Scott Mendelson of the Huffington Post dies hard:
Why "Toy Story 3" Still Deserves to Win Best Picture on Sunday
... [T]hree cheers for Disney for going after the big prize. There is certainly a risk, as voters may think that "Toy Story 3" has a shot at Best Picture and vote for (the terrific) "How to Train Your Dragon" for Best Animated Film. It would be nice for for Oscars to actually award the Best Picture trophy to the actual best film of the year more than once or twice a decade. ...
I think TS3 would be an honorable recipient of the "Best Picture" Academy Award, but I wouldn't consider it the best. I think How to Train Your Dragon deserves that particular nod. Of course, Dragon wasn't nominated for "Best Picture." It got roped into the "Animated" category, and anyone with half a brain knows that the Disney/Pixar offering -- which is a fine picture, don't get me wrong -- has that slot sewn up.
But nobody should get their underclothes in a knot about this inevitable, upcoming win. The Academy Awards are about marketing and adding to the gross, not about "Best." It pretty much boils down the same kinds of pictures every year. The actor who plays a character who's alcoholic or addled walks away with thesping trophy. The gaudiest, most razzle dazzle special effects usually take that prize, and the "Best Picture" award either goes to the big blockbuster (Titanic, Gone With the Wind) or the smaller, art-house feature that's politically correct.
It rarely varies from that formula; I seriously doubt it will be different this year. (And congratulations in advance to Toy Story 3 for taking the "Best Animated Feature" Oscar.)
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18 comments:
I'm with you, Steve; I'd rather Dragon got the nod too. I have Netflix streaming on my TV, and I've found myself watching Dragon over and over. As for Toy Story 3 - I've seen it once at the theaters and once at home, and even then, at home, I didn't make it all the way through. I'm not dumping on Pixar, but the third installment of the adventures of Buzz and Woody wore me out. It just didn't resonate with me. But no matter - it'll win Best Animated Feature, just as you say. Sigh.
I absolutely do not agree. You gave no reasons as to why HTTYD is a better movie than TS3. TS3 is the better movie because it had an honest, earned emotional impact. HTTYD was a more conventional boy and his pet picture which we have seen numerous times. TS3 was basically a jailbreak movie which is new to animation. It also covered emotional territory rarely seen in Hollywood let alone big studio animation. Learning to let go of what you love is a lesson that everyone should know.
Sure HTTYD had amazing visuals, and was beautifully crafted, and had great character design, but sorely lacked in innovative story design.
The reasons why TS3 isn't a very good film: plotholes and devices that you can drive a truck through and a huge Deus Ex Machina.
None of which HTTYD has.
Not only does TS3 not deserve Best Picture, it doesn't deserve Best Animated Picture - it's not Pixar's best film and it's not even the best Toy Story film.
I don't care whjat the critics say - they also gave Another Year glowing reviews and that was an absolute piece of shiot!
How To Train Your Dragon is a very overrated film, its the usual weird boy who has a strange pet kind of story and the character development is very slow and dull.
Toy Story 3 in the other hand despite its little flaws is a much better film both in story and character develoipment, and the animation and visuals its also fantastic to watch.
But as much as i love TS3, the one who should really win Best Pic is Inception, now THAT movie is a real masterpiece.
"TS3 was basically a jailbreak movie which is new to animation."
I guess you've never seen Chicken Run.
I personally fall into the group of people that supports Toy Story 3. That said, unless Cars 2 turns out to be a masterpiece, I don't see it winning next year.
The Oscars are not about the "Best" anything. It's dress up night for Hollywood. A pep rally for film commerce.
That said, I'll be watching because it's usually a lot of fun with lovely gowns worn by hot chicks.
MIKE PEREZ - I've said it once and I'll say it again - if you want to hear any sincere praise for a Pixar film (not to mention praise compared to a Dreamworks Animation film) - you're on the wrong blog.
The legit animator folks that comment here typically scoff at any praise written by Pixar fanboys (aka "Pixies"). Every year around Oscar season, it is the same thing. Snide remarks congratulating the Pixar movie but obvious disdain for it... "Don't get me wrong. was good, but it didn't hold a candle to ..." I'd be shocked if the artists who post here ever gave a Pixar movie praise without a "but."
Ack, I forgot putting things in html tags make them disappear.
Quote above should read: "Don't get me wrong. <Pixar move name> was good, but it didn't hold a candle to <Dreamworks movie name>..."
MY SUBJECTIVE OPINION IS BETTER THAN YOUR SUBJECTIVE OPINION
RAAAAAAAWR
The feature animation award went to the movie I thought it would.
Good feature. I understand how it received the Little Gold Man.
You might want to keep in mind when you complain about Pixar films getting dissed on this blog that Pixar is anti-union and this is a pro-union blog....
With Steve as an exception I'm seriously wondering why people are just dissing HTTYD about it being such a cliche "A Boy and His (insert whatever here) " when CLEARLY The Iron Giant was also using the same trope.
And you know what?
Both movies are damn good.
If you want to diss HTTYD like that, please find a better argument than saying it's so cliched because it's using "A Boy and His X" trope. Using that trope does not automatically mean it's a bad movie.
That said, congrats to Pixar for the Oscars. :D
Anon@8:28 - I would agree, though that would also imply that union members commenting here have no credibility because if say, Pixar made Dragon and Dreamworks made Toy Story 3, then people here would be dissing Dragon simply because it was created by non-union animators.
I know that's hypothetical, but it matches the pattern here.
The reverse is also true by the fanboys...
The problem with the 'clear pattern' you perceive is that you have no idea who among the commenters are active union members.
Being a professional animator, it's equally clear to me that pros are much more willing to speak their mind without bias towards who signs their paycheck.
On the other hand, fanboys wouldn't be fanboys if they weren't biased, and therefore have no credibility from the moment they open their mouths.
I love it when the pros here start to act like fanboys just because the movie they worked on gets bashed.
HTTYD was pretty run of the mill. Not bad, but nothing particularly special. But I do understand dw fans defense of it. Had it not been as successful as it was, we'd be in for more shrek, kung foo panda, and bee movie sequels.
If you want to diss HTTYD like that, please find a better argument than saying it's so cliched because it's using "A Boy and His X" trope. Using that trope does not automatically mean it's a bad movie.
Anybody here ever see "E.T."?
"plotholes and devices that you can drive a truck through and a huge Deus Ex Machina."
I would really like you to tell me which are the plotholes and devices you can drive a truck through. Really. Could you enlist them? (I'm asking this because I can't see them and I want to learn.)
I agree 100% on the Deus Ex Machina. The aliens saving the day.
And I avoided EVERYTHING before Toy Story 3 (trailers, teasers, looking at the posters, even entering "Toy Story Playland" (and I'm a Disneyland Paris cast member!)) and I was dissapointed that the movie as a "jailbreak" film. Seriously. Terribly dissapointed. It was a movie that I was so looking forward to. But in the end, I liked it.
Thank you!
(please forgive my english, I'm spanish).
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