The Alternative Animated Oscars Pt. 1

Frustration with the Oscar’s attitude towards animation is nothing new. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences ignored significant animated achievements long before introducing the best animated feature award in 2001. At best those of us who consider animation one of the most significant and elastic art forms of the past century needed to suffer through Oscar hosts calling all animation “children’s films” (in a year Flee was nominated by the way), and at worst we hear about academy voters calling The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea “Chinese f***in’ things,” 

Thank goodness for my little newsletter, because I thought let’s do a thought experiment where we examine animation as cinema and not as a genre (as Guillermo del Toro suggests).  I want to imagine a world where academy voters consider the full possibilities of animation beyond mainstream American studios into more independent and worldwide voices*. 

The structure will be looking at the movies that were nominated and the winner, then suggestions for what else might have been nominated. Ultimately, I name what would have been my 5 nominations and ultimate winner**. 

For years I use the IMDB dates for International Features, which I know is not perfect but it makes as much sense as the Academy’s archaic rules. 

*I understand Hayao Miyazaki has won twice and there is often a token independent or international nomination, but those are the exceptions and not the rule. 

**This is a bit of fun. I get that your choices are different. Please roll with it.    

2001 

The first year there were only three nominations. They were Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Monsters Incorporated, and the winner was Shrek. 

When I rewatched Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius in 2024 I was pleasantly surprised by its zippy fun story, humor and brisk pacing. The premise is clever enough that if a kid could get past the dated graphics, they would enjoy the fun gadgets and harmless adventure. It’s no wonder it inspired a follow-up television show. It does feel very slight and inconsequential, especially when compared with movies that weren’t nominated.    

Monsters Incorporated on the other hand still looks fantastic and the world building, jokes, and heart of the movie are part of the reason it is a classic today. This was when Pixar was the leading edge in both technology and making films with imagination and complex characters like Sully and Mike Wazowski. Given the benefit of hindsight there is an argument for Monsters Incorporated winning the Oscar. 

Shrek changed the way that animated films were written for decades. The irreverent humor and meta-narrative instantly inspired many pale copycats, but also created a competition with Disney films that exploded the animation industry. There is an argument that Illumination was heavily influenced by Shrek. Whether its influence was a positive or a negative is up to you, but the fact remains that the movie created a level of satire new in family animation. It also feels less fresh 2 decades later, but is still an entertaining and at time hilarious and romantic film.      

For Your Consideration (Not nominated, but deserve a look) 

Disney attempted a few times to create slightly more adult adventure movies for boys.  Atlantis: The Lost Empire has its defenders, but I can see why it was not nominated. There are a few impressive set pieces, but it is hampered by a leaden plot and confusing motivations. The next year Disney will release a far more deserving movie for an Oscar nomination. 

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was the spin off from the groundbreaking show. The TV show is one if the most influential anime in the west, so much so that its genre busting had become commonplace since it ran 25 years ago. The other quality of the TV show is the 4 main characters, all who seem to be genre stereotypes at first but who reveal more depth as the show continues. This is especially true of Faye, who in other shows would just be there for the fans to lust over, but in the show has the most depth and the best storyline. 

The movie came out after the TV show and you do not have to have seen the show to understand the movie, but it helps understand the characters more. In terms of action and quality of animation it surpasses the show. It does suffer in comparison by barely having some main beloved characters in it, a stock villain, and worst of all making the female character Faye a victim, which would have never happened in the show (a giant issue in anime - especially at the time, is assault to appear "edgy". It's gross). With the exception of the superb action scenes this would be one of the middling episodes of the show. 

I’ve seen only about a dozen Crayon Shin-chan movies and they all have a rudeness and dark humor to them. There’s been over 1000 television episodes and 32 movies, so I can see how it gets taken for granted, especially since most of what I have seen I would describe as a pleasant, often funny diversion. Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Adult Empire Strikes Back is often considered one of the best movies in the series, and from what I have seen I would agree with that. It still has the hilarious antics, but unique from the ones I have seen also contains a powerful pathos.  

