…………………………………………………

2013 Animated Feature Oscar Analysis

The 2013 slate for Animated Feature was fine, but not among the Academy’s best. There are three CGI US features here, and probably only one deserved to be here. The rest two are both hand-drawn, but again only one deserved its placement. There were some noticeable snubs this year and a questionable winner, but at least two foreign films got in here, and overall most of the nominees were at least pretty good, if not great. The year itself wasn’t the greatest.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

5. The Wind Rises

Yes, I actually ended up putting a Studio Ghibli movie on the last spot, and the one directed by Hayao Miyazaki no less. Why did I do that? That is simply because it remains highly overrated and just a boring film. Yes, the animation is absolutely gorgeous and the romance also worked quite well, but the movie never executed its admittedly great premise in any meaningful way. The dialogue needed to have been better and the thematic resonance was lacking. It’s a slow, overlong period piece that is among the weakest for the studio and the director.

4. Despicable Me 2

Kristen Wiig’s Lucy Wilde. That addition was the magical ingredient for this Despicable Me sequel that proved to be much better than expected. It is still quite inferior to the original and its structure and pacing are overly episodic, but when it works, it really works. The spy storyline needed more work, but the central romantic relationship was incredible and Gru was again superbly developed. It’s a fun, funny movie for sure, but the one that didn’t deserve its Oscar nomination, and it was quite odd that this sequel was nominated while the original wasn’t.

3. The Croods

The Croods doesn’t have the most original plot out there. It is, in fact, quite clichéd and extremely predictable. With that being said, this franchise has always been all about the characters, and this is where it shines the most. The whole family is wonderfully developed and their central conflict was very well executed. The imagination and world building of this prehistoric world was also superb. It’s a highly adventurous, very appealing flick that ranks among the better offerings from DreamWorks.

2. Frozen

A lot has been said about Frozen, but I never was among those people how found it amazing nor one of those who bashed on it. It’s good, but far from great and far from bad. The sisterly relationship is beautiful, the characters are iconic by this point and the animation is quite strong. A couple of songs are instantly memorable with Let It Go being one of Disney’s greatest of all time. But the pacing problems, some plot holes and overly aggressive feminist themes should have prevented it from getting that Oscar as one movie on this slate deserved it more.

1. Ernest & Celestine

In my opinion, Ernest & Celestine was the only rightful choice for the winner here, but the Academy rarely honors foreign animation unfortunately. This French charmer has it all – the world building is intricate, the storybook animation is lovely, the score is superb and the storytelling is excellent. It has a great message about accepting different people and relationships that is important for children, but is expressed in a thankfully subtle manner. The main friendship is simply beautiful and the two characters are wonderfully developed and instantly likable. It’s just a terrific flick through and through.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Rio 2096 – The Academy does nominate foreign movies in this category, but usually only two out of the five. This was the year when this Brazilian feature should have landed another foreign spot on the slate. Rio 2096 is urgent in themes, brilliant in animation, memorable in fantastical elements and just such an epic period piece throughout the centuries.

Monsters University – Monsters University gets a lot of needless hate among Pixar fans, but I never got that myself. Yes, it’s never as amazing as that classic original, but it’s still a pretty good prequel in its own right. It gives us an insight into how Mike and Sully met while that ending is incredibly brave how dark and realistic it was.

Epic – Epic is by far one of the best Blue Sky Studios movies, the one that actually tried to do something more in the storytelling department. It’s a wonderful ecological tale that isn’t just a message movie, but an intricately crafted fantasy with rich details and superb animation. It’s hard to think that it came from an Ice Age studio.