Animated Films, When Will An Animated Film Win The Coveted Best Picture Oscar?

[CelestialFairyIX]

Considering the bias, TDK had no shot at BP. It should have been nominated however. 

Sorry to bother you but... what does the abbreviation, "BP" stand for?

[AniNate]

Not for the forseeable future. It's still a struggle just to get one nominated. It would take some sort of revolutionary development in the industry that would get the Oscars to take it seriously; probably something along the lines of a dramatic PG-13 or R-rated film that gets Boyhood-level reviews. I'm not counting on it being Sausage Party, despite Megan Ellison's blessings.

Edited January 18, 2015 by tribefan695

[CelestialFairyIX]

Not for the forseeable future. It's still a struggle just to get one nominated. It would take some sort of revolutionary development in the industry that would get the Oscars to take it seriously; probably something along the lines of a dramatic PG-13 or R-rated film that gets Boyhood-level reviews. I'm not counting on it being Sausage Party, despite Megan Ellison's blessings.

The title alone makes me queasy but we'll have to wait and see till it comes out so we can dissect the movie!

[AniNate]

It's written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. That's about all you need to know.

[CelestialFairyIX]

I see... their cinematic history seems to be abundant with high critical consensus... My hopes for this movie have risen, thank you!

[Rorschach]

It all depends on the year. More live action films are made than animated films, with only about ten or so each year (guessed average) released into theaters widely, so the animated film would probably have to be a big game changer or something truly Amzing that not only effects it's main medium but others as well.

[Spidey Freak]

It has to be a culmination of many factors. A ground breaking piece of work in a year with not so impressive live action movies (2011 comes to mind).

 

I have a feeling though that once the Academy is filled with a majority of members born during or after 1982-1985 (who would have still been children when the Disney Renaissance and the rise of Studios Ghibli and Pixar occurred), is when animated films will finally get the proper respect that they deserve. 

[cookie]

Until attitudes like these stop being prevalent, I can't see it happening.

[TalismanRing]

Until attitudes like these stop being prevalent, I can't see it happening.

 

That has nothing to do with the nominating process though.  Those are some remarks from the 6,000 plus membership and have an impact on the eventual winner.  Nominations are done by volunteers from the Animation branch.

[cookie]

That has nothing to do with the nominating process though.  Those are some remarks from the 6,000 plus membership and have an impact on the eventual winner.  Nominations are done by volunteers from the Animation branch.

 

The thread question was about winning Best Picture, which I said won't happen if large sections of the voter group are that dismissive towards the medium.

Edited January 18, 2015 by C00k13

[CoolioD1]

Needs to be a perfect storm of stuff like:

 

-The animated feature category would just have to be removed

-It would need to be technically innovative in some way that doesn't seem easily repeatable. Like Boyhood is the frontrunner because of the 12 years thing. whatever the animated version of boyhood is.

-probably needs some real life political allegory to prestige it up a bit.

-it probably needs to become literally the highest grossing movie of all time.

-critics wins. can't just blame the academy when these guys won't go to bat for these movies either. Doesn't work all the time but critics wins can legitimize contenders early on (don't think hurt locker would've won best picture without the 101 critics wins it got. brought the buzz back in a strong way)

-And yes, like Spidey said, it needs weak-ass competition. 

-need a great campaigner who'll help voters to take the movie seriously. disney have a reputation for weak campaigning, so if one wins it won't be one of their movies.

[mahnamahna]

Needs to be a perfect storm of stuff like:

 

-The animated feature category would just have to be removed

-It would need to be technically innovative in some way that doesn't seem easily repeatable. Like Boyhood is the frontrunner because of the 12 years thing. whatever the animated version of boyhood is.

-probably needs some real life political allegory to prestige it up a bit.

-it probably needs to become literally the highest grossing movie of all time.

-critics wins. can't just blame the academy when these guys won't go to bat for these movies either. Doesn't work all the time but critics wins can legitimize contenders early on (don't think hurt locker would've won best picture without the 101 critics wins it got. brought the buzz back in a strong way)

-And yes, like Spidey said, it needs weak-ass competition. 

