Cartoon Contenders: Details on the Nearly Three Dozen Animated Features Vying for Oscar
05.12.2023 - 17:45
/ variety.com
Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Every few years, the Academy tweaks the rules for its animated feature category, with the net result that the nominees tend to skew ever more mainstream. That makes it tough for most of this year’s hopefuls: A record-setting number of animated features submitted (nearly three dozen, though the Academy is still finalizing its list).
Those who pick the noms are required to watch roughly a third before ranking their top five, which can include additional titles they might have seen on their own. Blockbusters naturally benefit, though “Flee” and “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” earned nominations in 2022 and 2023, respectively, suggesting that artful indies still stand a chance.
The Boy and the Heron
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Voices: Luca Padovan, Robert Pattinson
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Distributor: GKids Rumors of Miyazaki’s retirement were greatly exaggerated, as the unstoppable creative force (who won an Oscar for “Spirited Away” in 2003) returns with a story inspired by his childhood memories during wartime. More fanciful than “The Wind Rises,” but very much of a piece with his earlier work, the film follows a troubled boy on a journey to save his stepmother, culminating in a poignant, personal scene where an older man searches for an heir to carry on his legacy.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Director: Sam Fell
Voices: Thandiwe Newton, Bella Ramsey
Studio: Aardman Animation
Distributor: Netflix After Aardman’s original “Chicken Run” failed to land a best picture nomination in 2000, the Academy was inspired to create the animated feature category. Twenty-three years later, the sequel seems like a shoo-in for a nom, boasting Aardman’s trademark mix of British wit and amusing stop-motion work.
The website celebfans.org is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.