Open Field: The 2011 Animated Oscar Race

Rick DeMott takes a look at the most open animated Oscar race in years.
Posted In | Magazines: AnimationWorld | Site Categories: Awards, CG, Films, Short Films

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Cars 2

10) Cars 2 ‑ John Lasseter & Brad Lewis, directors (Pixar Animation Studios)
With a Tomatometer of 38%, the film is the worst reviewed Pixar film to date. Pixar still has lots of love going for it, but it's going to be hard to overcome the negative campaign that is brewing against the film. If the film fails to get a nomination it will be the first Pixar film since the Academy began the Best Animated Feature category to not be nominated.

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Gnomeo & Juliet

11) Gnomeo & Juliet – Kelly Asbury, directors (Touchstone Pictures)
While it received better overall review than Cars 2, it still split critics down the middle. That's not the kind of reception that lands a nomination. It also was released in February, which is a long time ago.

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Chico & Rita

12) Chico & Rita – Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal & Fernando Trueba, directors (GKIDS)
This Spanish romance is another well liked foreign production, but it's just a matter of numbers. If a smaller release is going to get in this one would have to jump over A Cat in Paris and Wrinkles.

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Happy Feet Two

13) Happy Feet Two ‑ George Miller, director (Warner Bros. & Dr. D Studios)
When the original Happy Feet won Best Animated Feature it beat out Cars. Now the sequels are battling it out in the same year for a nomination. Both will probably be disappointed.

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Alois Nebel

14) Alois Nebel ‑ Tomás Lunák, director (Negativ, Ceská Televize & Pallas Film)
This Czech murder mystery is another one that doesn't have any U.S. distribution yet. With no U.S. entity to help push it, this rotoscoped feature is more like DOA.

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The Smurfs

15) The Smurfs ‑ Raja Gosnell, director (Columbia Pictures)
Only one live-action film with animation has been eligible before. Stuart Little 2 didn't get a nod and The Smurfs aren't smurfy enough to get past the prejudice of a "vfx" film in the animation category.







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