-need a great campaigner who'll help voters to take the movie seriously. disney have a reputation for weak campaigning, so if one wins it won't be one of their movies.

^this

 

Even thought there's been plenty of years where an animated film should have won:

 

1. 1937: Snow White (Life of Emilie Zota?... it's no contest. Snow White was the best of 1937)
2. 1940 arguably: Fantasia or Pinocchio (BP could have gone to Grapes, Fantasia, Great Dictator or Pinocchio - 2 of which are mainly animated) 
3. 1964 arguably: Mary Poppins (probably the best chance animation ever had at a BP win... Dr. Strangelove wasn't nominated, and Walt was due for a lifetime achievement award for BP) 
4. 1988: Grave of the Fireflies or Roger Rabbit (Grave of the Fireflies is just as emotionally devasting as any Oscar-bait film that's live-action. Roger Rabbit was a technical masterpiece backed up by a stellar sendup of classic film noir and 1940s cartoons) 
5. 1991 arguably: Beauty & the Beast (B&TB is worthy of BP, but Lambs, JFK, Boyz and T2 were also deserving of BP. Happy with any of those)
6. 1992: Aladdin (Aladdin is easily the most relevant and remembered film from 1992... Unforgiven was just the Academy giving Clint a lifetime achievement award) 
7. 1994 arguably: The Lion King (Gump, Shawshank and Pulp were also pretty great... I'm good with any of the four as BP)
8. 1995: Toy Story (in terms of innovation and timelessness, nothing approaches Toy Story from 1995) 
9. 2002: Spirited Away (easily Ghibli's crowning achievement. Better than Two Towers or Chicago easily) 
10. 2008 arguably: WALL-E (TDK is my favorite from that year, but I'd take WALL-E over what did win) 
11. 2009 arguably: Up (Basterds and Hurt Locker probably deserved BP more, but this winning wouldn't upset me)
12. 2010: Toy Story 3 (other than Social Network, I really don't see how this didn't win BP. King's Speech was just a competently-told story. Inception was a visual marvel, but a bit convoluted in story. Black Swan and Fighter were typical Oscar bait. True Grit was a decent Western. Winter's Bone was far too low-key to win BP. If anyone other than Disney was in charge of the BP campaign, TS3 would have won IMO) 
13. 2014 arguably: The LEGO Movie (should have been nominated. It's easily the most original and innovative film of 2014. It had the critical raves and BO success. It deserved the 9th or 10th BP slot at least) 

There's been times where animation DESERVED a BP win... just didn't happen. In fact, most of the Oscar's history involves the wrong film winning BP. 

 

