The Alternative Animated Oscars Pt. 6

Today is part 6 of a 7-part series on the animation Oscar. I look at what was nominated, what won, and what I feel should have been nominated and won.  

2019 

The nominations were How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World, I lost my body, Klaus, The Missing Link, and the winner was Toy Story 4.  

How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World is a fine movie with one fatal flaw, which is the arcs of all the major characters is resolved in the movie before it. As excellent as much of the animation is (and the hidden world is stunning), one can’t help but notice the movie repeating plot points and beats from the two superior sequels. This is especially true for the lackluster villain.  I’m going to lump Toy Story 4 here as well since it shares the same problems. Except for Forky there seems little new here, and worst of all Woody’s arc is rewritten in a way that upends the perfection of the trilogy. Good, but not essential (and not deserving of the win).  

Half the movie I Lost My Body is about a severed hand that escaped from a laboratory to find its original owner and the adventures it has crawling along the streets of Paris. The other half is telling the owners story in flashback and mainly him trying to work up the courage to tell his crush he likes her. The entire movie blends both these stories together under a hallucinogenic haze. It does suffer slightly from having the hand story being more engaging than the romance story, but that's a minor complaint.  

The reputation of Klaus has only grown over the years. Funny, charming, and with a refreshingly dark humor, Klaus deserves to be a modern holiday staple. The fluid animation gets the most out of its spacious panoramic scenery. The characters are believable, flawed, and earn their arcs. There’s also a lack of cynicism so prevalent in animated children’s features of the era. Every time I see it I appreciate the care taken in this feature. Out of the five nominations I feel this one is most likely to stand the test of time.  

Laika, as always, has incredible visuals, but that isn't enough to make up for the unambitious story of The Missing Link. For me it just falls flat. The gags are predictable, the plot is tired, and the action is unremarkable. Every once in a while, when the movie is in its slower moments, the movie is enchanting, but those moments and the visuals are not enough to make this work.    

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

Children of the Sea is stunning. Some of the blending of 2D and 3D animation is awkward, but for the most parts Children of the Sea is sublime. It is overlong and confusing, and there is the feeling that the film wants to be more poignant than it is, but those underwater scenes are spectacular. If you want to “ride the wave” and let go of the meaning of the movie then I highly recommend it, but if you get frustrated by lack of narrative flow then I suggest staying away 

It was surprising that after Frozen won the Oscar that Frozen II would not even be nominated. Frozen II is pretty good though. It just feels like warmed over Frozen. The songs are not quite as majestic, the core relationship is not quite as touching, and the slapstick gags are never quite as funny. It’s hard to place your finger on what is wrong since nothing is exactly bad, but nothing is great either.   

The Legend of Hei was a pretty big hit in China and Japan but made very little impact in the west. My 10-year-old loved it. The characters are charming and the action is visceral without being too violent (if they can handle Kung Fu Panda then they can handle this). The world building is just complicated enough. The closest comparison I can make in terms of vibes is the TV show Avatar the last Airbender. In the end you will want to see more of these characters and this world and thankfully they are making a sequel. 

Lupin the third: The First is a fun, kid friendly take on the Lupin character. For those that don't know Lupin the third, the closest comparison I can make to those in the west is to James Bond. He's been around for decades and there are countless T.V. shows, movies, books, etc. Some versions are more adult than others. Much like James Bond there are many things that follow Lupin through all the movies. They are mostly fun action-oriented heist movies. He has a gang of friends including a gangster type and a samurai, and a femme fatale. There's usually a love interest (many are extremely sexist). Lupin is a loveable cad and he is always pursued by an inspector who yells "LU-PIN!" when Lupin gets away. This is the first 3D Lupin movie and they are clearly aiming for a general audience. Some of the story is cliche and it doesn't have the edginess of other Lupin movies, but it is still a fun action movie. 

One thing you will notice about French animated films for families is they often trust children to take on dark subject matter. Marona's Fantastic Tale begins with the sound of a tire screech and then the (not gory) image of Marona lying in the street. The rest of the movie is her flashback as she narrates her life looking for love (and giving it). She goes through several owners, some more holistic than others, and we watch in vivid colors and fantastical animation through her eyes (My favorite is the trapeze artists who moves like a slinky crossed with Spider Man). 

