Open Field: The 2011 Animated Oscar Race

Rick DeMott takes a look at the most open animated Oscar race in years.

By Rick DeMott | Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 4:41 pm

Posted In | Magazines: AnimationWorld | Site Categories: Awards, CG, Films, Short Films

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

16) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ‑ Mike Mitchell, director (20th Century Fox)
See #15.

Mars Needs Moms

17) Mars Needs Moms ‑ Simon Wells, director (Walt Disney Pictures & ImageMovers)
This mo-cap production bombed with critics and movie goers alike, so it has no chance of getting nominated.

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

18) Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil ‑ Michael Disa, director (The Weinstein Co.)
If any of the films above gets disqualified, it will still have a better chance of getting nominated than this one.

La Luna

Animated Shorts
1) La Luna ‑ Enrico Casarosa, director (Pixar Animation Studios)
Pixar has its best shot of a nomination (and win) for this delightful short. Even in a strong year for shorts, this one stands out.

2) The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore ‑ William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, directors (Moonbot Studios LA, LLC)
Joyce's name gives this one cred and its whimsical story about the love for books is inspiring. Along with La Luna, this SIGGRAPH winner is as close to a lock as this category gets.

3) Wild Life ‑ Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, directors (National Film Board of Canada)
When Forbis and Tilby worked together on a short before, they were nominated for an Oscar. The When the Day Breaks filmmakers have brought the same whimsical painterly style to their latest, which follows an Englishman's rough encounters with the Canadian frontier.

4) Luminaris ‑ Juan Pablo Zaramella, director (JPZtudio)
The Audience Award at Annecy is a top-notched crowd pleaser. It's also been awhile since we've seen such an ambitious pixilation production. It's use of light is remarkable.

5) Paths of Hate ‑ Damian Nenow, director (Platige Image)
Those that have seen it have all raved at how powerful it is. Its adult factor is high as well. This strong mix of visuals and sound about the darkest realms of the human soul is a tough sell. But is it too dark for the Academy?

6) I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat ‑ Matthew O'Callaghan, director and Sam Register, executive producer (Warner Bros. Animation Inc.)
This loving tribute to Mel Blanc in the form of a new Looney Tunes cartoon (only in CG) seems like a likely nominee, but there have been a lot of likely big studio films that have been left out the nominations in the past. Think loving tribute to classic Goofy shorts, How to Hook Up Your Home Theater.