Best Animated Feature Films

I was supposed to comment on the animated films that were nominated for Oscars a couple weeks ago, but it is just now that I am getting around to it. Since there are only three films being nominated this year, this won't take too long. For me, the movie that seems like the obvious choice to be the winner is "Wallice and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit." Even if you never liked W&G cartoons (and if you don't, check yourseld into a clinic, because you are one deluted person) this movie is an easy win with it's likable characters, old fashioned story telling, great humor, and a nice twist to help shake the story up a bit in the middle of the movie.

Some people have claimed that this might not win because it doesn't look very artictic or complicated. But hey, neither was "The Sound of Music" when you stop and think about it. No, "Wallice and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit" will win the Oscar not because it's super complicated, but because it's GOOD! Gee, what a novel concept, a movie winning an Oscar because of its enjoyment factor over its artistic merrits. The movie that is going to give "Wallice and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit" a run for it's money is Hayao Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle." Now I admit, this is NOT my favorite Miyazaki movie!

I enjoyed the movie, but I only enjoyed the first eighty minutes. The last thirty minutes were too confusing and the story seemed to fall appart just a tad bit. If it weren't for those last thirty minutes, we may be singing a different tune, as "Howl's Moving Castle" is both artistic and enjoyable. The problem is, it just doesn't keep steam the whole movie, and the ending is just weird and confusing. I'm sure it will help Disney if "Howl's Moving Castle" does win though, seeing as how the DVD will be released two days later, making it easy for people to buy it after it wins an award.

The odd picture is "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," which is not terribly complicated or deep in too many ways, but man it sure is artistic. The thing with "Corpse Bride" is that, except for the love triangle and the ending, the movie is really very typical of most romantic comedies (yes, "Corpse Bride" is a comedy). Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, third girl who guy is also attrachted to comes into the picture and stirs things up. Throw in a murder, and you've got the movie in a nutshell. This movie is not Best Picture material. Still, I think it is Best Picture NOMINATION worthy!

If nothing else because the story, standerd as it is, is very enjoyable, and the animation is breathtaking. This movie makes a strong case for animation being nominated for "Best Visual Effects." So now that we've actually got an interesting batch of nomination.

"Wallice and Gromit": Light on artistic technicalities, but high on enjoyabiliy.

"Howl's Moving Castle": Contains a great mix of enjoyment and artistic merrits that falls appart at the end.

"Corpse Bride": Light story but very high production values.

Gee, wonder how THAT happened! Oh well, either way I must say these nominations are much better then having "Madagascar" and "Chicken Little" being nominated. I'd like to make an Oscar post on the actors, but I realize that I am surprisingly ignorant of the Best Actress catigory, as I've only seen two of the films the actresses have been in. Oh well, "Transmerica" is playing at a theater near me, maybe I'll check that out tonight and rent "North Country" afterwards.

Currently Listening To: Dolly Parton - "Transmerica" Soundtrack