The pedigree behind Metropolis is no doubt the reason for its uniqueness. This movie is a complex hodgepodge of many different elements. Katsuhiro Otomo (Creator of Akira) wrote the script based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astroboy) and the director based the look on one still from Fritz Lang's Metropolis. The characters look like 1960's designs (an homage to Astroboy?), but the backgrounds are much more modern - looking like Art Deco gone amuck and Blade Runner at the same time. The soundrack is Dixieland jazz and the main character is a gumshoe detective out of the 60's, but the story has modern sensibilities. Truly this is a world that reminds you of a lot of other things, but is its own unique thing. Based on uniqueness and ambition alone Metropolis definitely deserves a nomination.  

Millennium Actress is my personal favorite animated movie from this year. Satoshi Kon may be the most cinematic of animation directors . He directs his movies with a lot of quick cuts and odd angles and his editing is often disorienting and visceral (the youtube channel Every Frame a Painting does a really fantastic breakdown of Kon's techniques). 

Millennium Actress takes Kon's signature style - kinetic, surrealist, disorienting - yet instead of being used for horror and sci fi he uses it to create a love letter to the history of Japanese Cinema and to storytelling itself.  

Two documentary film makers interview an elderly film star. She tells her story and the movie combines memories from her life with the plot of her movies (and the documentarians become characters in both). It's hard to describe but it makes sense when watching it. 

Waking Life is an early rotoscoped film by Richard Licklater. The early use of computerized rotoscoping (known as Rotoshop) places the viewer in the uncanny valley, creating a surrealism which adds to the oddity of the movie (plus a very strange Alex Jones cameo, but at the time he was on the fringe and not yet the danger he would become). There is an extremely loose narrative, as the protagonist enters into a world of philosophies and concepts with no real beginning or end. Linklater would later use this technique for more traditional storytelling, but in my opinion this movie is his best use of it.  

 My Nominees and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

 Waking Life 

 Metropolis 

Monster’s Inc.  

 Millenium Actress 

 While there is an argument to made for any of the top three to win, I cannot ignore the cultural impact nor the originality of Shrek.   

2002 

The nominations are Ice Age, Lilo and Stitch, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Treasure Planet and the winner is Spirited Away.

Ice Age would generate six sequels, each a little less inspired than the last, and would launch the successful Blue Sky studios. Watching this movie in 2024 it looks very dated, especially considering Monsters Inc. came out the year before and Finding Nemo the year after. It does have a solid script and the Looney Tunes inspired slapstick with Scrat is still amusing. In a weak year I can see it getting the nomination.    

Lilo and Stitch is easily the best film in Disney’s Post Renaissance era. I feel like every few years it gets “rediscovered” as the fun unconventional triumph that it is. The shine had come off Disney films and I can’t help but think that if Lilo and Stitch were released a decade before it would be held in the same esteem as Aladdin or The Lion King. It’s funny, affecting, and has an offbeat energy unlike most Disney fare.  

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is... ugh. Dreamworks tried to separate themselves by Disney by making EPICS. In the case of movies like The Prince of Egypt there would be enough startling set pieces and fantastic animation to get past the seriousness of the story. In the case of this turkey the set pieces and spectacular visuals is not enough to get past the slog of the plot or the melodrama. This laden effort deserves to be forgotten.   

Treasure Planet is the best of Disney’s attempts to make a boy’s adventures. A passion project by legendary animation duo John Musker and Ron Clements, Treasure Planet suffers from many of the issues of passion projects, but still deserves better than being thought of as one of Disney’s most notorious flops. It is overstuffed with ideas and the (expensive) blend of 2D and 3D animation is disjointed in parts. Watching it today you can see how natural entertainers like Musker and Clements could create a propulsive world combing steampunk, science fiction, and pirate adventures.    

Saying that Spirited Away is one of the greatest animated films in history is hardly unique, but it is undeniable. It follows a story structure like Alice in Wonderland, or The Wizard of Oz, where a girl enters a strange land on a quest to get back home. Chihiro must save her parents who have become pigs and she needs to work at that spirit bathhouse where spirits vacation to save them. What follows shows boundless imagination and epic beauty in a way only Hayao Miyazaki can deliver.  

