Award archives...

Post by **Meg** » January 22nd, 2008, 3:09 pm

Because it's animated. In the voter's eyes...

Ratatouille = animation = only for kids = not mature enough for Best Pic Oscar.

(I can't say most American studios have done much to change this point of view, I should mention...)

Post by **Daniel** » January 22nd, 2008, 4:27 pm

No Simpsons Movie!?

Ah well, in all honesty, the other two do deserve it more. Ratatouille gets my vote.

Btw, I know this is an announcement, but we do have two old award threads for 2008:

Best Animated Feature 2007/08

Oscars '08?

Post by **Ben** » January 22nd, 2008, 5:07 pm

Thanks Dan, I've merged this into our existing Oscars 2008 discussion.

Remember, folks, we also have a non-animated chat going here:
http://www.animated-news.com/forum/view ... 1776#41776

Post by **James** » January 22nd, 2008, 5:24 pm

Sorry - was linking to the forum from the front page and wanted a fresh thread that didn't have multiple pages to sift through. Link fixed to help with that.

Post by **Ben** » January 22nd, 2008, 5:44 pm

Oops - sorry James. Just checked your front page link and you've done what I was going to suggest. Apologies for the mix up.

Post by **Therese** » January 22nd, 2008, 6:38 pm

First off: I'm gonna go get "Surf's Up" this weekend. Haven't seen it yet, but just from what I've heard, I was really happy they got the 3rd slot.

I am thrilled that Michael Giacchino got the score nomination! That was the one I really wanted that I was afraid wouldn't happen. If he actually wins, you will hear me whooping and hollering from coast to coast. I'm excited for all the Rat nominations, though. So, how many times now has a Pixar film been nominated for Best Original Screenplay? (I'm thinking 4: Nemo, Incredibles, Ratatouille, and I'm pretty sure Toy Story 2.)

The Ratatouille/Persepolis matchup makes me think of the year of Finding Nemo vs. Triplets of Belleville, when Nemo won. Persepolis will have its supporters, but I think Ratatouille is such a great film, I'll be stunned if it doesn't win. After all, Rotten Tomatoes has confirmed that Ratatouille was the best reviewed animated film, best reviewed wide-release film, and 2nd best reviewed overall.

Spirited Away, as I recall, was far, far and away the best reviewed animated film of its year; my heart was with Lilo & Stitch, but I knew SA was a lock for the win (that was also the only year so far with 5 nominees for Animated Feature). I think Spirited Away marked the year that a lot of the critics groups started choosing a "best animated feature."

Oh, assuming there's an Oscar telecast, they usually have an animated character or characters present an award - greatest one ever was Edna Mode presenting Best Costumes - "You can turn off the teleprompter, darling, I know what I want to say." I know it will probably be Remy & Emile, but it would be fantastic if it could be Anton Ego, haha!

Post by **Kaszubas** » January 23rd, 2008, 8:18 am

Therese wrote: I know it will probably be Remy & Emile, but it would be fantastic if it could be Anton Ego, haha!

Oh I second that Therese

That would be cool

Post by **Randall** » February 17th, 2008, 1:39 pm

Persepolis screened in Iran:

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2008/ ... kip300x250

Some small edits were made. largely those of a sexual nature, apparently.

It's funny. Iranians have now had the chance to see it (which was an iffy prospect), but most of us westerners haven't seen it yet!

Post by **Meg** » February 17th, 2008, 3:27 pm

I have!

(It was fantastic, and could probably give Rat a run for it's money.)

Post by **Randall** » February 17th, 2008, 3:34 pm

I can't wait to hear about a DVD release.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » February 17th, 2008, 11:03 pm

You might want to rent Persepolis first.

It's not something I'd pay to own for sure.

I saw it at the local art theater last night. It definitely falls into the category of depressing film that's good to see once but NOT something I have to see all the time and own to torture myself with.

Passing on the DVD/Blu-Ray release.

Other than that, yeah, it's unconventional but far from being the most aesthetically-pleasing film I've seen. I'll take Disney popcorn any day of the week as far as animation and character design are concerned. Loads better to watch visually and easier to take. I don't consider it entertainment when a film leaves me MORE depressed at the end than when I went in to see it. Persepolis would have flopped at any rate if it'd had a wide release. Also, the subtitling doesn't help for a mass-audience, either.

This is almost the animated film for Goths and Nihilists. The main character practically belongs to one of those two groups. Messed-up kid, yeah. Does she bring on half the problems in her life on herself? Yeah. Iran's not great, but there are definitely issues of personality behind what happens in the film. That type of person's always going to have problems no matter where they live.

Again, not my cup of tea.

The guys at Cartoon Brew and fans of this film are kidding themselves if they think Persepolis will ever play big or spark a revolution in animation that breaks the yolk of musicals and animal films. Persepolis just isn't that good or appealing enough to the average person. You have to convince the masses, like it or not.

Post by **droosan** » February 18th, 2008, 2:26 am

I thought Persepolis 'worked' much better as a graphic-novel, than it did as a movie. But then, this is true of most film adaptations from comics.

I do think Persepolis is worthy of serious Academy Award consideration; it's certainly the 'type' of story that would usually play quite well with the Academy crowd, were it in live-action .. but IMO, Ratatouille soundly 'trumps' Persepolis in nearly every aspect which is important to animated film-making (story-telling, character, composition, design, you-name-it). Surf's Up is quite good in all of these areas, as well.

Persepolis would have had a much better shot at Best Foreign Film. It still could win for Best Animated Feature .. but the competition is definitely 'stiffer' than in BFF.

---------------

I listened to the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack again the other day. Why on Earth didn't Little Wonders get a nomination..?

It's an absolutely fantastic song, which encapsulates everything the film is about (not to mention everything the 'new' WDFA studio wants to be about). Surely, Enchanted could have done with one less nom' for best song, in order to work LW in..? Ah, well ..

Post by **Ben** » February 18th, 2008, 2:30 pm

I can't believe La Vie En Rose didn't walk away with a Foreign Film nod. Saw it over the weekend, and...wow...heavy going but brilliant. Marion Cotillard deserves the Best Actress award she's up for for her amazing portrayal of Edith Piaf, along with the Make Up prize, for the stunning transformation from her as a young girl to a woman looking for older than her years.

But...how this didn't get in as a Best Foreign Film is beyond me.

Post by **Whippet Angel** » February 18th, 2008, 5:05 pm

It's funny how some animation buffs who didn't care much for Persepolis, are comparing it to other works (Disney for example) and don't consider it to be very good "for an animated film."

It's funny because we're the ones who always go on and on about how animation should be seen as a medium, rather than a genre.

I found Persepolis to be very enjoyable as a stand-alone film, and definitely not comparable to Disney. Yes, it may be depressing, but I'd consider that more of a personal taste. Some people (like me) don't really have a problem watching or reading a story of a depressing nature, so long as the story is well-told, or presented in an interesting way (a perfect example would be the novel Slaughterhouse Five, by Vonnegut. It's a favorite of mine, as the story can often be extremely sad, and yet extremely hilarious at the same time).

Eh, I really think Persepolis should've been nominated for BFF instead. As a film it isn't remotely comparable to Rat (who I think deserves best animated, but may not get it if the Academy goes their usual route of going with the more "serious" film...

).

Post by **Meg** » February 18th, 2008, 8:29 pm

Persepolis is nothing like Disney's more kiddie-centered films and in no way should be compared to them. I love when I see something original and fresh in a medium where most everything is more of the same.