OVP: Best Animated Feature Film (2005)
The Nominees Were...
Hayao Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle
Mike Johnson & Tim Burton, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Nick Park & Steve Box, Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Mike Johnson & Tim Burton, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Nick Park & Steve Box, Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
My Thoughts: I apparently lied last week when I said we were done with the three-wide races from 2005, as this was back in the day where we saw animated features only have a trio of nominations on occasion (anyone wonder if that might be the case for 2020, ending a decade-long streak?). All of these films were considered quite good at the time, and had solid critical reviews, so let's revisit to see if they hold well upon revisit.
Corpse Bride was Tim Burton's big return to the animated realm (after making the iconic The Nightmare Before Christmas), and it's cute in a Tim Burton way-this was the tale end of Burton making fun, popcorn horror films in the 1990's/2000's, before Alice in Wonderland made his movies basically unwatchable, and it shows in how game the picture is, with a fun central musical number in "The Remains of the Day." The movie plays overlong, and the in-plain-sight villain is easy to pick out the moment he comes onto the screen, but it's a sweet romance, one with lovely macabre twists, and gorgeous animation.
Possibly the funniest of these three movies is Wallace & Gromit, directed by Nick Park who for a time was just impossible to beat at the Oscars for Short Film. This movie adds in a faux-horror element as well, though it's never intended to be a particularly scary motif (Burton's feels like it's supposed to be scarier). The humor in this is a little dated, if only because Park has gone to this well so often, and also the pop culture references read as overdone. That said, you're still going to laugh even if its silly & repetitive, and the animation is unique to Aardman.
The final nominee is Howl's Moving Castle, the only one of the films I didn't see at the time. This was Miyazaki's followup to Spirited Away, an impossible task (how do you followup your best film?), but I think he did well with the new directions of the plot. Like all Miyazaki films, the plot gets it a little convoluted and heavy toward the end, but the animation is brilliant, particularly the title abode, and it really feels on a different level than the other two films in terms of the screenplay's depth. Sometimes too long, sometimes too intent on underlining its larger points, but it's a worthy installment in a master director's resumé.
Corpse Bride was Tim Burton's big return to the animated realm (after making the iconic The Nightmare Before Christmas), and it's cute in a Tim Burton way-this was the tale end of Burton making fun, popcorn horror films in the 1990's/2000's, before Alice in Wonderland made his movies basically unwatchable, and it shows in how game the picture is, with a fun central musical number in "The Remains of the Day." The movie plays overlong, and the in-plain-sight villain is easy to pick out the moment he comes onto the screen, but it's a sweet romance, one with lovely macabre twists, and gorgeous animation.
Possibly the funniest of these three movies is Wallace & Gromit, directed by Nick Park who for a time was just impossible to beat at the Oscars for Short Film. This movie adds in a faux-horror element as well, though it's never intended to be a particularly scary motif (Burton's feels like it's supposed to be scarier). The humor in this is a little dated, if only because Park has gone to this well so often, and also the pop culture references read as overdone. That said, you're still going to laugh even if its silly & repetitive, and the animation is unique to Aardman.
The final nominee is Howl's Moving Castle, the only one of the films I didn't see at the time. This was Miyazaki's followup to Spirited Away, an impossible task (how do you followup your best film?), but I think he did well with the new directions of the plot. Like all Miyazaki films, the plot gets it a little convoluted and heavy toward the end, but the animation is brilliant, particularly the title abode, and it really feels on a different level than the other two films in terms of the screenplay's depth. Sometimes too long, sometimes too intent on underlining its larger points, but it's a worthy installment in a master director's resumé.
Other Precursor Contenders: Well, my friends, we are now at the point with this category where the Globes & the BAFTA Awards did not have nominees-both categories started at the 2006 Oscars, and so we don't have those precursors to name-check. The PGA did have this category in 2005 (it was the first year of the category), though it's worth remembering that this body almost completely ignores non-US/UK productions, so you don't see Howl's Moving Castle, and instead Wallace beats Corpse Bride, Chicken Little, Madagascar, and Robots, with the Annie Awards nominating all of Oscar's choices (giving the win to Wallace) as well as Chicken Little and Madagascar. While it might make some sense to lean into Chicken Little since it's Disney & this category almost always nominates Disney (2005 & 2011 are the only years that Disney/Pixar had movies out but didn't make it in), I have to assume that the gargantuan box office of Madagascar was up next on the shortlist.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I am happy there were only three nods here, and Oscar picked all three of the ones I would have gone with, so I'm good.
Films I Would Have Nominated: I am happy there were only three nods here, and Oscar picked all three of the ones I would have gone with, so I'm good.
Oscar’s Choice: This felt like a tighter race at the time than it does on reflection-Wallace and Gromit wins, arguably over what might end up being Tim Burton's best shot at an Oscar?
My Choice: I actually changed my ranking a little bit here upon revisit (that happens-movies age & all that), but my winner remains the same-Howl's isn't Spirited Away, but it's an achievement in its own right and deserved a sequel Oscar. I'll follow that with Corpse Bride and then Wallace & Gromit.
There you have it-the Animated Feature category. Are you with me stanning Miyazaki in the corner, or are we all enchanted by Aardman giving Wallace & Gromit the feature-length treatment? Any guesses on how BAFTA/the Globes might have changed this up (they're usually close to each other, but never carbon copies)? And do we have any consensus on the critically-indifferent but seismically successful Madagascar movies? Share your thoughts below!
Also in 2005: Original Score, Original Song, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Previously in 2005
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