Is Animated Feature Category Already Settled?
Six major animated movies have been released so far in 2018: “Early Man” (from Aardman and Lionsgate), “Gnomeo & Juliet” follow-up “Sherlock Gnomes” (Paramount), Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” (Fox Searchlight), Disney/Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” (now the highest-grossing animated movie of all-time), Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” and WB/DC mash-up “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”.
And there are only four to go: “Smallfoot” (also from WB), “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (Universal, Illumination), Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and Sony’s stylized “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”.
Based on how the year has gone so far, and what it looks like to come, the awards season Best Animated Feature category may (already) be filled… or at least pretty close.
“Early Man” is one of my favorites so far in 2018, but it was a box office flop. If Academy, Golden Globe, Critics Choice, BAFTA and Annie voters go for one stop-motion movie, it will likely be “Isle of Dogs” instead, because of their love of Anderson (“Fantastic Mr. Fox” and quirky live-action fare).
“Sherlock Gnomes” and “Hotel Transylvania 3” received mixed reviews from critics. The sequel that wins this battle for a nomination slot is “Incredibles 2”. Brad Bird hit another home run with the triumphant big screen return of the Parr family. The last time Pixar had a sequel or prequel nominated for an Oscar was 2010’s “Toy Story 3”. This should be the most confident the studio feels about one of their follow-ups heading into Awards Season.
“Teen Titans Go!” is absolutely fantastic – a brilliant satire on superhero movies. I can easily see a Critics Choice nom: critics have embraced this film and hopefully will continue to through the end of the year. But The Academy will likely discard this, being a TV show adaptation (which is a shame).
As for what’s left: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” has the advantage of being last on the calendar (which worked for “Ferdinand” last year). Its look will probably help it prevail onto the ballots. And, if appreciated as much as the first one, there’s no way “Ralph Breaks the Internet” isn’t a nominee.
“Smallfoot” and “The Grinch” are in the Wild Card positions. They could go either way. And, as always, an indie or foreign entry could shake-up the race entirely. GKIDS has just acquired the French/Japanese “MFKZ” and will open it on Oct. 11.
If “Isle of Dogs”, “Incredibles 2”, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Spider-Man” are the guaranteed four, which one takes the fifth slot? That’s the question.
