Animation in 2011/12. Oscar Predix and "Brave"
Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 3:15PM Will 2011 go down in history as the year when animation's hot streak finally cooled? Oh sure, bix box office awaits a great number of the toons arriving this year but box office isn't everything. You can be a huge hit and impress virtually no one (just look through some past box office charts and think about the way people talk about some of those "blockbusters") since audiences have a Pavlovian response to certain genres in certain decades with certain ubiquitous forms of advertising: Must Buy Ticket.
Will we see a 2006 rematch in Animated Feature?
It's hard to figure which animated films will be nominated for Best Animated Feature come January since half of the releases (literally by my count) are sequels. Sequels are judged differently than original fare. Half of our response (at the very least) is in the way the new film dialogues with the old. Does it add to the conversation, merely parrot it, deepen it, spoil it, change it? Once studio creatives get too self-referential or repetitive they can turn into a soulless production line workers and whole genres can become museum pieces rather than evolving vivid living things. The documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, which I highly recommend to animation lovers, charts this very problem in regards to Disney. It documents the dwindling audience love and studio creativity in the 1980s through to its spectacular rebirth in the early 90s. It's a good film to see to remind ourselves that we can only borrow heat from past glories for so long before things gets chilly.
Click here for Oscar charts / Animated Feature predictions
Here's a potentially happy visual extro that has nothing to do with this year's Oscars. Here are three concept drawings from Pixar's Summer 2012 feature BRAVE.
Since the delightfully cute-looking Newt was cancelled it's Pixar's only original film in the pipeline with sequels to Cars (this year) and Monster's Inc (called Monsters University in late 2012) bookending it. Brave (formerly titled The Bear and the Bow) features their very first lead heroine "Merida" (voiced by Kelly MacDonald), and was at one point going to be Pixar's first movie directed by a woman and then it wasn't and now it's (co)directed by her. It's also NOT a sequel. Let's hope it's great so that 50% of the population (the ones with vaginas) don't get blamed for spoiling Pixar's unbroken winning streak*.
*If you ask me this "ALWAYS PERFECT" business is a myth, a huge pitcher of Kool-Aid we all drank. It would be much healthier to let go of it. Though it made a billion dollars Cars (2006) is NOT a good movie. People are always (still) making excuses for it like "I didn't love it but..." Just stop making excuses. Accept that they've already stumbled once and we won't be pressuring them with this "Perfect!" myth. And we won't be so heartbroken when they start churning out a gazillion sequels. And they won't be so nervous about mixing up the formulas a bit or scared into only making sequels.
Brave, Cars, Disney, Oscars (11), Oscars (12), Pixar, animated films
Reader Comments (24)
Aw, the animation category first? You know since March 31 we've all been continuous checking for the acting categories. :(
My predictions:
-Rango: good reviews, neat animation style
-Winnie the Pooh: classic, nostalgia feel, a lot of hype already
-Arthur Christmas: because I'm reluctant on the sequels
I love the original Monster's Inc. but I do not think it needs a sequel (or prequel?) at all. Sometimes it's best to just leave it alone.
Also, (a little unrelated) Kelly MacDonald needs another great role like Gosford Park or No Country for Old Men. She was very good in both and I want to see some more from her.
I have no idea what to make of this category except that Rango is the only assured nominee, though I don't think it'll win.
For Animated, I'm thinking...
Puss in Boots
Rango
Winnie the Pooh (predicted winner)
I'm going off the deep end with Boots, I know, but I'm kind of expecting it to be a surprise hit with audiences and critics, even though I'm not looking forward to it myself. Of course, I could see Cars 2 getting in as well *shudders*
Oh, and your last paragraph is perfection. Cars was awful, and I don't understand why some people are quick to defend it as "good not great."
Hmm I fear this year will be a horrible one for animation.
My predicted nominees (unfortunately, I can't see 'Rango' arriving to December as a lock):
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- Happy Feet 2
- Cars 2
What a terrible line-up, yes?
@James: It's even worse than a sequel, I'd reckon. It's a prequel. Its project name is "Monsters University" and it will tell how Sulley and Mike became friends. Geez.
I was always miffed that people weren't more concerned with the ants only having 4 legs in A Bug's Life. Automatic bottom of the bin for me with Cars.
Nat, I actually liked Cars. Yes, it's one of Pixar's weaker films, but it has a charm to it that I find irresistible, and also it's a film that takes its time to flesh out its characters. Yes, it's slower than most animated films, but I think that's part of its car. Its a film that tells us to slow down and enjoy the scenery, therefore the film starts with a bombastic first few scenes, and once it hits Radiator Springs it takes its time to tell its story and give the main character room to grow and develop. I know a lot of people who like Cars as well, and also, I really liked that the ending took an unexpected turn and managed to strengthen its message without sacrificing the happy vibe of a Pixar ending.
after last year's great slate of animated films (i loved tangled. it reminded me of what i love about disney movies. great story, great characters, and that little bit of magic. if only it had been traditionally animated...how to train your dragon was the best movie dreamworks has made. it had so much heart and great visuals. and, of course, toy story 3. a sequel that didn't seem to be made for sequels sake. that story needed that last chapter to it and really closed it on a lovely note.) but i am just not excited about any of the offerings for 2011. winnie the pooh is charming but just so...juvenile. even as a child it always seemed to be made for toddlers.
although i was really surprised by how much i enjoyed kung fu panda, the last thing it needed was a sequel. dreamworks-stop with the sequels! we don't need a 5th shrek movie! we just don't. and 3 madagascar movies?!? the first one wasn't even good.
i have seen every pixar movie in the theatres when they were released, except one: cars. i just don't get it. how do these cars exist in a car populated world. cars are something created by humans. so, where exactly did they come from? and, like pooh, it just seems to be made for little kids.
so, it looks like i'll be waiting on brave. (i wish they would go back to the bear and the bow. it just sounds more interesting then the generic, brave.) it is about time pixar had a female centered film! and the concept art is very promising. now, if only disney would announce it's next animated films after pooh. is the king of the elves still happening? and hopefully they have resurrected the snow queen.
