The Alternative Animated Oscars pt.4

2013 

The nominations were The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Ernest and Celestine, The Wind Rises, and the winner was Frozen. 

The Croods and Despicable Me 2 are both serviceable time wasters for kids. There’s some good jokes in them and by now everyone knows what to expect and the animation is at a high if not extraordinary level (It’s pretty amazing how quickly audiences get used to animation that would have wowed them a few years before). Both of these movies did quite well so it is obvious that sticking to the formula works.  

Anyone who has little kids knows how difficult it can be to find something everyone can enjoy. Something as sweet, funny and charming as Ernest and Celestine is rare. This is one cozy movie. The sequel is also charming. If you are looking for a movie as adorable at Paddington or the Winnie the Pooh movies, then this one is for you. It’s also delightful to see the storybook minimalist hand drawn animation.   

The Wind Rises is the movie on this list I have thought about the most. It is rich with themes and ideas. The Wind Rises is about an airplane engineer working between the two world wars. He will design the Zero that was used by kamikaze pilots. It is also a romance movie in the 2nd half, where his wife has tuberculosis.   

Where criticisms of this film come from are where I think this film is most successful. Miyazaki does not give easy answers and instead lays out clues and arguments for the viewer to work out themselves. There is no scene of Jiro screaming to the skies "No, what have I dooooone?". I think the movie is much stronger because of this. (The most baffling response is that the movie is somehow pro war or pro Japanese Imperialism, which would mean missing many key scenes). This would be a good double bill with Oppenheimer. Both films explore similar themes and have similar criticisms aimed at them.   

I do think the movie would benefit if the romantic interest Naoko was a more fully formed character. It's too bad that Miyazaki - known for his complex and admirable female protagonists- would have his main female character be there mainly in dramatic service to the main lead. Sometimes messy films are the most intriguing. 

I suppose if I has daughters instead of sons, maybe I would get the backlash against Frozen.  Admittedly I’ve only seen it a few times (and most times with my niece, who was BELTING out the songs), so I haven’t suffered through having to listen to “Let it go” a million times. It’s the best Disney animated musical since The Lion King, with banger after banger in that soundtrack. The relationship between the two sisters is impactful, and the side characters are fully formed and funny. The set pieces are astounding and memorable, and the moral is unexpected and welcome. It also empowered generations of girls to be independent and pissed off an army of incels. It’s quite telling that the initial ads spotlighted the comedy of Olaf instead of the relationship between Elsa and Anna, since they were afraid to make a movie just for girls. First of all, Frozen is for everyone. Secondly, more empowering the girls, please.  

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

Aya of Yop City is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, also created by Clément Oubrerie and Marguerite Abouet. The graphic novel tells the story of many of the citizens of this small village in the Ivory Coast, where the movie largely centers around Aya. It’s a small human story that succeeds very strongly in creating a sense of place and community. The animation has a sketchy quality reminiscent of the art in the graphic novels. It’s a lovely film which feels a little slight and I wish were a series because I would like to see more stories of this community.  

Monsters University is the best of the Pixar sequels that aren’t in the Toy Story franchise.  I actually think it suffered from Pixar backlash as it is a fine prequel to the original. The audience of kids who grew up on Monsters Inc. Are now college age, so it makes perfect sense to have Sully and Mike in University as well. Both a satire of movies like Animal House and a coming-of-age story, Monster’s University does have a bit of a prequel issue, where the audience already knows the ending, but luckily, we love these characters so much we will go for the ride. It’s bizarre this was not nominated over The Croods or Despicable Me 2.  

The Garden of Words is an important step forward in Makoto Shinka’s evolution as a filmmaker. It’s barely long enough for consideration, and your enjoyment may depend strongly on your patience for melodrama. It’s about separation and loneliness and the factors that keep people apart (as are almost all his films). If Caspar David Friedrich were an anime director, he would be Shinkai, with his love of the sublime and extreme human emotion. This film takes these environmental vistas to extremes. You could pause at any moment and the image would be stunning. The story though is all a little silly and hard to connect with. Shinkai would get there with his next feature.   

My Nominations and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Ernest and Celestine 

Aya of Yop City 

Monster’s University 

The Wind Rises  

I know this is controversial, and if it were personal favorites I would give it to The Wind Rises, but I can’t ignore the cultural impact or the excellence of Frozen. It doesn’t deserve the backlash. 

2014 

The nominees were The Box Trolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and the winner was Big Hero 6. 

I’m going to point out that 2014 was a very strong year for animated films, with my top 3 films being transcendent films, so a B minus film like The Box Trolls just isn’t going to cut it. Laika’s weakest film thus far (when compared to the underappreciated ParaNorman and the classic Coraline) suffers from a mediocre script that fails to give us a magnetic hero and sags in the 2^nd act. It’s fun and well animated and might deserve the nomination in a weaker year, but not this year.  

