2015 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Feature-Length Animated Film
February 18, 2016
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Feature-Length Animated Film. Inside Out has a better than 90% chance of winning. If it doesn't win, it would almost certainly be the biggest surprise of Oscar night.
Best Feature-Length Animated Film of the Year
Boy & the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
Conclusion: Inside Out will win the Oscar for Best Feature-Length Animated Film. It should have won the Oscar for Best Picture, because it is the best movie from 2015.
Tomatometer Score: 92% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: PGA, Golden Globes, and Independent Spirit Awards
Previous Major Wins: None (One Pending)
Annie Nominations: Five
Annie Wins: None
Notes: The latest film from writer / director Charlie Kaufman. It earned excellent reviews and while it did well in limited release for an animated film, it still didn't expand truly wide. This box office weakness could cost it any chance at winning the Oscar. I say could, because the only way it had a shot at winning the Oscar was if Inside Out wasn't in the running. It did earn a Best Picture nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards, so that's impressive.
Tomatometer Score: 95% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: None
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Three
Annie Wins: None
Notes: Amazing reviews, barely a peep at the box office, no previous major Awards Season nominations, and only three Annie nominations. Every year, there is at least one feature-length animated that 90% of moviegoers have never heard of. This year there are three of them. This is the smallest of them. It has no chance of winning.
Tomatometer Score: 98% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: PGA, Golden Globes, and BAFTA
Previous Major Wins: PGA, Golden Globes, and BAFTA
Annie Nominations: Thirteen
Annie Wins: Ten
Notes: The vast favorite to win. It's reviews are nearly perfect and it has dominated Awards Season so far. It has won every single major award for animated feature-length movie and dominated the Annies this year. It is also the biggest hit on this week's list, so it is the only film that most voters will have seen. If it doesn't win, it will be the biggest shock on Oscar night.
Tomatometer Score: 97% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: BAFTA and Golden Globes
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Five
Annie Wins: None
Notes: Technically this film earned the best reviews on this list at 99% positive. However, it's average review on Rotten Tomatoes is 8.2 out of 10, while Inside Out's average is 9 out of ten. Additionally, while the film has picked up a lot of previous major Awards Season nominations, it hasn't won a single award. Finally, of all of the films on this list, this one is aimed at the youngest audience and I think that this will hurt it with voters.
Tomatometer Score: 89% Positive
Previous Major Nominations: None
Previous Major Wins: None
Annie Nominations: Three
Annie Wins: None
Notes: This film has earned the weakest reviews on this list and was passed over by the other major Awards Season voters. It did pick up three Annie nominations, but didn't win once there. If it were the only traditionally animated film on this week's list, it might have a chance. As it is, I really don't think it will win.
Filed under: Awards Season, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep, Omoide no Mani, Anomalisa, O Menino e o Mundo, Charlie Kaufman