@abstew:
I've read an interview with Catmull that said they had 6 movies planned for 2012-2013:
2012 Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie"
2012 Pixar's "Monsters University" (aka Monsters, Inc. 2)
2012 Pixar's "Brave"
2012 Andrew Stanton's "John Carter of Mars" (not animation; live-action)
2012 Chris Williams' (Bolt) "King of the Elves"
2013 "Ralph"
Meh. I was SO looking forward to NEWT. It seemed so great. All these 6 look so bland... And it's not like "Monsters Inc" and "Cars" needed sequels. Neither did "Winnie the Pooh".
THey've stumbled with Cars, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.
I’m gonna say this in a hurry before Pixar lovers throw stones at me. For me, Monsters, Inc is my personal favorite and Wall-E is their best as a whole. And also Up is their worst movie yet. Even Cars and A Bug’s Life are better than that.
I'm a big fan of animated movies, and after a great year last year (Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled) I'm struggling to find any this year that I'm looking forward to. Too many sequels. It makes me sad.
"Cars" doesn't interest me at all, but I wouldn't call it a bad movie by any means. Like "A Bug's Life", it just has significantly less appeal to Pixar's adult fanbase; the kids love it.
Rango will win the Oscar. Period.
I'm thinking that a bunch of people are either underestimating OR overestimating Winnie the Pooh. It's 3AM so I probably don't make sense right now, but doesn't it feel that way? I'm thinking it gets in though with how the slate is looking and if it's above average, it could win.
Why the other studios didn't jump to put their A+ stuff this year as soon as they found out that Pixar's entry is a sequel to one of their weakest films is beyond me tbh.
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Hey, you are so wrong about forgetting the movie Rio. Trust me, it's a wonderful movie and at least it will be in the 3 or 5 spot in the Oscar 2012. Dont forget April 15... Tell me if I'm wrong.
Cars is good but not great. I actually believe that. The trailers for Cars 2 make it look terrible, but so do the trailers for all Pixar movies. I remember thinking that Up, Toy Story 3, and Ratatouille all looked bad from their trailer. And they weren't in the slightest. I still have faith in Pixar. Cars 2 is the frontrunner for the Oscar in my opinion.
Don't forget The Borrower Arrietty, i've heard is getting a North American release most likely this year, and may taken the indie/foreign films lot.
I personally think we're looking more like:
1. Winnie the Pooh
2. Cars 2
3. Rango
With Happy Feet 2 & some random movie being the additional ones. Then again, Tintin could be in contention, in which case the entire race goes up in smoke. I really feel that Winnie the Pooh, if they do it right, will be the likely victor. Rango seems too early-in-the-year and too not-cute to win. It's a pity that The Illusionist didn't come out this year, because the way that the year is heading, Sylvian Chomet may have finally won that Oscar.
I wonder if Pixar will surprise and Cars 2 will end up immensely better than the original....
I'll agree with Danielle's predictions with the caveat that Cars 2 could snatch Rango's spot.
I've always wondered about this, and I mean it--what's wrong with Cars? Yeah, it's slow--it's supposed to be, given that a huge theme in the movie is slowing down to appreciate the beauty and wonder of things that often get taken for granted or otherwise ignored. Yeah, it's not an original idea--what is? There are arguments--some more convincing than others--that every film Pixar's made owes a big debt to something else. I just don't get the Cars hate (and it's not just here, it seems to be almost universal). Honestly. Then again, I also don't get the love for The Incredibles, so maybe I'm just different. Anyway, my two cents.
A bit behind the eightball on this (isn't that the way with the internet? Miss a day or two and the conversation moves on). But I am happy to step in and defend Cars.
Cars is an excellent movie. No two ways about it. It's problem is that, though it presents as the most childish of the kids (the astronomical merchandising from it doesn't help that impression) it's actually the most nuanced and thematically esoteric of the Pixar oeuvre.
Though it has fast-paced and thrilling car races, it is a slower, quieter film. It spends a lot of time working with the characters, particularly in the way it dwells with them in their sadness. It's kind of like Glee, a profoundly sad show dressed up in joyous colorful clothes.
Its theme of the death of small town America and the strength found in community is not your average kid's fare. It's wistful, melancholic and hopeful at the same time. It's about the way commercialism and relentless consumerism stops us from truly connecting with each other. It's about the value of friendship that is about you not your achievements.
It is not, of course, as good as anything that has come since, but it can sit comfortably alongside Monsters Inc. and A Bug's Life as a great, if not transcendent, Pixar film.
There are not excuses here, no "i didn't love it, but...". Read it here in black and white: Cars is a great film.
''Brave'' looks so much like Princess Mononoke, it's crazy.
I hated Cars. But I am hoping Cars 2 will be Pixar's new Toy Story (doubt it).
Rango looks like the one to beat right now.