OVP: Best Animated Feature Film (2006)
The Nominees Were...
John Lasseter, Cars
George Miller, Happy Feet
Gil Kenan, Monster House
My Thoughts: We are hitting our final three-wide race today with Animated Feature Film, in the era when Oscar was regularly giving out only three nominations for this category. For my money, this is what they always should have done, as honestly the animated feature film race rarely has enough quality in it to genuinely warrant a five-wide race. In 2006, it didn't deserve to go three-wide, and not just because of the contenders on-display. In fact, as we'll soon see, this was just a rudimentary year for the category, one that unlike past years with weaker lineups (2003, 2004, 2011), doesn't even have a masterpiece at its center to warrant this category. But we don't skip any OVP categories, so let's get into this field & discuss.
The best-remembered of these three films is, of course, Cars, which became a behemoth not just from its box office, but also in the way that it spawned two sequels, a spinoff series (Planes), and more merchandise than virtually any other Pixar franchise (save, perhaps, for Toy Story but even then Cars might gain the upper-hand). The problem is that the film is boring. It's too long, and while the animation is glorious (really, it's much prettier than either of the sequels ended up being), it wears on with predictable plotting & not enough distinctive, fascinating characters (and the ones that do stand out do so for the wrong reasons). This was Pixar's first big critical miss, the first sign that the studio was human (albeit they'd have a run from 2007-10 that made it look like Cars was just a mirage before we'd finally crash down to earth).
The other film that launched a franchise of sorts here is Happy Feet, though the sequel would not have the same cache that the Cars movies did at the box office. The striking thing about George Miller's film is not that it was nominated, but that it was much weirder than I would've initially assumed. The messages of environmentalism are there, but it strikes an offbeat note (similar to Miller's other movies...he's allowed to put more of his eccentric filmmaking style into this major animated film than you'd expect) that I sometimes liked, particularly with Robin Williams. The movie's central "be yourself" message is from the cliche hall of fame, and it struggles late in the movie to live up to that expectation, but it's a fine enough movie-it's just unusual, sometimes to its chagrin.
The final movie is the least-known of the pictures, and called Monster House. With virtual unknowns in the lead roles (unlike the other two nominees), it has to rely on its signature strengths, including a quirky computer-animated visual style, and its genuine moments of terror (for a film made for children, it has truly scary sequences and goes into grownup territory about regret & loneliness) work well. This is a film that also doesn't break new ground, or inspire with its beauty (no one would be emulating this years later), but it is a solid central story, and it's fun, with side vocal work from Maggie Gyllenhaal & Kathleen Turner that feels at-home in the movie's motif.
Other Precursor Contenders: Both the Globes and the BAFTA Awards got their very first set of nominations in this category in 2006. The Globes went for a carbon copy of the Oscar race, with Cars taking the trophy, while BAFTA subbed out Monster House for Flushed Away, and they gave the statue to Happy Feet. The fourth place was probably Flushed Away-it's from a studio house they like (Aardman), though Dreamworks didn't really want to invest in the picture (the two studios would soon part ways), which allowed what could've been a gimme nomination to slip through the cracks.
Films I Would Have Nominated: There should be a way to improve this lineup, right? After all, even the best of this bunch wouldn't have held a candle to the previous year's third place. But if there's a way to improve this, I don't know where it is. I've seen Flushed Away, as well as Richard Linklater's cult classic A Scanner Darkly and the year's biggest animated hit, Ice Age: The Meltdown. None of them are any good, or at least as good as this lineup. So weirdly I'm carbon copying Oscar for now (if you have a recommendation of an animated film from the year that I might enjoy, I'm all ears in the comments), as I can find nothing really worthwhile to pad this category with.
Films I Would Have Nominated: There should be a way to improve this lineup, right? After all, even the best of this bunch wouldn't have held a candle to the previous year's third place. But if there's a way to improve this, I don't know where it is. I've seen Flushed Away, as well as Richard Linklater's cult classic A Scanner Darkly and the year's biggest animated hit, Ice Age: The Meltdown. None of them are any good, or at least as good as this lineup. So weirdly I'm carbon copying Oscar for now (if you have a recommendation of an animated film from the year that I might enjoy, I'm all ears in the comments), as I can find nothing really worthwhile to pad this category with.
Oscar’s Choice: In what at the time was considered a shock Happy Feet took out presumed frontrunner Cars for the top prize.
My Choice: I'm going in an entirely different direction-the animation may not be as sophisticated as the other two, but Monster House functions the best as an overall film, and gets my vote, followed by Happy Feet and then Cars.
And that's our Animated Feature film race. Are you sticking with AMPAS & Happy Feet, or does someone want to shack up with me at Monster House? Why do you think Cars had such an enduring appeal as a Pixar franchise? And what is the hidden gem I'm missing that might displace one of these films? Share your thoughts below!
Also in 2006: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Previously in 2006
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