 For Your Consideration (Not nominated, but deserve a look) 

The Cat Returns was Ghibli’s follow up to Spirited Away, and it’s hard to see it as more than a piffle when compared to that monolith. While it clearly has more meager ambitions it is a pleasurable and amusing movie that little kids will love. In a weak year I wouldn’t even consider it, but this year it would almost make it into a nomination. 

I love that the Powerpuff Girls Movie is simultaneously a cutesy, bright colored, adorable animation, while also trojan-horsing in mouthfuls of meta-satire, feminism, and healthy cynicism. It’s no wonder audience scores were either an “A” or an “F”. Well, count me as an “A” then. This film, about three kindergarten age superheroes, feels like an extended episode of the show, but in this case why fix what isn't broken? Some might find the cartoon violence and humor about butts objectionable, but I think it’s just the sort of silly fun kids need.  

  My Nominees and Winner (from least to most deserving)  

Ice Age 

The Powerpuff Girls Movie

Treasure Planet 

Lilo and Stitch 

One of the most deserving winners in Oscar history, I agree with Spirited Away taking the trophy this year.  

2003 

The nominations are Brother Bear, Triplets of Belleville, and the winner was Finding Nemo. 

Brother Bear is a completely uninspired film, devoid of anything beyond serviceable animation. Even in a weak year this is a ridiculous nomination and proof that Disney has too strong a hold over academy members.       

The Triplets of Belleville, on the other hand, is an inspired nomination. Director Sylvian Chomet creates fully realized characters, even when they are background extras. Chomet's films do not look like anyone else. The soundtrack is also amazing, referencing 1920 and 1930's jazz. 

This film is bizarre and very funny (it's mostly wordless). It's a strange amalgamation of whimsy and the grotesque. Early 20th century animator Max Fleisher is clearly a huge inspiration.  

For Your Consideration (Not nominated, but deserve a look)   

The original Looney Tunes shorts have such a maniacal derangement they have been impossible to replicate in movie form. Looney Tunes: Back in Action comes the closest out of all the films to the original spirit of those shorts. It is much better than either Space Jam movies. Both Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman are good in the film, but it does work best when humans aren’t on the screen and it and we are treated to the antics of our favorite animated stinkers. Rumors are the unlikely to ever be released Coyote vs. Acme is tremendous, and until some studio executive’s heart grows three sizes and they decide to release it, Looney Tunes: Back in Action remains the best movie version of the Looney Tunes characters.   

Perhaps Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem was too new a concept for the academy to ever consider. Perhaps they saw it as too much a long form commercial or music video (which, when broken into chunks, it became several music videos). Which is a shame, because this collaboration between director Kazuhisa Takenouchi and funk electronica duo Daft Punk is a triumphant homage to 80s and 90s anime. Set to the seminal album Discovery, with a admittedly bare bones story, Interstella 5555 was completely fresh and dynamic.  

Tokyo Godfathers is Satoshi Kon's most straightforward narrative, although it goes many unexpected places. Three homeless friends find a baby in the dumpster and decide to return it to the family / find out what happened. They are a teenage runaway, an alcoholic gruff man, and an exuberant trans woman Hana (she is the heart and soul of this film, and the movie is surprisingly progressive for a 20+ year old film). To explain more would ruin the experience, since much of the quality of this film is in the surprises along the way. It is easily my favorite Christmas movie to feature the yakuza. Extremely entertaining. 

My Nominees and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. 

Looney Tunes: Back in Action 

Triplets of Belleville  

Tokyo Godfathers 

Finding Nemo deserves the Oscar. It’s easy to forget how groundbreaking this movie was, plus how powerful the story is.  

2004 

The nominations were Shark Tale, Shrek 2, and the winner was The Incredibles. 

Shark Tale is awful. There’s a moment in a Patton Oswalt special where he talks about doing punch up, where you add jokes to a finished animated movie to try to liven up a boring script after the fact. I always think of this clunker when I think of that bit. 

Shrek 2 is a better movie that the original. Now that we know the characters we can go more in depth to their story, and the focus on Princess Fiona and Donkey is beneficial to the overall story. Having said that, Shrek has already lost the shine of the new and its humor and story beats is more predictable.  

