Awards Buzz

Animated Film Contenders
By: Keith Lucas

WALL-E is the leading Animated Film contender...

1. Kung Fu Panda

Notable Stars: Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, and Dustin Hoffman
Directed: John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Distributed by: Dreamworks

Synopsis: The story revolves around Po (Jack Black), who is an apprentice noodle maker, but also a kung fu fanatic. However, most of his characteristics are overshadowed by one defining one: He is incredibly lazy. Ironically enough, Po is prophesied as the "Chosen One", and is potentially the only one that can save China from the evil warrior Tai Lung (voiced by Ian McShane).  The question is can Po save the day with the help of Kung Fu master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman)?

Oscar Potential: It was a hit at Cannes, and most people love a good Kung Fu story. The story seems interesting, and the film stars some heavy hitters in the acting world. Plus, Dreamworks Animation has a fairly high success rate at getting their films nominated. The potential is incredibly high for this one.

2. Waltz with Bashir

Notable Stars: Ari Folman
Director: Ari Folman
Distributed by: Bridgit Folman Film Gang

Synopsis: The story documents the struggle of the filmmaker (Ari Folman) to come to terms with the gaps in his memory regarding the part he played in the first Lebanese war and the 1982 massacre of Palestinian civilians in the West Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila.

Oscar Potential: The Academy is not hesitant to include foreign animated films that are distinct from the more American brand (Japan's Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, France's Triplets of Belleville). Also, the Academy set a precedent last year with nominating politically based animated films (Persepolis). Add that with the critical acclaim it received at Cannes (nominated for the Palm d'Or), and I think we have another animated film with very high Oscar potential.

3. WALL-E

Notable Stars: Sigourney Weaver
Director: Andrew Stanton
Distributed by: Pixar Animation Studio

Synopsis: Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is a little robot programmed to pick up trash. After years of rampant consumerism, the earth is left covered in an abundant amount of trash. To clean up the trash, all of the humans are moved from the Earth, and robots (with the same programming of Wall-E) are left to clean it. The program is a failure, and Wall-E is the only robot who has the ability to clean the trash. The story centers around Wall-E's evolution as an automaton to a robot with emotions, who subsequently falls in love with another robot (EVE).

Oscar Potential: The genius and power of Pixar are on display yet again. Wall-E has been the front runner in this category for sometime, and it might be difficult to dethrone it. If anyone doubts the power of Pixar, just take a look at the success of their movies in this categories. Every year it seems Pixar is given us magic, and some are declaring this to be another one. Given the pedigree of Pixar and the compelling story, I'm confident this will be a nominee in the best animated feature category (if not the winner).

4. Ponyo on the Cliff

Notable Stars:
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Distributed by: Toho and Walt Disney

Synopsis: The plot centers on a gold fish princess who really wants to be a human. While pursuing her goal, she befriends a five year old human boy, Sōsuke.

Oscar Potential: Anyone who knows anything about anime, knows about Hayao Miyazaki. However, if you know anything about the best animated feature category, then you should know him too. Two of his films have been nominated for the award (Spirited Away-first anime to win the award and Howls Moving Castle). Given the pedigree of Miyazaki's past films, I expect this one to be very popular with the Academy.

The Winner:

Can one really doubt the power of Pixar? It's like betting against the Spurs or the Red Sox. Yes, they lose sometime, but conventional wisdom tells you to pick them. So, my pick goes to Wall-E. However like any fair competition, there is room for an upset. Look for Waltz to give it the most competition.
 

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