2014 Oscars: Animation Nominees

Lion King is not perfect either...I have yet to see anyone making the perfect movie. But there were some really good movie between Lion King and Tangled. Lilo and Stitch. The sadly overlooked Treasure Planet. Mulan. Tarzan. The Emperor's New Groove, just in case you are in the mood for something entirely different. (Mmmm...I should watch this one again.).

"Because of its social relevance" is an interesting way to say "because if I didn't want to seem racist by not voting for it!"

Some variant of that joke has probably been around since men had a ride. I can totally see some ancient Egyptian men telling the women not to scuff up their chariot.

I hear Ellen made a joke about that movie winning, or else everyone there was racist.

I also hear that Rush Limbaugh made the exact same point in agreeing with Ellen (But going about it in less joking manner), but that people are angry at him for saying it.

I get the feeling that the win on 12 Years part likely is a result of racial issues regardless of how good it actually is - and it's not exactly something people are surprised about - but most people don't want to openly admit it because to do so would itself create a target on their back to be labeled as racist for saying it.

Open admission about how little I respect the oscars - a few years back, when there was that black and white movie The Artist that came out, I was actually considering going and seeing it, but then the movie won the oscar for best picture and I changed my mind because it winning made me suspicious about just what the academy saw in it and if there was something about it I should be avoiding.

Still haven't seen the movie yet, actually. And I can't say I have any interest in it anymore still.

If 12 Years a Slave winning was due to white guilt, why is it that every other movie starring a black actor, not named Will Smith, usually flops?

Because those Academy members voted for it without actually seeing it. White guilt motivated them to vote for it, but not enough to actually see because they didn't want actually be confronted with said guilt.

I've been told The Artist is still a good movie on its own merit. Just because it fits the Academy's criteria for "worthy of our honor" doesn't make it pretentious.

edited 6th Mar '14 11:38:06 AM by Tuckerscreator

You know, this is the first time when one of the nominees was a film by Hayao Miyazaki and I still thought that "Yeah, Frozen is going to win the Oscar, hands down."

Don't let the Oscars ruin your interest in movies. I saw The Artist, and I thought it was great. It's not preachy or sad or overly serious. It's just fun.

edited 6th Mar '14 11:57:12 AM by Mort08

Having seen both movies twice, I would say that The Wind Rises is far more innovative than Frozen. Frozen is subversive, but it plays within existing conventions, whereas The Wind Rises was something entirely new. My initial thoughts were that Frozen was better put together, in terms of plot, pacing and character. Frozen was problematic, but The Wind Rises felt strange and not quite sensical. It suits the latter's nature perfectly, however - the film doesn't make sense because it doesn't follow the conventions we are used to. Instead, it is dreamlike and unexpected. It deals with themes that hardly anyone in the film industry touches, certainly not within animation. It is about the difficulty of being an artist and a pacifist in a war which will subvert one's art, about the necessity of dreams, and about the magic which is art. Its structure and animation echo that: the film is an artwork like the protagonist's dreams.

Frozen achieves its intent as well. It has to use the conventions of normal storytelling, so it can subvert them and give its own message. It does what Disney always does: finds a key, important theme, and speaks to a family audience (whereas The Wind Rises was a far more adult film). I admire the character of Elsa, with whom so many people have found a connection with.

In terms of animation quality, they are both innovative in their own way. It's frankly very difficult for me to compare the two: they are attempting to do different things, and I admit to being biased towards hand animation. You said that it's been a bad year for animation, but I'm thankful to have watched these two utterly beautiful films within the same year! I suppose you could say that Frozen is more technically innovative, pushing the boundaries of CGI and ice animation. I do not think there has ever been quite as beautiful a depiction of snow and ice.

Hand animation has a long history now, and so one would think there is less room to explore. I do think Miyazaki's work feels more like the perfection of a long-honed craft. Thematically, though? Frozen is about spectacle. Like Elsa, the animators are glorying in what they can do. They have chosen one main theme - snow and ice - and have explored it in a way no one else has. One gets a feeling of playfulness from the animation. Frozen is "Variations on Snow": from the fragility of the frozen willow trees, to the power of the storms and blizzards, and the sheer beauty and dynamics in the "Let it Go" sequence.

By contrast, I feel that The Wind Rises has developed maturity and subtlety in its artistry. Whereas Frozen's beauty was concentrated mostly in spectacle, every frame of The Wind Rises made me wriggle in my seat due to how beautiful they were. Miyazaki has the ability (and does not shy away from) to depict the artistry of what Jiro does, and juxtapose it with graphic depictions of war and destruction. There is also spectacle in the magic of Jiro's planes and the dream sequences - the magic of art that the audience feels through the animation. Much as Elsa's story needs fantastic animation to communicate her story, the theme of The Wind Rises is told as much through the animation as it is in characters and plot.

It's the quiet pervasiveness of his art in The Wind Rises which made me wriggle, though. Little things, like the reflection of lights on a German street, the way Jiro's mouth moves around his cigarette, the flow of a stream. There is art in it simply for art's sake, whereas Frozen feels a lot more functional. The animation of The Wind Rises may be less realistic, but one gets the impression that the characters are profoundly human. Miyazaki knows how to use silence and stillness. I suppose you could say that Frozen does more that is new, but The Wind Rises does more, period.

My conclusion? Frozen deserved to win the Oscar. It spoke to many people about insecurity and accepting oneself, and love beyond the romantic. It is the revival Disney was looking for. It's a cultural sensation, and that is what the Oscars should celebrate. But The Wind Rises spoke to me as an artist, and I think it is the greater film.

Also, this was a much longer post than I had planned, and now I feel somewhat embarrassed.

edited 7th Mar '14 4:56:02 PM by Yuanchosaan

Don't feel embarrassed; I wish I could write posts like that. I've never been good at writing lengthy anythings.

I will admit that I just don't care for Miyazaki's art style, but he seems to write stories that can be enjoyed by adults, and not just the young and the "young at heart".

To add onto what was posted earlier; The Artist is freaking fantastic I could go on and on about how much I like it (but I won't), and I feel bad about the crap that Travolta is going thru because of the one slip-up. I was just curious as to why he said it (I thought maybe it was some strange nickname or something). He did have a classy response to it, at least.

The movie is basically a love letter to the Golden Age Of Hollywood (which is why it cleaned up at the Academy Awards) but it's still really enjoyable.

edited 9th Mar '14 6:39:30 PM by Lionheart0