1. 1927: Metropolis
2. 1928: Steamboat Bill, Jr. 
3. 1929: The Broadway Melody of 1929
4. 1930: All Quiet on the Western Front
5. 1931: City Lights
6. 1932: Scarface 
7. 1933: King Kong
8. 1934: It Happened One Night
9. 1935: Top Hat 
10. 1936: Modern Times 
11. 1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
12. 1938: Bringing Up Baby
13. 1939: Gone With the Wind 
14. 1940: The Grapes of Wrath 
15. 1941: Citizen Kane
16. 1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy
17. 1943: Casablanca
18. 1944: Double Indemnity
19. 1945: The Lost Weekend
20. 1946: It's a Wonderful Life
21. 1947: Miracle on 34th Street 
22. 1948: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
23. 1949: The Bicycle Thief
24. 1950: All About Eve
25. 1951: A Streetcar Named Desire
26. 1952: Singin' in the Rain
27. 1953: Roman Holiday 
28. 1954: Seven Samurai
29. 1955: Rebel Without a Cause
30. 1956: The Ten Commandments
31. 1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai
32. 1958: Vertigo
33. 1959: The 400 Blows 
34. 1960: Breathless 
35. 1961: Breakfast at Tiffany's
36. 1962: Lawrence of Arabia
37. 1963: 8 1/2
38. 1964: Mary Poppins
39. 1965: The Sound of Music
40. 1966: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 
41. 1967: Bonnie and Clyde
42. 1968: Rosemary's Baby
43. 1969: Midnight Cowboy
44. 1970: Patton
45. 1971: A Clockwork Orange 
46. 1972: The Godfather
47. 1973: The Exorcist
48. 1974: The Godfather Part II
49. 1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
50. 1976: Network
51. 1977: Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope
52. 1978: The Deer Hunter
53. 1979: Apocalypse Now 
54. 1980: The Shining 
55. 1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark
56. 1982: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
57. 1983: Terms of Endearment
58. 1984: The Natural
59. 1985: Back to the Future
60. 1986: Aliens 
61. 1987: The Princess Bride
62. 1988: Grave of the Fireflies
63. 1989: Do the Right Thing
64. 1990: Goodfellas
65. 1991: JFK 
66. 1992: Aladdin
67. 1993: Schindler's List
68. 1994: Forrest Gump
69. 1995: Toy Story
70. 1996: Fargo
71. 1997: Boogie Nights
72. 1998: Saving Private Ryan
73. 1999: Fight Club
74. 2000: Requiem of a Dream 
75. 2001: Mulholland Drive
76. 2002: Spirited Away
77. 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
78. 2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
79. 2005: Brokeback Mountain
80. 2006: United 93
81. 2007: No Country for Old Men
82. 2008: The Dark Knight 
83. 2009: Inglorious Basterds
84. 2010: Toy Story 3
85. 2011: Midnight in Paris
86. 2012: Zero Dark Thirty
87. 2013: Gravity
88. 2014: Boyhood (most likely... Birdman, Sniper or Imitation could win though) 

 

19 out of 88 potential ceremonies (18 if Boyhood loses)... that's not even 25% accuracy. If anything, winning BP hurts a film's timelessness since it causes a lot of backlash most times.

Edited January 18, 2015 by mahnamahna

[AniNate]

I'd like to know how you're defining that "accuracy"

[mahnamahna]

I'd like to know how you're defining that "accuracy"

Timelessness, overall quality and relevance. 

[AniNate]

Timelessness, overall quality and relevance. 

 

So nothing quantitative. I fail to see the point of trying to base a voting body's "accuracy" on that. 

[cookie]

Timelessness, overall quality and relevance. 

 

Tbf the former can't actually be determined in less than a year.

Edited January 18, 2015 by C00k13

[Empire]

Timelessness, overall quality and relevance.

If you are going by that, Empire Strikes Back should win for 1980 over The Shinning.

[TalismanRing]

That has nothing to do with the nominating process though.  Those are some remarks from the 6,000 plus membership and have an impact on the eventual winner.  Nominations are done by volunteers from the Animation branch.

 

Sorry, this discussions is going on in so many topics I forgot where I was.

Edited January 18, 2015 by TalismanRing

[TalismanRing]

If you are going by that, Empire Strikes Back should win for 1980 over The Shinning.

 

The Shining shouldn't even be in the conversation. but ESTB deserved nom. But the film that won is more deserving - Ordinary People and so were at least two of the other nominees - Raging Bull and The Elephant Man.

 

Film like all art is of course subjective.

 

[BadAtGender]

1. 2010: Toy Story 3 (other than Social Network, I really don't see how this didn't win BP. King's Speech was just a competently-told story. Inception was a visual marvel, but a bit convoluted in story. Black Swan and Fighter were typical Oscar bait. True Grit was a decent Western. Winter's Bone was far too low-key to win BP. If anyone other than Disney was in charge of the BP campaign, TS3 would have won IMO) 
2. 2014 arguably: The LEGO Movie (should have been nominated. It's easily the most original and innovative film of 2014. It had the critical raves and BO success. It deserved the 9th or 10th BP slot at least) 

 

Toy Story 3 wasn't even the best ANIMATED film in 2010, so it was hardly deserving of BP.

 

And WTF? The LEGO movie doesn't deserve to even be in the conversation of BP.