The Princess and the Frog just can't catch a break:
After nominations ballots and reminder lists for the Original Score category were mailed to members of the Academy's Music Branch (on December 28), questions were raised regarding the eligibility of the score of "The Princess and the Frog." ...
The tabulators at PricewaterhouseCoopers have been instructed to disregard any votes cast for the Original Score of "The Princess and the Frog." The movie remains eligible in all other categories for which it qualified.
On the other hand, TP&TF is now nudging up against a $93 million domestic gross and will move over the $100 million marker in the near future.
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The relevant language is contained in Rule 16, Section II, Paragraph E: "...scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible".
Can someone translate this for me? Did PATF use more than one composer? Did they use tracked music?
I think it's that TP&TF had traditional tunes mixed in with original music. Which some entity must have complained about after ballots went out.
Sad. If the picture didn't have bad luck, it wouldn't have any luck at all.
i believe it's due to the number of songs, that make it a musical score... there are no enough musicals to activate the original musical award, and yet they don't allow musicals to compete for original score award... a pitty... it happened the same to Tarzan...
Nope. Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast won for best song and for best score. It's two different issues.
And WHAT "Traditional" songs were in the movie? I don't remember ONE! But I don't remember ANY of the songs from the movie, to be honest.
I'm not defending the songs or score. The songs were mostly the laziest leftovers from Newman. The score itself was not his best.
I sure hope someone can explain the reasons behind this.
Also, there's no "best original musical" academy award no many how musicals there are.
I believe that Newman's score has two small "quotes" from pre-existing music : a Leon Redbone tune and a bit of Dippermouth Blues by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Was there anything else ? I don't think so.
Why that would disqualify it I have no idea. Seems very unfair.
(of course this is the same Academy that thinks "Alvin & the Chipmumks: the Squeakquel " qualifies to be nominated in the Best Animated Feature category)
Musical quotes would not disqualify. It's all over the place in movie scores.
Apparently, it was BECAUSE Menken was repeatedly winning for both Song and Score that the music branch of the Academy changed this rule. People were confusing the songs with the actual score, and tended to vote that way (with song weighing most heavily). Sadly, there is no category for best musical score (not that PATF would be nominated for that anyway. It's just not very good).
DAMN Alan Menken for [usually] being so good!
They changed the rules after Little Mermaids, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin an The Lion King won Best Song and Best Score. There were complaints that these movies were winning score because of the songs, and people confusing the songs with the actual score, and also songs tunes reused in the score.
The rule change was in 1995, and they introduced a third category: Best Original Musical or Comedy Score.
Pocahontas then went to win Best Song and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. And Il Postino won Best Score.
Oscars rule 16, still names three categories for music. However, only best song and best score were awarded since 1999. And Original Musical or Comedy Score was changed to Original Musical.
Rule Sixteen: Music Awards
CATEGORIES
Original Score:
An original score is a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring and is written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer.
Original Song:
An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.
Original Musical:
An original musical consists of not fewer than five original songs (as defined in Paragraph I.B above) by the same writer or team of writers either used as voiceovers or visually performed. Each of these songs must be substantively rendered, clearly audible, intelligible, and must further the storyline of the motion picture. An arbitrary group of songs unessential to the storyline will not be considered eligible.
Check the academies link: http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/rule16.html
There is a category for original Musical, but may be activated only by special request of the Music Branch Executive Committee to the Board of Governors in a year when the field of eligible submissions is determined to be of sufficient quantity and quality to justify award competition.
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