ACADEMY AWARDS: It’s not just the ‘LEGO’ snub. How the whole 2015 Animation Feature Oscars race is ‘deja-view’ all over again.
IT’S NOT JUST the whole ” ‘LEGO Movie’ snub” thing. Today’s Academy Award nominations bear a striking resemblance to the Best Animated Feature race of five years ago. To peel back the gold curtain a bit, let’s take a “deja-view.” To wit:
In 2010, Oscars voters decided they liked Tomm Moore‘s lush-and-verdant handcrafted tale rooted in Irish lore, “The Secret of Kells.” In 2015, Oscar voters decided they liked Tomm Moore’s lush-and-rustic handcrafted tale rooted in Irish lore, “Song of the Sea.”
In 2010, the upstart Oregon-rooted studio that pays slavish attention to stop-motion detail (Laika) scored a nom with the fantastical “Coraline.” In 2015, the upstart Oregon-rooted studio that pays slavish attention to stop-motion detail (Laika) scored a nom with the fantastical “The Boxtrolls.”
In 2010, Oscar voters liked a warmly rendered princess tale: Disney’s retro-handcrafted “The Princess and the Frog.” In 2015, Oscar voters liked a warmly rendered princess tale: Studio Ghibli‘s gorgeous retro-handcrafted “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.”
And then, yes: In 2010, the Academy passed over Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s fun 3-D/CGI, Golden Globe-nominated hit featuring an NBC star,“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.” In 2015, the Academy passed over Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s fun 3-D/CGI, Golden Globe-nominated hit featuring an NBC star, “The LEGO Movie.”
This year’s race also includes “How to Train Your Dragon 2″; four years ago, Dean DeBlois was nominated for the original film in that franchise.
There are, however, at least two especially notable differences this time around:
In 2010, Wes Anderson got Academy recognition for his animated adventure “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (including Bill Murray); in 2015, Wes Anderson got Academy recognition for his highly “animated” real-lifeadventure, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (including Bill Murray).
And perhaps most important, 2010 offered an easy consensus pick that stands as a benchmark of animated storytelling: Pixar’s “Up.”
In 2014, alas, Pixar did not release a film.
Hence: Let more hand-wringing than usual ensue.
[ANIMATION OSCAR: After snapping up other noms, why was 'LEGO Movie' snubbed for Feature?]
[THE OSCARS: Handicapping the Best Animated Feature race of 2010]
Writer/artist/visual storyteller Michael Cavna is creator of the "Comic Riffs" column and graphic-novel reviewer for The Post's Book World. He relishes sharp-eyed satire in most any form