The Incredibles is one of the greatest superhero films ever, and easily nails the retro vibe and family dynamic it is aiming for.  Is it possible to watch this thrilling movie without smiling? Dash running on water, no capes, Jack Jack discovering his powers. All iconic. This was when Pixar was firing on all cylinders.  A poignant family drama (also the best Fantastic Four movie) that is also a startling action film, The Incredibles deserves its impressive status.  

For Your Consideration (Not nominated, but deserve a look)   

Dead Leaves is a movie I appreciate more than I enjoy. It deserves consideration in a weak year partly because it is so different and chaotic, inspired by a punkish street wise aesthetic and being so gloriously unapologetically juvenile. I would nominate it to recognize its independent do it yourself spirit, but I think a better version of this sort of thing came out a few years earlier with the television show FLCL, and later down this list with the seminal Mind Game. 

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is the sequel to the classic and totemic Ghost in the Shell. It has some issues with the blending of 2D and 3D animation, and also suffers from too much exposition. Strangely enough this sequel has the same issues as the Matrix sequels, a series it heavily influenced. The set pieces and the overall story is intriguing and exciting, but there's just too many scenes of characters sitting around philosophizing. In the case of both series, the original film was much more succint and able to bury its big ideas neatly in the narrative.  

Mind Game is hyper, propulsive and experimental. This is Yuasa's first feature film and there is the sense he wanted to put everything into it. Every story choice, every animation style. In terms of energy and editing style I would compare it to Natural Born Killers, with even less narrative structure. It just has a lot of hyperactive stuff happening.  

This movie is gleefully immature. It has some violent parts (one moment in particular) and the main female lead is mostly there for the main character to lust after (want to write about the male gaze? Do I have the movie for you). It also sloooows down about 3/4 through for about half an hour. It still manages to be considered one of the most vital anime in the past 20 years just because of how far it pushes its experimentation. 

Steamboy is Katuhiro Ôtomo’s follow-up to Akira. It suffers from the strain of its own importance, and you can sense the attempt to create a new franchise. The script is over written and the dialogue is clunky. There’s a lot of characters yelling about “The power of STEEEEAAMMM!!!”. It’s a frustrating movie because there is a sense that with some editing or rewrites there’s a good or even great movie in there, but it’s buried under so much pomposity. What cannot be denied is the animation and the steampunk world is stunning.     

My Nominees and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Dead Leaves 

Shrek 2 

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence 

Mind Game 

The Incredibles deserved the award. Another definitive Pixar film. 

2005 

The nominees are Corpse Bride, Howl’s Moving Castle, and the winner was Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. 

Corpse Bride came with a lot of baggage. It couldn’t help being compared to the superior Henry Selick directed Nightmare Before Christmas, and in 2005 the critical consensus was that Tim Burton was in a slump. Corpse Bride was codirected by Burton and Mike Johnson, and at times can feel like a checklist of Burtonisms. If you take away the baggage the movie is quite beautiful and well animated. It feels light and the music is pleasant if not memorable. There’s a fine blend of romance with some dark humor. It’s a well done, if not inspired film. 

Howl’s Moving Castle is a loose adaptation of a novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Fervently received, its status as beloved has grown to a fever pitch by Ghibli fans.  It’s easy to see why. The characters are instantly magnetic, the setting is romantic and imaginative, and the score by Joe Hisaishi is lush and dramatic. There are huge chunks of this movie that are amongst my favorite of any Ghibli movie. Now I am ready to dodge tomatoes, because I do find the construction of the movie slightly disjointed, and while I love the movie overall, I do consider that a flaw which hinders the enjoyment of the movie.  

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is delightful and charming throughout. The Wallace and Gromit shorts are the perfect encapsulation of what makes Aardman great, but while I find their features aren't quite as strong, I mean, they're still incredible. I defy anyone at any age to not love this film. Aardman is a studio that continues to make lovely films which get taken for granted by the public, but just watch and marvel at the craft on display. It takes a lot of talent to make it look this easy.  