How to Train Your Dragon 2 on the other hand is fan-bloody-tastic. It takes the world of the first movie and expands on it, introduces a truly menacing villain with Drago Bludvist, and while it may repeat some story beats from the first film it still strengthens the central relationship. It’s easy to take this series for granted since this movie is probably equal to the original and not an improvement, but both are incredible films.  

Song of the Sea is the 2nd in the Irish Folklore series by Cartoon Saloon. It is stunning and ethereal. It has a message about loss and family that goes surprisingly deep for a family movie. Despite the subject matter, this is a family film that doesn't talk down to children's emotional intelligence. Just be warned it is sad in parts. This sadness is necessary for the cathartic adventure that takes up most of the film and an ecstatic moving ending. Tonally I would compare it to Up, but I think Song of the Sea balances it’s different tones more successfully.  

There is so much I love about The Tale of the Princess Kaguya that it is difficult to write about. Isao Takahata's final film is so soulful and meaningful that I just want people to watch it. It is based on the Japanese folktale called “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter”. A Bamboo Cutter discovers a girl in a bamboo shoot and decides she is a gift from the gods, and then after discovering riches and fine fabric in other bamboo shoots, they decide to make her a princess. She is resistant to this decision and it causes her much misery. I will say no more. It is a refreshing to see a movie that rejects the simplistic messages of Disney films where being a Princess is the ultimate goal. Instead, this movie argues it is more important to have friendships. find inner fulfillment and care for others. There are many other themes that make this movie completely enriching. 

The first thing you will notice is that the film looks like no other movie. Takahata looked at the storyboards and said he wanted the movie to have similar space and sketchiness, and the more emotional the movie gets the sketchier it gets. The music is also sparce and has a lot of space in it. the movie just takes time to breathe and that makes it completely absorbing. 

Big Hero 6 is very good, and at the time it was unique to see Disney put out what is basically a kid’s superhero movie. As a superhero movie it works as an origin story, with the now iconic Baymax at its center. The emotional core works and the set pieces are creative and have unexpected moments. I suspect there is a generational divide here, as this undoubtedly would have been one of my favorite movies if I saw it as a child. As an adult I just recognize a lot of superhero tropes in a well-done action movie. I think it benefited from being the first anime inspired superhero movie by Disney studios.  

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

The Book of Life suffered greatly by being released in close proximity to Pixar’s Coco. The story does not have as strong an emotional center as Coco, but it’s design and animation deserve more consideration. The animation studio makes up for the more limited budget with more creative character designs and blockier colors and intricate patterns inspired by Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). It would be better without the modern touches, but that’s a minor quibble for a very good film.    

Giovanni’s Island is a historical drama about 2 boys whose Japanese island is occupied by the Russian army after World War 2. There are aspects I really enjoyed, especially in the first two thirds of the movie, but the melodrama takes over in the second half and the movie loses its naturalism looking for big moment after big moment. I know it’s based on historical events but the direction, music and dialogue are too heavy handed and becomes a burden. There’s so much to recommend here, and most of it is powerful, but it’s frustrating that with a few tweaks this could have been so much better, 

The Lego Movie not being nominated, even in such a good year, is downright insanity. On paper it sounds like a terrible idea, but these mad geniuses managed to make a movie that felt like playing Lego, and have it been emotional, technically groundbreaking, and entertaining. Could it have been too good?  Look at how they play with frame rates and different types of animation and it isn’t shocking many of these animators went on to make the Spider Verse. I honestly don't know how this doesn’t get nominated. Most other years it would be a shoo in for winner.  

The tag line for Rocks in my Pockets is “a funny film about depression”. It's a movie about generational trauma, but told with a lot of gallows humor and a great deal of surrealism. It's very raw and deals with serious mental health issues about the author and her sisters. The animation is a blend of 2D animation and puppetry. A lot of it is very difficult to watch because it is so harrowing and personal, but it also feels so unique and meaningful that is also is essential viewing and something only possible in animation. 

 My Nominations and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 

Rocks in my Pockets 

The Lego Movie 

Song of the Sea 

The top three films here are all seminal works. Isao Takahata’s final opus The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is truly special and would easily have been my winner.  

2015 

The Nominations were Anomalisa, Boy and the World, The Shaun The Sheep Movie, When Marnie Was There, and the winner was Inside Out. 

Charlie Kaufman often makes disquieting and introspective films where flaws of his characters destroy others around him. His film Anomolisa is a stop motion movie where the main character's disdain for humanity - he sees them all with the same voice and face - makes him an empty shell. The decision to have the seams of the puppets showing adds to the uneasiness. His other movies like Being John Malcovich or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind are more obvious candidates for animation than this drab location and story, but I think that works. In a way the fractured expectation animation manifests makes this loneliness all the more tragic.  

