The Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars has been dominated by Disney and Pixar movies, meaning that some animated classics have been ignored. The category was introduced at the 74th Academy Awards, honoring movies from 2001.Shrekwas the inaugural winner, but it didn’t take long for Disney to establish a stranglehold on the category, and they have won 15 of the 23 awards so far. While many of these awards were well-deserved, there were some more contentious winners that have led to accusations of bias.
As people start to make their2025 Oscars predictions, Disney has yet another strong contender inInside Out 2.However, movies likeFlow, The Wild RobotandWallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowlmean that Disney is actually the underdog for once. IfInside Out 2andMoana 2both fail to win, it will mark the first time that Disney has gone three years without winning Best Animated Feature since the category was invented. This could symbolize a new dawn, as the Academy starts to recognize the incredible diversity of animated movies from all over the world.
The first twoToy Storymovies came out in the 1990s, before the Academy had created the Best Animated Feature category. While they couldn’t get the awards they deserved, it always seemed likely thatToy Story 3would take home the Oscar. It’s a great movie, but its win may also have been a nod to the first two movies in the franchise. Under slightly different circumstances,How to Train Your Dragonmight have clinched the grand prize. As it turns out,all threeHow to Train Your Dragonmovies have been nominated, but none have won.
Under slightly different circumstances,How to Train Your Dragonmight have clinched the grand prize.
How to Train Your Dragonstands tall alongside the best DreamWorks movies, with a healthy balance between humor and action. It was the perfect movie to start a franchise, and the upcominglive-action remake ofHow to Train Your Dragonunderlines its lasting popularity. This is a move into Disney territory for DreamWorks, but they will be hoping for a more positive response than some of Disney’s live-action remakes. It will be a tough task recapturing the magic of the orignal.
Wolfwalkersis the third movie in a criminally underrated trilogy, after 2009’sThe Secret of Kellsand 2014’sSong of the Sea.While the movies aren’t connected in terms of their story, Tomm Moore imbues them each with a similar atmosphere as he brings Irish folklore to life.Wolkwalkersretells the famous story of the 17th century werewolves of Ossory. It’s an uplifting environmental fable that focuses on the power of human connection and bravery. While it received a number of awards and nominations, it lost Best Animated Feature to Pixar’sSoul.
One thing that helpsWolfwalkersstand out from other animated movies is its eye-catching art style. It’s animated in 2-D, but it doesn’t feel too much like a throwback. There are errant lines and hurried strokes that giveWolfwalkersthe appearance of a sketchbook that has come to life. This draws attention to the animation, which is perfect for a story that tries to revitalize old Irish myths for the 21st century. Beyond its quirky visual charms,Wolfwalkersis also an enchanting tale that’s easy to get fully wrapped up in.All three of Tomm Moore’s Irish folklore animations received nominations for Best Animated Feature, but none won.
Laika have developed a reputation as masters of stop-motion animation, starting with child-friendly horror hits likeCoralineandParaNorman.More recently, they have scaled up their ambitions. Movies likeKubo and the Two Stringsrepresent a blending of different genres, with horror, action, comedy and adventure all given equal weight, and the result is a stop-motion masterpiece that can be appreciated by people of all ages.Kubo and the Two Stringstakes inspiration from Japanese watercolor, woodblock carving and origami to suit its setting.
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Zootopiawon Best Animated Feature overKubo and the Two Stringsat the 89th Academy Awards.Zootopiais one of Disney’s better animated movies of the last decade, but it isn’t as visually distinct asKubo and the Two Strings,or other nominees likeThe Red TurtleandMy Life As a Courgette,for that matter. Not only isKubo and the Two Stringsa more interesting experiment thanZootopia,it’s a brilliantly told story that deserves more recognition.Laika’s next movie,Wildwood,will be hoping for a stronger box office showing and perhaps even some more luck during awards season.
Loving Vincentgenerated a lot of interest before it came out, which is rare for an independent animated movie. Each of the movie’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas in the style of Vincent van Gogh, the subject of the story. The production employed 125 painters from all around the world. Ultimately, this ambitious investment turned out wonderfully, andLoving Vincentproved to be much more than a gimmick. It’s one of the mostoriginal animated movies of recent years, proving the untapped potential of the medium. The Academy honored Pixar’s fantasy musicalCocoinstead.
