Saturday, March 14
With the Oscars quickly approaching, I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and watch the animated short and feature-length films that have been nominated. Once again, the Browning Cinema at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center had multiple different screenings of the shorts, and I ended up seeing the last showing earlier this afternoon. All five nominated shorts were screened as well as a bonus short film called “Èiru,” which I would highly recommend.
The short films were screened in the following order: “The 3 Sisters,” “Forever Green,” “The Girl Who Cried Pearls,” “Butterfly” and “Retirement Plan.” My personal favorite was “Forever Green.” It had a very simple plot, but I thought the style and animation really made up for it. “Retirement Plan” and “The 3 Sisters” were really funny, and I liked “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” enough, except for the last part. I do, however, think that the Academy Award will and should go to “Butterfly.” The film looked like a painting, using the colors to drip, blend and swirl to transition into different parts of the story. It also wasn’t too afraid to be very visually abstract at times, and this made it all the more striking. The story is based on the real life of Alfred Nakache, an Olympic swimmer and Holocaust survivor. This film was both haunting and beautiful, and I would be shocked if it doesn’t win tomorrow night.
My thoughts on the feature-length films are slightly more complex this year. I was already slightly frustrated when the nominees were announced and “Ne Zha 2” did not make the cut. The two films not from a major animation studio are “Arco” and “Little Amelie or the Character of Rain,” and I must say I am very happy that there are two 2-D animated films nominated this year. “Arco” tells a story of childhood and change through time travel, and the characters were really fun and well written.
Of all the films nominated, “Little Amelie or the Character of Rain” is the most beautiful. It looks like a painting that has come to life, and somehow each character feels highly expressive despite the few details on their faces. If the award was to go to a more indie film, I think this film should win.
In this category, “Elio” and “Zootopia 2” are the weakest, in my opinion. “Elio” was not as bad as some critics made it out to be, but, that being said, I do not believe that either “Elio” or “Zootopia 2” had that strong of an impact in terms of animated visuals or even their stories.
“K-Pop Demon Hunters” is one of many examples of a film that went from popular to hated in what felt like the blink of an eye, so I can understand that some people might not like the idea of this movie taking home best animated film, but I still think it deserves the win. This movie, in my opinion, is the strongest contender in the category in terms of its visuals, creative and expressive animation and, of course, its soundtrack. Not only were the songs good, but the way that these songs were utilized in the film and transitioned between speaking and singing struck a chord for a musical theater nerd like myself.
Of the major Western animation studios, I have a soft spot for Sony Animation for good reason. The 2D/3D hybrid style of animation that they used in “Into the Spiderverse” was groundbreaking for the industry. All this to say that it would be great for Sony Animation to have its next win tomorrow night. But if it goes to “Little Amelie or the Character of Rain,” I can make peace with it.
Sunday, March 15
When “K-Pop Demon Hunters” won for best animated feature, my first thought was “I’m always right.” But then “The Girl Who Cried Pearls” won for best animated short, and I realised that maybe I can be wrong. The choice for animated short film really threw me off. I can’t say that I was angry about it, but I will admit I don’t understand that decision.
What I was even happier about was “Golden” winning for best original song (making it the first K-Pop song to win an Oscar). It’s always a celebration when animated films win outside of the animated categories. This joy was soured, however, when one of the songwriters, Yu Han Lee, was cut off before he could even say thank you. I understand why speeches get cut off at the Oscars, but exceptions have been made, and I think there was a better way of handling that.
