departments will also be affected."We have been surgical in our approach to minimize the number of impacted employees," said a spokesperson. The company also said that no teams will be closed down California-based firm employs 233,000 workers, with just over 60,000 of those based outside the owns a host of companies across the entertainment industry including Marvel, Hulu and firm reported stronger than expected earnings in May, with overall revenue of $23.6bn for the first three months of the year. That was a 7% increase from the same period in said the growth was fuelled by new subscribers to its Disney+ streaming company has released a number of new films this year including Captain America: Brave New World and Snow latest release, Lilo & Stitch, broke box office records in the US for the Memorial Day holiday animated film has seen global ticket sales of more than $610m since its release in May, according to industry data firm Box Office Mojo. — BBC
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-06-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Lilo & Stitch' Passes ‘Sinners' to Become 2nd Highest Grossing Film of 2025
'Lilo & Stich' and 'Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning' dominated the box office charts again after fueling a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend. Theaters in the US and Canada had several new films to offer this weekend as well, including Sony's family friendly 'Karate Kid: Legends' and the A24 horror movie 'Bring Her Back.' According to studio estimates Sunday, it added up to a robust $145 million post-holiday weekend that's up over 115% from the same timeframe last year. Disney's live-action hybrid 'Lilo & Stitch' took first place again with $63 million from 4,410 locations in North America. It was enough to pass 'Sinners' to become the second-highest grossing movie of the year with $280.1 million in domestic ticket sales. Globally, it's running total is $610.8 million. 'Sinners,' meanwhile, is still going strong in its seventh weekend with another $5.2 million, bumping it to $267.1 million domestically and $350.1 million globally. The eighth 'Mission: Impossible' movie also repeated in second place, with $27.3 million from 3,861 locations. As with 'Lilo & Stitch,' that's down 57% from its opening. With $122.6 million in domestic tickets sold, it's performing in line with the two previous installments. But with a reported production budget of $400 million, profitability is a ways off. Internationally, it added $76.1 million (including $25.2 million from China where it just opened), bringing its global total to $353.8 million. Leading the newcomers was Sony's 'Karate Kid: Legends,' with an estimated $21 million from 3,809 locations. The movie brings Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio together to train a new kid, the kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang). Chan starred in a 2010 reboot of the 1984 original, while Macchio has found a new generation of fans in the series 'Cobra Kai,' which just concluded a six-season run. Reviews might have been mixed, but opening weekend audiences gave the PG-13 rated film a strong A- CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. It also only cost a reported $45 million to produce and has several weeks until a new family-friendly film arrives. Fourth place went 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' which earned $10.8 million in its third weekend. The movie is the highest-grossing in the franchise, not accounting for inflation, with $229.3 million globally. The weekend's other big newcomer, 'Bring Her Back' rounded out the top five with $7.1 million from 2,449 screens. Starring Sally Hawkins as a foster mother with some disturbing plans, the film is the sophomore feature of twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, who made the 2023 horror breakout 'Talk to Me.' It earned a rare-for-horror B+ CinemaScore and is essentially the only new film in the genre until '28 Years Later' opens on June 20. A new Wes Anderson movie, 'The Phoenician Scheme,' also debuted in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, where it made $270,000. It expands nationwide next weekend. The summer box office forecast remains promising, though there's a long way to go to get to the $4 billion target (a pre-pandemic norm that only the 'Barbenheimer' summer has surpassed). The month of May is expected to close out with $973 million – up 75% from May 2024, according to data from Comscore.