It covers a lot of delicate subject matter. We do not see Marona be physically abused, but it is implied, and one character clearly has mental health issues and is unpredictable and scary. Despite these warnings the movie is quite enjoyable and highly recommended.  

On Gaku: Our Sound This musical comedy film is about three delinquents who steal some instruments and start a band. The comedy is very dry. The animation is simple but becomes expressive when they play. It's a love note to music and art and expression, but mainly to the DIY punk aesthetic. This aesthetic is mirrored in the underground look of the film.  On Gaku is rebellious, hilarious, and idiosyncratic. I love this movie. 

Promare is dumb and fun. Here is how I imagine Studio Trigger writes all their scripts. They take a dozen hyperactive 8 years olds (and maybe a howler monkey) and lock them in a room with 20 large bags of skittles and an endless supply of pop, then they throw in a wall of plastic toys. Whatever those kids (and one howler monkey) come up with is the script. Promare is propulsive and ridiculous and the characters are melodramatic and cliche and the entire thing is bathed in neon. There's a plot (which is needlessly complicated) but the real reason to watch is for the mindless pleasure of it. Anyone who ever played with toy robots will love it.  

Masaaki Yuasa is known as an expressive and experimental punkish animator, but Ride Your Wave is Yuasa's most mainstream film (until the third act). It's a romantic movie aimed at teens. Yuasa traded his trademark chaotic energy for character building and a (more) mature approach to storytelling. It's very charming and thankfully also gets more absurd as the story progresses. I prefer my Yuasa with more edge, but there’s enough here to be entertaining.  

The Swallows of Kabul deserves the attention that an Oscar nomination would bring to it. The story of two couples under Taliban control, the movie follows the elegance of the novel. In its short runtime the film really captures the emotions of the characters and you feel deeply for them. It’s not an easy film to watch, but it is very powerful.  The animation is clean and fluid with minimal lines, which adds a storybook element that clashes satisfactory with the story being told. 

I’ve tried rewatching Weathering with You a few times because I know Shinkai fans hold it in high regard and I always wonder if I am just disappointed it feels like leftover Your Name. I appreciate the quality of animation and the unexpected ending, but for me the unappealing protagonist and the fan service makes Weathering with You one of Shinkai’s worst films. It has moments where the film sings, but also many moments where it falls flat.  It feels like the script was not up to snuff and no amount of glorious rain animation can make up for that. 

My Nominations and Winner (from least to most deserving)  

The Swallows of Kabul 

Marona’s Fine Tale 

I Lost my Body 

On Gaku: Our Sound 

I would give the Oscar to the holiday classic Klaus, a refreshing modern take on a classic story. 

2020 

The nominations are Onward, Over the Moon, Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon, Wolfwalkers and the winner was Soul. 

Pixar famously has a rulebook they follow for what makes for a good narrative, but the thing about rulebooks is they can be very helpful, unless those rules become predictable. Onward was the movie where I most felt Pixar’s rulebook weighing them down. I was ahead of the movie every step of the way. Character x has this moment here, gag here, action scene here. Despite that even though I predicted the ending it still left a lump in my throat. Even in a weak year I can’t feel too strongly about Onward. 

Over the Moon is the sort of movie you watch in lockdown, when you are actively pursuing movies that are unchallenging but diverting. It isn’t more than that, but it is nice to see character animating legend Glen Keane get a chance at directing, but there's a reason no one thinks about this movie even after they’ve seen it.  

Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon continues the tradition of Shaun the Sheep being the closest Aardman gets to the maniacal whimsy of their shorts. By relying on physical comedy and set pieces Aardman makes it look easy. The breeziness of the storytelling isn't quite as strong as the first Shaun the Sheep movie due to more plot, but  what a joy these films are. 

The craft in Wolfwalkers is stunningly realized. The story is classic fable storytelling. The two girls it stars are bright and energetic and you really care for them. It's funny where it wants to be funny, epic where it wants to be epic, and emotional where it wants to be emotional. This is the third in Cartoon Saloon's "Irish Folklore series", 3 movies not related except they are fables taking place in Ireland. Wolfwalkers was easily the best animated film this year. 

