OVP: Best Animated Feature Film (2008)
The Nominees Were...
Chris Williams and Byron Howard, Bolt
John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, Kung Fu Panda
Andrew Stanton, WALL-E
My Thoughts: Remember a time when the animated feature race would actually be three films instead of five? Where it didn't feel like you checked off every single mandatory nominee and maybe, just maybe, it was competitive for the third slot? Cause that was what was happening in the many years between 2001 and 2008 (with one strange exception in 2002). As a result, this is probably the only category of the 2008 OVP that I'm willing to bet money most of the movie-going public has seen all of the films (no movie made less than $300 million and combined they hit $1.5 billion). Since we're all so familiar, let's begin, shall we?
We'll start out with a movie I've been talking about a lot in the past two write-ups despite the fact that it hasn't been nominated in them-Kung Fu Panda. The film from Dreamworks on-paper appears to be yet another of their pretty standard-fare, unlikely hero discovers his inner-talent and saves the day style films, and indeed that is the plot. I will say, though, that I have loved the KFP movies way more than I initially expected and actually thoroughly enjoyed this particular nomination. A lot of the film's joy comes from the frenzied nature of Jack Black, who was kind of born to play an animated character, and he wisely chose one that he could put a solid imprint on, as Po has all of the signature sweetness and zaniness that Black has brought to his best roles. I also loved the orange-red palette that the film is working with, frequently creating its own color scheme and style that few Dreamworks movies had done up until that point (likely paving the way for the weird beauty of How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods). Overall while this is hardly groundbreaking, it's thoroughly enjoyable and set up a franchise that has yet to miss.
You may recall this from last year, but I hated Disney's Bolt. The film feels like it was made in the 1950's, and in the worst ways possible. The main character of Bolt, voiced by John Travolta, is ridiculously naive to the point where you can't fathom him having existed five minutes before the film started. The animation is plain-there's no panache or style here. We don't get the orange-red color scheme or Kung Fu Panda or the epic celestial beauty of WALL-E. When you're competing for an Oscar, and in particular when you're trying to take an Oscar nomination away from one of the most iconic films of the year, you need to step up your artistic game. This is particularly true since I found the plot to be sexist (Penny can't have a career AND be happy) and cloying (you can be happy with everything being simple-blech). The fact that Miley Cyrus, who also started out just like Penny as the star of a silly TV show, but went on to have an impressive and artistically-interesting career, is the main girl's voice is just another eye roll on this massive disappointment of a movie.
The last film is of course WALL-E, who has the distinction of already having two OVP trophies as we enter this category, and with all due respect to Kung Fu Panda, is there really any competition here? I've long advocated for WALL-E to have been amongst 2008's Best Picture nominees, and the film is (give or take Toy Story) Pixar's finest film, so the idea that it loses is preposterous. The film is at once a beautiful treatise on loneliness, environmentalism, and the incredible places that humanity can go. The animation is wonderful and brilliantly juxtaposed between the garbage heap of Earth and the sleek, emptiness of space. The movie creates iconic characters with just clicks and hums and Hello Dolly-it's a wonder to behold, and I'm so glad that it at least got an Oscar here, even if it didn't make it to the top category like it should have.
We'll start out with a movie I've been talking about a lot in the past two write-ups despite the fact that it hasn't been nominated in them-Kung Fu Panda. The film from Dreamworks on-paper appears to be yet another of their pretty standard-fare, unlikely hero discovers his inner-talent and saves the day style films, and indeed that is the plot. I will say, though, that I have loved the KFP movies way more than I initially expected and actually thoroughly enjoyed this particular nomination. A lot of the film's joy comes from the frenzied nature of Jack Black, who was kind of born to play an animated character, and he wisely chose one that he could put a solid imprint on, as Po has all of the signature sweetness and zaniness that Black has brought to his best roles. I also loved the orange-red palette that the film is working with, frequently creating its own color scheme and style that few Dreamworks movies had done up until that point (likely paving the way for the weird beauty of How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods). Overall while this is hardly groundbreaking, it's thoroughly enjoyable and set up a franchise that has yet to miss.
You may recall this from last year, but I hated Disney's Bolt. The film feels like it was made in the 1950's, and in the worst ways possible. The main character of Bolt, voiced by John Travolta, is ridiculously naive to the point where you can't fathom him having existed five minutes before the film started. The animation is plain-there's no panache or style here. We don't get the orange-red color scheme or Kung Fu Panda or the epic celestial beauty of WALL-E. When you're competing for an Oscar, and in particular when you're trying to take an Oscar nomination away from one of the most iconic films of the year, you need to step up your artistic game. This is particularly true since I found the plot to be sexist (Penny can't have a career AND be happy) and cloying (you can be happy with everything being simple-blech). The fact that Miley Cyrus, who also started out just like Penny as the star of a silly TV show, but went on to have an impressive and artistically-interesting career, is the main girl's voice is just another eye roll on this massive disappointment of a movie.
The last film is of course WALL-E, who has the distinction of already having two OVP trophies as we enter this category, and with all due respect to Kung Fu Panda, is there really any competition here? I've long advocated for WALL-E to have been amongst 2008's Best Picture nominees, and the film is (give or take Toy Story) Pixar's finest film, so the idea that it loses is preposterous. The film is at once a beautiful treatise on loneliness, environmentalism, and the incredible places that humanity can go. The animation is wonderful and brilliantly juxtaposed between the garbage heap of Earth and the sleek, emptiness of space. The movie creates iconic characters with just clicks and hums and Hello Dolly-it's a wonder to behold, and I'm so glad that it at least got an Oscar here, even if it didn't make it to the top category like it should have.
Other Precursor Contenders: There actually wasn't a long list of contenders in 2008, so the Globes went with a carbon copy of the AMPAS list, with WALL-E emerging victorious. The Annie Awards, which have a propensity to nominate everything, also added $9.99 and Waltz with Bashir, and quite infamously picked Kung Fu Panda as a part of their constant battle with Pixar. While other animated films existed that year like Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who and Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa, it's hard to imagine how the Academy didn't have Waltz with Bashir in fourth place, or how such an iconic film didn't make it to third.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I would have included Waltz with Bashir. I didn't love the film, but it certainly deserved a nomination over Bolt or any of the other contenders listed above, and is so iconic that it's hard to believe that AMPAS went with some random Disney flick instead of such a groundbreaking movie.
Oscar’s Choice: Without Waltz with Bashir in the running, this wasn't even fair. An easy win for WALL-E as AMPAS is the yin to the Annie's anti-Pixar yang.
My Choice: The easiest choice of the 2008 Oscars-WALL-E, followed by Kung Fu Panda and then Bolt.
There you have it-the Animated Featured category. Were you with AMPAS and I in voting for WALL-E or did you favor the Annies' Kung Fu Panda? Anyone out there an actual fan of Bolt? And why do you think Waltz with Bashir missed out on a nomination? Share your thoughts in the comments!
There you have it-the Animated Featured category. Were you with AMPAS and I in voting for WALL-E or did you favor the Annies' Kung Fu Panda? Anyone out there an actual fan of Bolt? And why do you think Waltz with Bashir missed out on a nomination? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Also in 2008: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Previously in 2008
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