Well, it’s that time of year again: when the nominations for the Oscars have been announced! I’ll be posting my predictions of all the winners in a few weeks, but for now, let’s look at the nominees in the animation categories.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
-Anomalisa
-Boy & the World
-Inside Out
-Shaun the Sheep Movie
-When Marnie Was There
BEST ANIMATED SHORT:
-Bear Story
-We Can’t Live Without Cozmos
-Prologue
-Sanjay’s Super Team
-World of Tomorrow
In terms of Best Animated Feature, I’m surprised to see When Marnie Was There and Boy & the World on that list! It’s also interesting to see that The Peanuts Movie and The Good Dinosaur were both snubbed, but I can actually understand that.
In terms of Best Animated Short, I feel people might complain about Lava not being nominated. But, I was neutral about it. I liked it, but I can also understand it not being nominated
What do you all think of these and all the other nominees?
The Animation Commendation 
I have a feeling the winning contender will be the obvious Inside out. I do hope Boy and the world wins the category or Anomalisa( Haven’t seen as of yet but the animation looks very up to par). The Boy and the world was certainly a film that pulled on the heart strings. I recommend watching all the films. When Marnie was there was also a good film as well from studio ghibli
Yeah, I have to watch three of those films still.
Did you like Inside out? I hate to say it but i thought the movie was boring and a little dull.
Wow, you’re I think the 2nd person I’ve heard who didn’t like Inside Out.
I loved the movie and you can read my review of it here: https://markb4.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/my-thoughts-inside-out-2015/
il’l look into your review. i think it was boring to me because i expected what was going to happen throughout the film. Like other reviews and opinions it is a must see animation that does help people understand “emotions” at a simple level
I’m very happy with these nominations! Inside Out is one of my favorite movies ever now, so I would love to see it win. And honestly, I didn’t like Lava.
Lava could go either way for me.
What are your reasons for not liking lava? I thought it was a cute short
I didn’t like Lava – the story, and the design of the volcanoes, didn’t really do anything for me – so I’m fine with it not being nominated. I really liked Sanjay’s Super Team though.
I’m pleased that Inside Out has also been nominated for Best Original Screenplay, but I don’t expect it’ll win.
Yeah, I was hoping Inside Out would get Best Score too, but that didn’t happen.
Curious to know but where were you able to see sanjays super team? I couldn’t find it anywhere in my location ( united states). To The animation commendation i don’t think the good dinosaur deserved a nomination. I’m surprised Mune or the little prince wasn’t nominated ( both international films)
Lava was okay, but I wasn’t blown away by it…I haven’t seen the other shorts, but considering the usual high quality of shorts, I am sure that Lava not being there isn’t a snub.
I am very pleased with the list for best animated feature…I mean, I think it is kind of a given that inside out will win, but I am very glad that they went for some more obscure movies and left nice but not outstanding movies off the list. I am especially pleased by the lack of minions.
How do you feel about The Peanuts Movie or The Good Dinosaur not being nominated? Do you feel they were snubs or deservedly left out?
I still haven’t watched The Good Dinosaur, but I think that the Peanuts Movie is a little bit too quaint. I am sure that the Peanuts movie will get a nod at the annies, but when there are only five spots, well, it has to be a bad year for animation for a typical Peanuts movie to get a spot.
Peanuts Movie is not typical! It had a style we’ve never seen before except in shorts like Feast! The plot in Boy and the World is no more special than Peanuts. The academy just chose one artistic style over another.
The style is the same all Peanuts movie have, they just manage to translate it into CGI.
I totally disagree. The hybrid animation was something new and different. Sure it’s a Peanuts movie so it looks like the characters and world in a sense but it looks very different than anything they’ve ever done. Just the colors alone are way different than any of the specials. The style is not the same at all.
If you are going to make an argument about typical than Shaun the Sheep is far more guilty of that. It’s a long episode of the show. I loved it but it is creatively no different than the show.
I am not sure if many academy voters are even aware that it is based on a show.
I guess but it’s been on for years and you can stream it on amazon. I certainly think they would be more familiar with that show than Boy and the World. I mean that is obscure! But anyway I just don’t think the animation in its hybrid style in Peanuts Movie is typical at all. They could have just done what Smurfs or Chipmunks or other tv reincarnations have done and not added the flatness to the look. Instead they did something new and innovative. I strongly disagree Peanuts Movie is typical but to each their own I guess.
I didn’t say that it wasn’t innovative. I said it wasn’t a new style. It did what it was supposed to do, made Peanuts fans feel at home, but that has the side effect that it doesn’t feel like something new.
I just disagree. The hybrid animation was new and not typical.
Yeah, but that is the technical aspect, and I doubt that many academy voters know enough about animation to recognize something that settled.
Fair enough. I think the academy likes promoting the smaller films which is cool. It’s just the Oscars in the end. They almost always get best picture wrong so oh well! 🙂
They have a pretty good record concerning animated movies…the only year I REALLY disagreed was when Brave won.
I’m more iffy on that. I loved Big Hero 6 but still feel it is 4th best animated film last year. And then Rango and Happy Feet wouldn’t have been my picks those years. Not nominating Tangled over the Illusionist I dont get. Despicable Me 2 over Monsters University. In the end it comes down to personal taste and peeferences. I guess it’s just frustrating for me that films like Lego and Peanuts Movie get snubbed who really try to expand cgi animation and do new and different. Anyway just my opinion.
Big Hero 6 wouldn’t have been mine pick, but those movies were so close together, I have no true objection to it winning either. And I was actually glad that the Lego movie wasn’t nominated. It was good. But that doesn’t make it less of a one hour toy commercial.
Yeah you’ve said that before. I totally disagree.
Lava actually was submitted last year so it wasn’t up for nomination this year. I was bummed Peanuts Movie wasn’t nominated as I feel it was both a delight and innovative in its animation style.
That said, I have seen all but Anomalisa and feel they are worthy of nomination even if it wouldn’t have been my picks.
2 of the shorts I haven’t seen but they look good from the trailers. I hope World of Tomorrow wins because it is very inventive as much as I liked Sanjay’s Super Team.
Yeah, someone told me about Lava’s submission history after I had put this article up.
Did you vote in the Rotoscopers Awards this year?
I did
Cool, I didn’t listen to the results podcast yet, so I don’t know how the results were. But, it feels cool to be part of a voting committee, lol!
It is fun! And they had a guest a youtuber named Lew Toons
Yeah, I saw that. I’ve watched one or two of his videos before, I think.
One thing that does seem a little unfair is Boy and the World was made in 2013 so that gives it 2 years to build momentum where a film like Peanuts Movie has a couple of months. I’ve seen both and I would have gone with Peanuts but they are both good.
Yeah, I too feel it’s at least weird, if not unfair, that a 2-year old film is being given a nomination now.
Which did you like better, Lava or Sanjay’s Super Team?
I’ve only seen Lava so far.
Same!