…………………………………………………

2007 Animated Feature Oscar Analysis

2007 was a pretty good year for animation, and especially for the Oscar animated category. For once, the Academy actually chose to honor the best animation of the year and you can argue that this slate is the perfect one for this year. It represents three very distinct, very different, but all strong pictures.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

3. Surf’s Up

Surf’s Up has its problems such as an unappealing first act as well as the score, but the animation is excellent for its time with particularly grounded character design of all the penguins. Its ending is brave, its great aesthetic and its mockumentary format added a lot of authenticity to the medium. Though definitely the weakest of these three, it’s still such a good movie and its last placement just goes to show how great this slate was. Sony Animation got into the awards circuit here with one of their greatest movies so far.

2. Persepolis

Persepolis is so terrific that I would have loved for it to have won an Oscar, but again the competition was so tough that it’s my second choice as well. This adult drama was based on a graphic novel and it really shows as the black-and-white animation is distinct and very artistic. It manages to explore Iranian complicated recent history and the theme of alienation beautifully while being consistently engaging and emotionally powerful. It’s very much an Iranian story, but it’s also quite relatable for everyone who is at odds with his or her own background and current settlement as well.

1. Ratatouille

This damn movie always makes you hungry. That’s how amazing and detailed its CGI animation is. The movie also benefits from memorable, colorful characters and a very sweet, endearing story that only could have worked in this medium. It explores the role of a critic in art through many truthful and simply brilliant statements, thus becoming a very sophisticated story. It’s a great example of Pixar firing at all cylinders by appearing to both kids and adults. As a result, it’s the company’s greatest feature so far, their most underrated movie and one of the most deserving winners in the history of this category.

Film That Should Have Been Nominated:

5 Centimeters per Second – Makoto Shinkai is a very underappreciated director when it comes to Western audiences. This is one of his best efforts as a very emotional, incredibly romantic tale that is also fueled by unforgettable, colorful animation. He’s at his best when doing romances and this is certainly his best romance so far.