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Express Tribune
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Animated films enter the Oscar race for best picture
Inside Out 2 was the highest grossing film of 2024. Photo: Reuters 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 in 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: Vengeance Most Fowl. Among the top 10 grossing films in 2024, four were animated sequel films: Disney's Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King, Universal Pictures' and DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda 4, and Universal Pictures Despicable Me 4. "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 calibre 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 film 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 film 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 per cent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film 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. One film that has become an unexpected contender is the Latvian independent animated film, Flow. The film 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. REUTERS
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
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.
Reuters
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Animated films seek to find a place in best picture Oscar race
LOS ANGELES, Feb 20 (Reuters) - "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 (DIS.N), opens new tab"Moana 2" and "Mufasa: The Lion King," Universal Pictures' and DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda 4," and Universal Pictures "Despicable Me 4," Box Office Mojo, opens new tab 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 (DIS.N), opens new tab 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.
BBC News
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bafta Film Awards: Wicked and Wallace and Gromit win awards
The UK's biggest film awards - the British Academy Film Awards - or Baftas for short, took place last celebrate the best movies, actors and production teams, from the UK and around the award ceremony took place at the star-studded ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 16 was one of the films that received the most nominations, but who won what? Take a look below to find out! Wallace and Gromit: Vengence Most Foul Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was nominated in three categories, and took home two stop-motion movie won the Best Animated Film and Children's and Family Film film's producer Richard Beek and directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham brought clay models of Wallace and Gromit along with them to the about how well the film has done in the US as well as the UK, Merlin Crossingham said: "It is remarkable that our very Britishness is embraced in America, "There are some jokes, like Anton Deck, which are very British. In the American screenings, there was complete silence apart from one Brit guffawing in the corner." he said. Wicked Wicked, the film adaptation of the hit musical, was nominated for a whopping seven awards at the Baftas, and came home with two won the award for Costume Design, and Production the movie's stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande missed out on winning leading actress and supporting is the first time either actress had been nominated for a Bafta film award. Warwick Davis Actor Warwick Davis, who you might know better as Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies, received this year's Bafta Fellowship, the British Academy's highest honour, and lifetime achievement award. "It's very overwhelming, this whole thing," he said. "You win the award and then you have to talk to loads of people, feeling very shiny."Asked about the moment he heard he was this year's winner, Davis said: "I was on the toilet when I found out!"I got an email from Bafta saying I'd won the fellowship, and I got all excited, and then it suddenly dawned on me, is this a fake email? Some sort of scam?"So I clicked on the email address, and it really was Bafta. Then I finished up at the loo, you probably didn't need that detail, and then went and celebrated with the kids." he said.
