With all the bustle of awards season, it's easy to forget that this is the tenth year of the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars, and the nominees have been diverse and mostly rewarding. So here is my compilation of the ten best nominees in this category to date, stretching all the way back to 2001. And I can promise you that it's not all Pixar.
10. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Directed by Wes Anderson
I'm not really a great fan of Wes Anderson, because most of his work is far more miss than hit. He does have an enthusiasm about him and that energy shows in his work. So what better medium for his to try his hand at than animation, or more specifically stop-motion. After Henry Selick left the project for bigger and quite honestly better things (see #4), Anderson became the unlikely director, and brought so much to it. Authenticity is something that always impresses me, and this is undeniably the most authentic animated feature of the past decade. Everything feels so real and untarnished, from the aesthetic of the dolls that make up the characters, to witty script that rivals The Hangover in terms of screwball antics. It definitely feels like the sort of film that would be passed down through the years.
9. Persepolis (2007)
Directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
A French animated adaptation of an autobiographical graphic novel about the Iranian revolution. That's a description that will only ever be suited to this film, and you can overlook how unique this film is at first glance. From the basic and simple animation style, this film is more than just a look into the way the government of Iran changed, but also a spry and emotional tale of the way a little girl changes as she grows up. It has an ironic comic timing to it, and that's very much amplified by the constantly changing atmosphere of Marjane Satrapi's mindset. The film moves at such a clip that you can feel that change of mind that zigzags around so frantically. It's like catching lightning in a bottle, and how it bounces around from there.
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
When thinking of Pixar's achievements over the past decade, the mind always seems to shift to the film that truly put them on the map. Toy Story, A Bugs Life, and Monster's Inc. could all be seen as Pixar's precursor work, very much like Memento, Insomnia, and The Prestige could be seen as Christopher Nolan's precursor work to The Dark Knight. Both didn't truly hit worldwide renown until their greatest hits yet premiered. Finding Nemo is very much the film most responsible for Pixar's impeccable track record. It didn't stray too far away from the harshness of life, nor the cruelty of the sea. It has plenty humorous anecdotes along the way, and to this day there ceases to be a voice performance that reaches the same heights as Ellen Degeneres as Dori. The men and women over at Pixar still had plenty greater works to unveil, but this was the perfect beginning.
7. Up (2009)
Directed by Pete Doctor
I know there are going to be shouts of outrage that this isn't higher on the list, but all these films are extremely close in quality. This was the Pixar film that cemented their reputation as manufacturers of childhood tears, in a good way. Before seeing the film, nobody knew that one of the main characters was going to die 10 minutes into it. That mix of shock and sadness set the bar early on for a great film, and they lived up to that in my opinion. Many weren't impressed with the third act action piece, but that exciting display of action, embellished by Michael Giacchino's fantastic score, really had me more excited than that hour long war sequence in Avatar. I'm wierd like that.
6. WALL-E (2008)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
A few months ago, I was chatting up about Pixar with a few friends, and when we got around to WALL-E, I was surprised to hear that the reaction wasn't as positive as hoped. We know that Up and Toy Story 3 are the more potent tearjerkers, but WALL-E had such audacious inventiveness with how it told the story of a robot. The first 45 minutes are undoubtedly the greatest and most textured that Pixar has ever done, and the silent emotion of the main character can be told by the slightest twitch. You can see when he's sad or joyful, and we are talking about a machine. The second half, much like Up, does feel a bit out of place, but when the stakes are that high and you're in the moment, it's hard not to feel the impact of this work. I would never say that this is a diminishing work with time.
5. Spirited Away (2001)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
In a list like this, you have to give mention to Hayao Miyazaki at least once, seeing as he's really the greatest animation director of all time in my opinion. So what better feature than Spirited Away to show his numerous talents. Miyazaki always has a knack for inventing stories that appeal to both children and adults, because we can all remember the trials of growing up. All those mixed emotions about going into a strange new place, and being given the choice to sink or swim. I kind of acquaint this feature to a reverse Black Swan, because they're both films of self-actualization. There really is a considerable amount of doubt between being told who you are and knowing who you want to be. The main character is given the difficult choice, given the friends and experiences she's had, of being Sen or Chihiro. It's somewhat melancholy in its telling, but ultimately hopeful.
4. Coraline (2009)
Directed by Henry Selick
A great companion piece to go along with Spirited Away, and perhaps even more so for Black Swan, my favorite animated feature from 2009 was Henry Selick's return to stop-motion animation. He's best known for The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is something that I never quite caught onto the way the rest of my generation did. I responded so immensely to this terrifying tale of young bravery against pure evil. It's a "the grass is greener" tale of seduction and betrayal, and what you think you want vs. what you know you need. I don't think a single film from that year had me on the edge of my seat the way this one did. It's intense, terrifying, relatable, and so meticulously created that you have to marvel at it in every second.
3. Ratatouille (2007)
Directed by Brad Bird
This was almost my favorite Pixar film of the decade, so what kept me from putting it at the top? Since it's best to get what I didn't like out of the way, this one just doesn't feel quite so monumental as some of the other Pixar classics. All the same, Ratatouille deserves attention and recommendation for being amongst the most beautiful and realistic films in Pixar's pantheon to date. It's especially appealing to a critic, because most of what the film is about is how the greatest artists aren't always the most likely, but often what you wouldn't expect. It's also about a passionate rat who wants to cook, a regular dope who falls in love, and a hard-as-stone critic who holds good taste close to his heart.
2. The Illusionist (2010)
Directed by Sylvain Chomet
I only just recently caught up to Sylvain Chomet's latest traditionally animated feature from France, and it surely was quite a calm treat. In the modern rush of technological prowess that resonates throughout the rest of this list, nothing advocates for the classical approach quite so much as this. The story of an unappreciated and lonely old magician and the sweet young girl he meets so fortunately in a tavern resonates so wonderfully and simply. It's clear why Guy Lodge of In Contention was so well inclined towards The Illusionist. The outcry against it retrieving the third slot in this year's animated feature race is completely unfounded, seeing as most who have criticized it so haven't even seen it. They'd much rather throw their appraisal towards pop-cinema CG features as Tangled and Megamind. They'll never be as sweet and memorable as Chomet's beautiful piece of work. There's not a lack of heartache, as the misery and isolation of technological advancement and materialism seep in. It's that tragic brutal irony that hits as you sit behind a screen watching it unfold.
1. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Edging out Chomet by a slight hair is Pixar's eleventh feature and the conclusion of the Toy Story trilogy. Come this Sunday, this is going to be the film that walks home with the Oscar, and for good reason. So rarely does a film series come to a halt in such perfect and emotional manner as this. There are at least four to five times in this film that will have you holding back tears, and it's all backed by the nostalgia established by the first two films. It's such a brilliant example of timing, because this one wouldn't be so effective if released five years ago. They had to wait for their core audience to reach this point in their lives when they're about to head into adulthood. Toy Story 3 is tragic, fun, exciting, joyful, terrifying, gorgeous, and I've run out of appropriate adjectives.
No comments:
Post a Comment