Soul is a great movie that is frustrating because it should have been an all-time Pixar masterpiece. There are two main characters, Joe and 22, and I feel the movie would have benefited from more Joe, less 22. His story is the more refreshing and endearing and when the movie deviates from him it suffers. 22 feels like Pixar hedging their bets from telling a unique story because they don’t want to alienate any of their audience. There’s a classic somewhere in there. For now, we’ll need to settle for merely fantastic. It does have a killer soundtrack, changing from ethereal pieces from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and originals by Jon Batiste.   

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

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is a gigantic smash hit that was the number one Japanese movie ever after its release. It is essentially several episodes of the show and I have no idea how people not already followers of the show would react as it does not take time to catch viewers up. Personally, I found it an exciting enjoyable chapter in the story that had imaginative villains and dynamic imaginative set pieces, yet struggled with why it is separate from the show it is based on.  Demon Slayer to me has been a show that has become less intriguing as it has continued and failed to grow, but at this point still felt fresh. 

Josee, The Tiger and the Fish is a romantic story between a paraplegic woman and a marine biology student and its effectiveness on you may depend on what you think of romantic anime, where feelings are large and melodrama is the base line. I oscillate between appreciating the representation of a person with a disability with wondering if there is an ableist component. The movie does border on inspiration porn, with an able-bodied person coming to “save” a disabled one. What does keep it from feeling exploitative is that Josee is thankfully the center of the story and is a fully fleshed out believable character.   

Poupelle of Chimney Town has middling to fair reviews so my love of it is unique. The story of a young chimney sweep befriending a monster and discovering there is a world above the polluted sky is not subtle in its environmentalism, but it is effective. There are incredible scenes, imaginative set pieces, and a believable unexpected relationship at the center. It has mild action but would also be enjoyable for families.    

World of Tomorrow collects the 3 shorts under the banner World of Tomorrow compiled together into one movie. In the 1990s Hertzfeld was a pioneer in the alternative animation scene. Together with Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill) they curated an animation show of independent work for MTV. Hertzfeld was always the standout, making deeply personal work often centering around mental health and memory.   

World of Tomorrow is his science fiction opus. Despite all the characters being stick figures they have more humanity than in most movies (having his real life 3-year-old niece as a main character is genius. My guess is they just let her talk and modeled the character after her. She is completely charming. In addition to being poignant it is also very funny. Despite loving the movie, I do think It's best watched in its original state as 3 shorts with breaks between them. It’s too dense and repetitive for one sitting. 

My Nominations and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon 

Poupelle of Chimney Town 

Soul 

World of Tomorrow 

My winner is one of the best children's entertainments of the last few years, Wolfwalkers. 

2021 

The nominees were Flee, Luca, Mitchells vs. The Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon, and the winner was Encanto. 

Flee is a gripping animated documentary where Amin Nawabi is interviewed by the filmmaker. The stories about his childhood and escaping Afghanistan are then animated and mixed with news footage. What makes the movie work very well are the relatable people in it, and that much of the story is about the repression of trauma afterwards, so much so that he has not told his future husband his story. The story of their romance and how it makes him more whole is also captivating. 

Luca is one of the better Pixar movies that was unable to get a theater release due to the lockdown. It is winning mostly due to its modest ambitions. The most ghibli-esque of all the films it is very blue and serene. It is a movie that is hard to get excited about, but calm and pleasurable for the entire family is a rare thing. In a weaker year I would say a nod would make sense, but 2021 was a very strong year when one loos outside of the major U.S. Theaters.    

The Mitchells vs. The Machines feels like it was inspired by the experimentation and the envelope pushing of Spider Verse, and although it gets plotty in the third act the approachable and believable Mitchell family helps keep the hijinks grounded. It’s hard not to view these movies that push 3D art to be more expressive as refreshing, especially when compared to movies like the next on my list.  

I forgot that Raya and the Last Dragon existed before I made this list, and I saw it several times. It’s fine but feels very serviceable.   

To actually have a bonafide hit at the end of a lockdown is quite remarkable, yet everyone was talking about Bruno, and Encanto. The touching family dynamic at the center of Encanto is what truly makes it work, plus peppy songs and a varied cast.  Can we all stop devaluing the work of Lin-Manuel Miranda now? Musicals are supposed to be cheesy and ridiculous. I get why Encanto won the Oscar that year, and it’s good enough to not be upsetting, but there were a lot of movies that pushed boundaries more as well and equally as excellent.       

