2014 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Animated Feature
February 15, 2014
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Animated Feature Film, which looked like it would be competitive for most of the year, then Frozen came out and instantly became the favorite. Is it the favorite? Or is there a dark horse out there?
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Despicable Me 2
Ernest and Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises
Conclusion: Frozen will win and it will be one of the least surprising wins of the night. The only film that has a real shot at the upset is The Wind Rises, but that's for sentimental reasons only.
Tomatometer Score: 70% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: Golden Globes and PGA
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Nine
Annie Wins: Three
Notes: This is the film I think least deserves its nomination, even though it picked up two previous major nominations. Its reviews are the weakest and I don't think it has a chance at winning.
Tomatometer Score: 75% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: Golden Globes and PGA
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Nine
Annie Wins: None
Notes: 75% positive reviews doesn't scream Oscar winner to me. It was also shut out at the Annies and didn't win either the Golden Globe or the PGA. On the other hand, it was the biggest animated hit of the summer, so that could help.
Tomatometer Score: 100% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: None
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Six
Annie Wins: None
Notes: It seems like every year, the Oscars like to pick a film or two that no one else nominated, just to be different. This year it's Ernest and Celestine, which hasn't even been released in America yet. It does have perfect reviews so far, but there are only 14 are Rotten Tomatoes so far. It earned no major previous award nominations and only six Annie nominations and no wins. In my opinion, it isn't the longest of the long shots, but it is close.
Tomatometer Score: 89% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: Golden Globes and PGA
Previous Major Wins: Golden Globes and PGA
Annie Nominations: Ten
Annie Wins: Five
Notes: And the winner is... This film has the best reviews, the most previous major wins, it led the way with ten Annie nomations (tied with Monsters University) and led the way with five Annie wins. It was also the biggest animated box office hit of the year and it is still in theaters, so it is fresh in the minds of Oscar voters. Everything points to it winning.
Tomatometer Score: 81% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: Golden Globes
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Three
Annie Wins: One
Notes: If any film has a chance of beating Frozen it's this one, mainly because it is Hayao Miyazaki's final film. Had he not won an Oscar for Spirited Away, he would have been a lock.
Filed under: Awards Season, The Croods, Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, Frozen, Ernest et Celestine, The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ), Hayao Miyazaki