Each of the movie’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas in the style of Vincent van Gogh.
WhileLoving Vincentis a touching tribute to the artist, it isn’t a traditional biopic.The story follows the little-known mystery of Vincent van Gogh’s deaththat has persisted for over a hundred years. The artist himself mostly exists in the shadows, as a man carries out a solo investigation into his apparent suicide. There are plenty of references to real figures from Van Gogh’s life for his fans to pick up on, butLoving Vincentworks just as well for the uninitiated who might want to discover a real-life murder mystery that has created conflicting theories for decades.
Disney had three strong contenders for Best Animated Feature at the 94th Academy Awards, withLucaandRaya and the Last Dragonboth losing out toEncanto.One movie looking to spoil the party wasFlee,and it would have been a groundbreaking moment for the Best Animated Feature category.Fleewould have been the first animated documentary to win at the Oscarsand the first Best Animated Feature winner that wasn’t made with a young audience in mind.Persepolislost out toRatatouillemany years earlier, butEncanto’s win is even more controversial.
Fleetells the story of a man who escaped his home country of Afghanistan to eventually settle in Denmark. It lays bare his trauma, the different paths of himself and his family, and his fear that he might still be found and forcibly returned to a country that persecutes him for his sexuality.Fleeproves that animation is capable of dealing with heavier topics, but the Academy has always awarded Best Animated Feature to children’s movies, ignoring some of the medium’s most interesting and experimental work.
The Lego Moviewas originally tipped as an early Oscar contender, but it wasn’t even nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards.It was a strong year for the category, withSong of the Sea, The Tale of the Princess KaguyaandHow to Train Your Dragon 2all competing. Ultimately, Disney scooped yet another award forBig Hero 6.The stiff competition may have been one reason whyThe Lego Moviewas overlooked, but it’s also possible that the Academy voters looked down on it as an exercise in advertising.
It’s possible that the Academy voters looked down on it as an exercise in advertising.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller eventually won their Oscar with 2018’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,but they could have won years earlier withThe Lego Movie.Despite what it looks like from the outside,The Lego Movieis so much more than a celebration of a beloved children’s toy. The story, the animation style and the irreverent humor all tie in to Lego’s philosophy of creativity and boundless imagination. Subsequent Lego movies haven’t quite hit the same heights, and there are now confusing plans for somelive-action Lego moviesto expand the franchise.
Just like withToy Story 3nine years earlier,Toy Story 4was the overwhelming favorite to take home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards. This is a shame in some ways, becausethe Academy nominated four other great movies who would have been worthy winners, and each one brought something different to the table.I Lost My Body’s experimental, mature style was ignored, andHow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden Worldfailed to bring home a first Oscar for one of the best animated franchises ever.
Klausis a brilliant Christmas movie, and one of only a handful from recent years that seems to have staying power.
Klausis a brilliant Christmas movie, and one of only a handful from recent years that seems to have enough staying power to ensure it gets watched every holiday season for years to come. Its sweet style is a throwback toclassic Christmas cartoonsin some ways, but it incorporates more elements of 3-D composition to ensure that it stands out and feels fresh. The story is also a thoughtful synthesis of old and new, putting a twist on some traditional Christmas tropes while still retaining the magic and joy of the genre.
Fantastic Mr. Foxis one ofWes Anderson’s best movies, even though it was his first venture into animation. 2018’sIsle of Dogsalso earned an Oscar nomination, ultimately losing out toSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,butFantastic Mr. Foxshould have pippedUpyears earlier.Upwas the third in a row of four consecutive Pixar movies to take home Best Animated Feature, proving that the Oscars ignored the variety of animated movies.Fantastic Mr. Fox’s stop-motion style allows Anderson full control, which suits his artistic sensibilities perfectly.
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Fantastic Mr. Foxinitially puzzled some critics, who weren’t sure whether to categorize it as a children’s movie or a more mature story. After all, Anderson adds several flourishes to Roald Dahl’s children’s book which don’t seem like they’re designed to appeal to younger audiences, like Mr. Fox’s financial balancing act and his anxieties over his public image. Whether it should be classified as a children’s movie or not,Fantastic Mr. Foxis a brilliant action comedy that has the same wit and singular vision of Anderson’s other movies.
