10 Candidates for Animation Nomination
Six full CG-features made the list of ten animated features deemed eligible by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which allows a total of 3 nominees for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This list include Chicken Little from Disney Animation, Gulliver’s Travels from the India-based Pentamedia Graphics, Hoodwinked from Weinstein, Co., Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, Madagascar from Dreamworks Animatiom, Robots from Blue Sky Animation, Otomo’s Steamboy, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Valiant from Vanguard Animation, and, last but not least. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit from Aardman Animation.
This may be thought of as a weak year for computer animation with no Pixar production in the running, and half of the candidate film being newcomer films from studios that had never before released a feature length computer animation. However, it is certainly a good year for stop motion animation with Wallace and Gromit and Corpse Bride both receiving critic-acclaim and box-office success. So who will be nominated? We won’t know until Jan. 31, 2006, but I would put my money on Wallace and Gromit, Corpse Bride, and Madagascar, with Wallace and Gromit taking home the Oscar. We’ll find out in a few months if I am right.