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

Belle tells the story of a shy teen Suzu who in her real life has anxiety, but online in the world of U is the superstar Belle. U is basically what the metaverse would be if it was a million times more ornate and everyone in the world used it. The story becomes an alternate version of Beauty and the Beast. I don't want to say much more. The story alternates between the real world and the online world. At times it is very very touching and a great coming of age story. There are times where it slows down or becomes melodrama, but it also choked me up and has a very powerful conclusion. Momoro Hosada was nominated for his previous film, Mirai, so it feels odd this better and more approachable film would not be nominated. 

Critic William Bibbiani wrote about Inu Oh "The best feudal Japanese hair metal demonic curse serial killer political tragedy rock opera of the year", which is a pretty good summation. Masaaki Yuasa started as an unhinged filmmaker, often trading dynamism for story structure. Then he made more traditional stories, but losing much of the experimental edge that made him stand out. With Inu Oh he finally made a movie that is completely dynamic but also is a completely involving story. Once they form the troupe it mostly becomes a rock opera, with complete songs sung by a superstar singer and trans icon in Japan, Queen Bee. The songs are kind of like hair metal. How you feel about this movie may depend on whether you like the music or not. It's in a lot of the movie (I found the music delightfully ridiculous). This was my personal favorite animated fil this year. 

Was 2021 the year that passion fan projects of dark fantasy horror?  The Spine of Night, Junk Head, and Cryptozoo are all high profile, apocalyptic stop motion do-it-yourself passion project, and all in loving bad taste mirror their inspirations. Normally when people say something is an independent film, they don't mean one person and a few friends making animation in their home studio or office, including all the voices and music (although somehow The Spine of Night and Cryptozoo have celebrity voices). All three are fun dystopian movie with a lot of gallows humor and are shockingly well done. I’d love to see this spirit represented, and I have to say in terms of quality and pedigree there was one movie that stood above the rest.  

Mad God is a chaotic, bloody, celebration of macabre imagination. In a documentary about Industrial Arts and Magic legendary stop motion artist Phil Tippett is seen designing the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park. Tippet had been working with ILM since Star Wars, animating the A.T-A.Ts, Tauntons and numerous other creatures, plus he had worked on countless iconic creatures in movies through the 80s. Jurassic Park is to be the next step in the evolution of stop motion. He's over the moon. Then ILM brings on the new computer animations to show Stephen Spielberg. Tippett looks to the camera crestfallen and says "I'm obsolete”. 

Mad God is Tippett's passion project. It was developed over decades and took at least 10 years to make. It is a singular project made by Tippett. There are many influences on Mad God. The ones Tippett names are John Milton's Paradise Lost and Peter Brueghel's painting The Tower of Babel. It's hard not to see Bosch in there as well. The basic plot is a character entering into the different layers of Hell. The narrative is extremely loose as the story goes from one nightmarish image to another. It's really about the creative creature designs, animation and world building. 

The Summit of the Gods is a French animated documentary which details the mountain expedition in 1924 and alternates between the current day and the earlier climb. It’s a gripping, realistic documentary expertly paced and gets more tense as the movie progresses. It is just outside my nominations but could easily be there and it comes down to personal preference.    

My Nominations and Winner (from least to most deserving) 

Belle  

Encanto 

Mitchells vs. The Machines 

Inu Oh 

I could make an argument for all the films in my top six to win, but Mad God feels literally like it could have only come from the imagination of one mind. It is a work of art as vital as the Bosch and Bruegel paintings that inspired it.

Thank you for reading this. Next week concluded this series on the Animated Oscars. Then there will be a new format for the newsletter. Each month it will have a new topic. On the 1st of each month we will look at 5 films based on that topic. On the 11th we will look at a hidden gem based on that that topic in depth, and on the 21st we will examine a movie recognized as a totemic work in detail.

Sunday January 12th - Conclusion to The Alternative Animated Oscar Series

February - The Films of Isao Takahata

March - The Disney Bronze Era

April - ACTION!!! (Anime edition)

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