Animation 2011
This has not been a great year for movies, and positively pathetic for animation. I saw several films this year, but I am hard pressed to remember most of them: X Men First Class, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part II, Puss in Boots, Sherlock Holmes, all of these are franchise films that kind of blend into the timelessness of memory with the other iterations. Even Cowboys and Aliens wasn't all that distinctive.
Anyhow, I had to look up the list of animated films for 2011, because I could not remember many of them. And there were enough to have a full five movie nomination slate! Looking over the list, I saw exactly one. My handicapping of the animated Oscar for 2011 is going to be extremely speculative, and based upon my poorly educated gut impressions
Here are the 18 films eligible to be nominates for Best Animated Film at the 2011 Academy Awards.
- Rango - from early 2011. From what I remember, it was an animated animal character Western vehicle for Johnny Depp. Grapevine was neutral, leaning to positive, but I had no enthusiasm for it.
- Kung Fu Panda 2 - early summer release. I very much enjoyed the first one. I would probably enjoy this one. But DreamWorks has not had much success with sequel stories, for all that they do really really good animation. Both Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon were conventional coming of age stories, but were masterfully executed. DreamWorks falls down on sequels because it tries to repeat its success with MORE of the same. It also got lost in the glut of summer releases, and I had very limited time to see movies.
- Puss in Boots - fall release, and the only film on this list I’ve actually seen. Part of the Shrek franchise. It was perfectly entertaining, no real flaws or mistakes, and very pretty. But it never quite went far enough, and missed way too many opportunities to take it to 11. Seriously, when you fracture a fairy tale, take to the illogical extreme, it’s way more funny (or tragic) that way.
- Rio - another summer release. Another animated animal movie of the rom-com and fish out of water flavor. Another one I just could not be bothered with. D saw it on an airplane, and he thought it was a perfectly entertaining kiddie flick, but not much beyond that.
- Cars 2 - Pixar, so of course it is outstandingly pretty. The second film made by them start to finish since being purchased by Disney. A franchise film made to order for the Marketing and Licensing division. I was unimpressed with the original Cars. This is the first Pixar film I haven’t seen in the theater, and the first one I have no intention of ever deliberately watching. It is still going to be nominated.
- Hoodwinked Two! Hood Vs. Evil - another sequel, released early in the year. I haven’t seen the first one (although I’ve been told it is far better that it had any right to be), and I was barely aware this one was even released.
- Gnomeo & Juliet - released in February, which is rarely a good sign. A punny title is not a good sign. I avoided this stinker.
- Mars Needs Moms - An adaptation of a kid’s book, deeply lost in the Uncanny Valley. There are some deeply and fundamentally flawed story and thematic elements in it that make me twitch.
- Winnie the Pooh - Disney trying to reinvigorate the franchise. Probably released into the theaters just to increase the animated movie count for the year.
- The Adventures of Tintin - Spielberg’s animated kid’s version of the classic comic book, told in the style of an Indiana Jones adventure. It still wanders through the Uncanny Valley, but since the character designs are based on the comic book artwork, it's not so jarring. Probably going to be nominated, but I really don’t want to see it.
- Arthur Christmas - a Christmas film released around Thanksgiving. I was wholly unimpressed with the trailers, but I’ve heard more positive reviews from the critics. I’m still not interested in seeing it.
- Happy Feet Too - Yet another sequel. I was not impressed with the first film for all that it won the animated Oscar the year it was released. This one looked to be more of the same, only MORE. Ish.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked - It actually qualified? Not going to be nominated.
- The Smurfs - I though this one had been disqualified.
- Alois Nebel - Didn't know about it until I pulled the list. Black and white entry from the Czech Republic. It has a rather noir look to it.
- A Cat in Paris - Didn't know about it until I pulled the list. A stylized entry from Algeria. The plot synopsis on IMDB is rather convoluted.
- Chico & Rita - Didn't know about it until I pulled the list. This year's entry from Ireland, although I don't recognize the production company. The plot synopsis indicated a love story and a triumph against the odds story.
- Wrinkles - Didn't know about it until I pulled the list. Entry from Spain, based upon a comic of the same name A story of friendships in times of change (living in an assisted care facility). Clean design and animation, and just the sort of artsy feel good story the Academy loves. That should get it a nomination, but not the win.
Usually, the winning films are pretty obvious, and I have a hard time winnowing the field to the obvious nominees. This year, I’m having problems finding enough I consider worthy. Cars 2 will score a nomination, and possibly the win (‘cause Pixar is an easy choice for Academy voters). As for the rest, Rango, Kung Fu Panda 2, and The Adventures of TinTin are easy and obvious choices, with the final spot going to one of the foreign films, probably Wrinkles. Puss in Boots could pick up a nomination, but not the win, same for Rio. There were a lot of real stinkers on the list. None of these films deserve to be nominated for Best Picture, either. No one brought their A game this year, and it’s not as much fun to pick from a list that seemed to be phone in.