Boy and the World is a very sweet silent movie with lively music. It is the story of a boy who is raised in an idyllic cartoon landscape (it looks like crayon and watercolor). One day his dad disappears and the boy goes to look for him. The Boy enters a world of the city and then industrialization and pollution, and finally war. While the political messaging is not subtle the movie is mellow and not scary. Its more artsy than anything else. 

I believe that the closest Aardman have come to the quality of their shorts is the Shaun the Sheep movie. By restricting themselves to basically being a silent movie that meant they needed to be even more creative and inventive with their animation. The Shaun the Sheep movie is like Buster Keaton meets Looney Tunes. To me this is the best distillation of what makes Aardman great. It's just tremendous and very funny. 

When Marnie was There is probably the most surprising nomination in this stellar year. It’s a Ghibli movie that has characteristic hand drawn animation and is different in the sense it talks about different social issues, including having their lead suffer from social anxiety. In terms of quality, I would place it in the middle of the Ghibli films, meaning it's just very good, as I do think the climax of the story is disappointing. It’s a very good young adult ghost story, but feels slight compared to the competition.   

Inside Out is a wonderfully crafted story that helps children process their emotions. By now Pixar’s rules of storytelling are well known, and I believe start to hamper enjoyment of their movies. Story beats and plot points seem formulaic. However, it is also effective storytelling and if Bing Bong doesn’t get you then you have a heart of ice. Centering the story around Riley works very well, and parents worldwide gained a way to discuss difficult emotions around their children. In 2015 Pixar is starting to look old school, but still delivering the goods. 

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

April and the Extraordinary World takes place in a steampunk dystopian alternate reality in the 1940s. It is the classic hidden gem. A fantastic family adventure film in the style of Hergé's Tintin adventures. My only complaint is it wasn't a big hit, because April is a charismatic intelligent lead (she solves a lot of conflicts through her science knowledge) and the world is well realized, so I wish there were sequels. At least there is this one to enjoy. 

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children explores mass trauma with cute cartoon animals. It is harrowing and relentless with a macabre sense of humor. There are few scenes of hope amongst the ruins. 3 children attempt to escape an island that was decimated by a nuclear bomb (the opening scene). We see the effects of depression, addiction, mental illness, poverty, and starvation. Between this and his 2nd film Unicorn Wars (a 2nd film lacking the layers and comparatively nuanced parts of this film) Alberto Vazquez and Pedro Rivero are carving out their own unique sensibilities and spearheading a new era of Spanish animation. 

The Case of Hana and Alice is a low-key slice of life movie starring two middle schoolers on a slight adventure. The movie Hana and Alice is notable for the pleasant naturalistic performances. It is a mystery film (like Nancy Drew) but the real reason to watch is the burgeoning friendship story between two likeable leads. I enjoyed the slight quirkiness of the characters and the willingness to spend quiet time with them to deepen our relationship. I wish there were more of these relaxing movies. 

I honestly wasn't expecting much from Long Way North. It looked like it was animated with flash in these flat colors, which is usually a style I dislike (it's cheaper so you see it in a lot of kids TV animation). The trailer also looked melodramatic and dull. Little did I know that the movie is a epic seafaring family friendly adventure with a charismatic girl as the lead and lots of fully fleshed out supporting cast. It's about an aristocrat in 19th century Russia who goes on a quest to find her explorer grandfather in the arctic. Its a classic exciting adventure story. The animation is very well directed and quite stunning in parts. A hidden gem. 

I love Miss Hokusai. It’s an ambitious biography of the daughter and artist’s aid to celebrated artist Katsushika Hokusai (his print “Great Wave off Kanagawa” is one of the most recognized artworks in history). The episodic nature of the film may turn some viewers off. It did get mixed reviews, but I feel some of that is likely because it is not what anyone expects from a biopic). Some stories are symbolic, some personal, some cultural, but I find the entirety completely absorbing.  It’s messy and unpredictable and if I had a complaint it does seem to have a forced dramatic conclusion, but this postmodern biography of a subject not normally studied is special. 

Phantom Boy is Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol’s follow up to A Cat in Paris. They have definitely developed their own style, with an art deco cubist cartoonish flourish. It is always fascinating to look at. They also always flirt with some darkness. The lead antagonist is the perfect example. He is a threatening gangster, but he looks like a cubist two face Picasso cartoon and despite his threats is always bumbling. Phantom Boy’s powers coming from his cancer treatment is also intriguing, especially with scenes that hint at the tole it is having on his family. I am not sure they completely balance the tones, and find it less successful than A Cat In Paris, but it is still worth searching out.    

 My Nominations and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Anomalisa 

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children 

The Shaun the Sheep Movie 

Inside Out 

This is a very good year in animation, especially when looking outside the major studios. The academy does a good job with their nominations as well. I could easily make 10 nominations. Miss Hokusai would be my winner this year.  

Next Sunday we look at the years 2016 to 2018.