Via: Animation Magazine (click through for their full Awards page)
This is the second part of my look at the annual slew of advertisements asking for consideration for films at award time. You can read the first part here.
The Illusionist
Another film that I have yet to see (although my compadre David Levy has and loves it) The Illusionist is thus far (as I flip through the magazine) the most traditional ad, with the title, who made it, some review quotes and the request for inclusion in “all categories”.
As great as this film appears to be, it stands an outside chance in almost any category besides best animated feature. I would personally love to see it clinch a statuette but if The Secret of Kells couldn’t muster one against Up, there is little hope for The Illusionist. The upside is that the free publicity accompanying an nomination will serve the film well over the next few months, which for some, is just as good.
Legends of the Guardian
By all accounts, the closest thing we’ve got to an animated film that looks live-action. Stunningly beautiful but hopelessly technical in it’s beauty. It’s yet another one I have not seen, but it is gunning for the Best Animated Feature Award. I don’t know the odds, but it’s yet another film that could be said to be on the fringes.
Day & Night
Yup, the funny little “cartoon modern” style short is looking for the Best Animated Short nod and while it is a fantastic little film with plenty of spunk to it’s two characters, the competition in the shorts category is much stiffer than the features. The reason is simple, shorts cost a heck of a lot less than features so more people can afford to create them. As good as it is, I think it would be a shame for Night & Day to get it, what with all the excellent films that are also in the running for the nomination alone.
Tangled
Released late in the year, this film is still fresh in everyone’s mind, a fact that often plays into the minds of voters. The ad (which is quite similar to the one at the top of the post) is also very traditional, with a few stills from the film, a listing of which categories it would like a nod in and the requisite “for your consideration”.
Tangled stands a good chance in the animated category, and is certainly a film worthy of the award. It does irk me however, that it doesn’t go for any categories outside the animated ones besides Best Original Song. It’s as if Disney (read: Pixar) would like to keep this film squarely confined to the categories that all ‘traditional’ Disney films are confined to, all the while Pixar continues its lust for glory as it competes against the live-action boys.
Yes, I know both firms are joined at the hip, but there does seems to be a two-tier system in place that perhaps is the last remnant of the Eisner days. Hopefully in years to come, Disney itself will put out film of the same calibre as Pixar and that both of them can together clobber some live-action film for Best Feature. In the meantime, I’m going to have to wait for my bookie to get back to me on what the odds are for Tangled. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be disappointed if it won something.
So there you have it, a long post I know but it was worth it. Now we just have to wait and see how wrong I was!