For Your Consideration (Not nominated, but deserve a look)   

Kirikou and the Wild Beasts is the 2^nd best of Michel Ocelot's series of Kirikou movies and the only one co-directed and co-written by Bénédicte Galup. The best film in the series is Kirikou and the Sorceress.  Ocelot draws his influence from folk tales, and in the case of Wild Beasts tells three separate narratives based on west African tales all starring Kirikou and telling a myth about a different animal. This ambitious series deserved a nod by the Oscars.  

My Nominees and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Corpse Bride 

Kirikou and the Wild Beasts 

Howl’s Moving Castle 

Sorry lovers of Calcifer, but in a close race I would still award Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit the trophy. While there are parts of Howl’s I like more, Wallace and Gromit has no flabby parts, and Aardman deserves an Oscar.  If you are upset watch Were-rabbit and you will immediately be happy again. 

2006 

Perhaps the worst three nominations ever, the nominated movies are Cars, Monster House, and the winner is Happy Feet. 

Thanks to a hypnotized child of mine, Cars is the movie I have undeniably seen the most on this list and I have a parental Stockholm syndrome that makes it impossible to judge. Obviously, it's a commercial success that paid for many, much better Pixar movies, and a central part of millions of children’s upbringing. The story is less enigmatic than other Pixar films, but the world is bright, the characters amusing, and the moral is unexpected and good for children.      

Monster House looks like 2006 (The house looks amazing, the characters not so much), which is a shame since the story is good spooky fun and there isn’t a great deal of lightly scary movies for children. The humans have an awkward uncanny valley look similar to Polar Express which is impossible to get past. I can see why it got nominated, but it does not hold up. 

Speaking of 2006, how do you explain Happy Feet? Penguins were all the rage. The documentary March of the penguins, and this jukebox musical Happy Feet were gigantic hits. The environmental message is didactic, the songs are energetic and oddly placed, and the less said of Robin William’s performance the better. I’m glad it helped get us Fury Road, but what a time capsule of a movie. I suppose I appreciate what a wild swing it was and how idiosyncratic it is. 

For Your Consideration (Not nominated, but deserve a look)

Blood Tea and Red String is a surrealist stop motion film and the sort of film that the Oscars could use their considerable influence to help champion. Director Christiane Cegavske is clearly influenced by the great surrealists The Brother’s Quay and Jan Svankmajer, as her nightmarish fairy tale displays a career that deserves so many more opportunities.  

The Girl Who Leapt through Time is my second favorite film about time travel, and like the other one where we go back to the future, this one has a protagonist who uses time travel to complete personal tasks. The science fiction is really only an excuse to discuss the consequences of our actions and the way those actions affect others around us. This slice of life meets science fiction film is original and enjoyable.  

Paprika is Satoshi Kon's final feature before his tragic death. Like most of his films it is full of fantastical dreamlike imagery. Paprika is also weird and dark and inspired. It is a strong argument for animation, as Christopher Nolan’s Inception treads a lot of the same ground, but feels much more earthbound. Ther’s nothing close to as fantastical as the dream parade. Despite being hampered by a predictable plot and being Kon’s most straightforward film, Paprika is astonishing.  

A Scanner Darkly is Richard Linklater’s second film to use computerized rotoscoping and based on a story by Philip K. Dick. It’s a sinister slow burn of a movie which requires some patience as it has a complicated hallucinogenic drug addled story. Looking for action this is likely not your scene, but if you want to be immersed in a complex, talky, paranoid, absorbing film then this is your vibe.  

Tekkonkinkreet is a visually dense chaotic and dystopian tale of two orphans who get involved in a Yakuzi war. The cityscape of Treasure Town is impressively detailed and the world building is flabbergasting. It has shocking moments of violence and original, kinetic action. At the root of its dark story is the brotherhood of our heroes Black and White, and their archetypal dispositions help ground the movie.  

 My Nominees and Winner (from least to most deserving)  

Blood Tea and Red String 

Tekkonkinkreet 

A Scanner Darkly 

The Girl who Leapt Through Time 

Even though I prefer Satoshi Kon’s other movies more, Paprika is still a triumphant achievement and deserves the Oscar.  

NEXT FRIDAY

Next week we continue looking at the animated Oscars, this time looking at the years 2007 to 2012. Please consider subscribing.