As the awards season culminates with the Oscars, and all the mega stars wait in anticipation to get recognised by the Academy in Los Angeles for the prestigious ceremony on the night of 22 February, AnimationXpress.com brings you its predictions for the Animation category.
Let’s first take a look at who are in the running for the ‘Best Animated Feature’ category
First up, Walt Disney’s Big Hero 6… Well this movie certainly proved once again that if any animation studio can handle stories on relationships well, then it has to be Walt Disney. Riding on the success of Frozen from the year gone by, the studio once again worked its magic with this cute story of Hiro and his relationship with a robot Baymax. But, that’s not all… This also happens to be the first animation collaboration between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Marvel Studios. The style of animation is very much like any other Disney flick from recent years, but the attention to detail in every frame is something that’s worth mentioning. The action sequences are well orchestrated on the large canvas that paints a marvelous picture for young viewers.
Next up, DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon 2… The story of Hiccup and his companion Toothless has been the talk of the town ever since its release, also being the most successful film in terms of box-office numbers for the animation genre last year. The sequel to the mighty successful 2010 feature not only managed to get the audience thronging to the theatres but has also bagged the Golden Globe this awards season. This installment also witnessed the introduction of Hiccup’s mother and that added a different element to the play of relationships in the story. The style of animation used is very smooth and a lot of emphasis has been given to the character detailing of not just the primary characters but also the supporting cast.
Next in line, Laika Studios’ The Boxtrolls… The studio based in Oregon’s Portland metropolitan area has taken stop-motion animation filmmaking to a whole new level ever since it released its first theatrical feature in Coraline six years ago and followed it up with ParaNorman in 2012. Nominated for The Boxtrolls this year, an adaptation of Here Be Monsters! By Alan Snow, the team at Laika would certainly hope that their third Academy nomination converts into a memorable win. The fictional town of Cheesebridge was made famous with this bunch of subterranean trolls known as Boxtrolls, who are perceived to kidnap and kill young children – but in reality are just cute creators and inventors. The character of the pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher voiced by Sir Ben Kingsley is possibly the most aristocrat villain of all time in animation history.
The last two nominees are the only films made using 2D animation even in this world dominated by 3D. Cartoon Saloon’s Song of the Sea and Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of The Princess Kaguya have both rightfully earned nominations for their brilliant free flowing animation style and being ‘smaller units’ hasn’t deterred them from dreaming big. This also happens to be Cartoon Saloon’s second Oscar nomination after The Secret of Kells in 2010. Studio Ghibli on the other hand has already tasted gold once in 2002’s Oscars for Spirited Away, but would certainly want to repeat that feat once again.
Already having won the hearts of critics globally as “the best animated movie of the year,” along with being, “destined to be remembered as one of Studio Ghibli’s finest achievements”,the artwork is worth praising which is exquisitely drawn with both watercolor delicacy and a brisk sense of line.
So what’s the verdict?
Though DreamWorks Animation’s HTTYD 2 is touted to win the big one at the Oscars this time, we at AnimationXpress.com would like to stick our neck out and vote for Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, not because it’s the underdog, but because it also has a strong chance to repeat history after having already won once for Spirited Away. It’s not every day that a fan favourite like The Lego Movie fails to even make the cut to the top five, so if the Japanese studio does manage to bag the top honour, do remember you read it first on AnimationXpress.com.
That’s the verdict from AnimationXpress.com; do leave your comments/thoughts. And the Academy goes to… Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Big Hero 6 (updated: 23/02/15 @ 8:30 am)