Sam's Oscar Outlook: Best Animated Feature
Feb. 26—Animation isn't just for kids! The winners this decade have dealt with topics like pre-existence, transgenerational trauma and the frailty of our free will. These movies mean more to 27-year-old me than they would have to 7-year-old me. While this year's nominated films could probably be enjoyed by most children, I feel they were probably made with a wider audience in mind.
The 2023 film with the best legs is "Elemental." Get your mind out of the gutter; I'm talking about the path this film took at the box office. It started as a flop, but slowly gained traction through word of mouth and it ended up turning a profit. From TheWrap: "It would take endurance of historical proportions for Elemental to make the comeback to profitability." Guess what happened? The Pixar brand took massive body shots during the pandemic, but the comeback of "Elemental" shows the studio still has gravitas.
If there was any sizable respect for animated films within the industry, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" would be a best picture nominee. The longest American animated film of all-time is gushing with color and style, and it flies by in a way that makes the runtime a non-issue. Thematically, the film expands on the world built in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and takes aim at toxic fandom, societal pressure on minorities, and that pesky free will. It's an all-timer that should have been showered with Oscar nominations.
"The Boy and the Heron" is the latest subject of "Miyazaki's last film" hysteria. Sometimes known by the much better title "How Do You Live?", "The Boy and the Heron" is one of Miyazaki's more experimental pictures. Its English dub has ensured its stateside popularity, with the voice work from Bob Pattinson being consistently singled out as a highlight of the film. After seven long years in development, it's great to see "The Boy and the Heron" find its audience and get its flowers from the Academy.
"Nimona" has been a strong nominee throughout awards season, consistently finding itself in the mix alongside the animal duo of "Spider" and "Heron." The film is noted for its heavy third act and social commentary, and it had a rough time getting out of development hell due partly to its subject matter. It's not overly gloomy, however, as "Nimona" is classified in most circles as a dramedy. But when the drama half of that cranks up, things get intense.
The fifth slot in this category was tough to predict for the so-called prognosticators. I played with a number of different options in my own predictions, including the eventual nominee "Robot Dreams." This is a great choice. The dialogue-free Cannes contestant is bolder than most but still accessible to a bunch of different people. I feel like this would be a great film to introduce children to foreign films, silent films, and non-Disney animated films. It's scratching multiple itches just enough, and I could see it being a very influential flick down the road.
I really like this lineup. There is a little bit of narrative going on with each option, and they, more importantly, are excellent pieces of work that keep the medium lively. Someday soon, another animated film will crack into best picture, and it will be a time for us to reflect on those that were skipped over for the same honor. Many would argue there are two or three worthy ones in the 2023 lineup alone.
