According to the New York Times, the Disney/Pixar folks are planning to push Wall-E as a candidate for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards.
I made my position on this perfectly clear this summer: Wall-E deserves a shot at Best Picture, and if I had a vote, it would be my choice. It’s easily my favorite movie of the year, and I was able to sum up my feelings in a three-word movie review.
Hats off to Disney/Pixar, and here’s hoping it gets nominated and picks up the award, too!
Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal has joined the growing chorus of people calling for Disney to promote Wall-E as a Best Picture candidate at next year’s Academy Awards:
“WALL-E” isn’t just an animated feature; it’s a great motion picture by any measure, and has already been hailed as such — by critics who’ve called it a masterpiece (I’m one of them), by audiences who watch it in a state of enthrallment (which is one notch up from enchantment). In keeping with its singular distinction, Pixar’s latest gift to movie lovers should be a candidate for the most prestigious award, Best Picture, when Oscar time rolls around.
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed, but you already knew that….
TIME magazine asks a good question: Can WALL-E Win Best Picture? Needless to say, I’m rooting for it. But the article lays out the hurdles our little robotic hero will have to overcome:
WALL-E is far and away the most well-reviewed movie of the year so far, and it’s incredibly unlikely five other films will come along and get better overall critical reviews. WALL-E is also sure to be one of the highest-grossing movies of the year.
In other words, it has both critical and popular support.
But the Academy would much rather honor artsy-fartsy crap like No Country for Old Men, Crash, and Chicago — movies that appeal to Hollywood snobs much more than something like WALL-E ever will. And they wonder why the Oscars TV ratings are at an all-time low. The critics and people are voting now, and WALL-E deserves a chance at Best Picture.
(end)
With Wall-E about to hit theaters in a little more than a week, Casa McGee is in Pixar mode. I’m excited, the kids are excited … not sure about Mrs. McGee, but I think she’s excited about it, too. I’m definitely the big Pixar fan in the family, but the kids love the movies, too, of course.
Last night at dinner I made the kids give me their Top 5 Pixar movies, and then I shared mine:
1.) Monsters, Inc. — I’m not ashamed to admit this is my favorite movie of all-time. I love everything about it, and the storyline never fails to make me cry. Maybe it was just perfect timing — a story about a little girl and monsters that came out with a year or two of having a daughter. It was too perfect.
2.) Finding Nemo – And here’s the heartfelt father-son story. Okay, so I’m a sucker for anything involving kids and parents (or parent-figures like Sully from Monsters). Plus, Nemo is just a non-stop animation tour de force and the colors are a joy to watch. (I sound like Ebert, don’t I?)
3.) Cars – I actually didn’t like this one on first viewing. Well, I liked it but it wasn’t all that. On many repeated viewings, though, I’ve become a bigger fan. Wonderful characters (Mater is the best Pixar character ever) and funny cameos from people like Bob Costas. This one has aged well.
4.) Ratatouille – This is where I had trouble making my list. But I chose Ratatouille because I like the story a lot, and the kitchen animation is stunning. It’s the only time I’ve ever wanted to eat the food right off the screen.
5.) The Incredibles – By far the most violent of all Pixar movies, which is both good and bad. I chose it over Toy Story because I think it’s a very good action/adventure movie, and the animation is better than Toy Story. That said, there are some slow sections in The Incredibles. I still like it, but don’t need to see it again anytime soon.
So, now the big question is … where will WALL-E fit into this list after next week?
If you have any favorite Pixar movies, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
