Top Ten: Pixar Films

I've never committed to a definitive ranking of the films of Pixar Animation. Perhaps having relatively few feature titles under their banner made a top ten list kinda meaningless (although their ever growing roster of memorable characters is always ripe for sorting). Or perhaps the frequently high caliber of their movies made ranking them a more arbitrary exercise than ranking movies already is.

But with raves for their fifteenth feature Inside Out announcing a return to form after a few years of middling success, now seems like a good time to go on record as to which gems sparkle the brightest for me personally. Needless to say, this list is in constant flux and subject to positional shifts at any time – Probably as soon as I see Inside Out!

But which of the studio's first fourteen is on the bubble?...

One Category at a Time: Best Animated Feature

I'll be honest, I do not have high hopes for animation this year. About half of the contenders I see are either sequels or reboots or spin-offs, and what little original material there is just doesn't intrigue me much. Even the filmmaking Garden of Eden that is Pixar Studios is offering me little in the way of hope. So, what will be nominated?

Even though I find the upcoming Cars 2 a less-than-promising prospect, Pixar should never be counted out for the nomination. But after four consecutive years of dominating this category, I think this is where the streak ends. I just can't see them winning for a sequel to what is commonly cited as the studio's weakest film.

As if to directly challenge Pixar's reign, Happy Feet (the film that beat the original Cars) is coming out with its own sequel, directed again by George Miller, which may give us a repeat of the 2006 BEST ANIMATED FEATURE SHOWDOWN! Forgive all-caps hyperbole, but it's the only way I can muster up any excitement in either of these movies.

Oh, original material, why hast thou foresaken me!... But wait! We've already seen one of this year's original cartoons, the delightfully surreal Rango from Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski. Though not perfect, this film was an entertaining and kooky throwback to the great Westerns of yore, and could standout from the crowd by the mere virtue of being an original concept.

Predicted three:
Cars 2
Happy Feet 2
Rango

Also consider: Arthur Christmas, The Dreaming Machine, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Lion of Judah, Puss in Boots, The Rabbi's Cat, Rio, Tales of the Night, Winnie the Pooh

One Category at a Time: Best Sound Editing

The degree of overlap between this category and Best Sound Mixing was smaller this past season than it's been in a while, with only two films nominated for both. Will we see a repeat next year? For the sake of early predictions, it's nice to be as spread out as possible, so let's assume the answer is "yes" for the time being.

Pixar is on a roll in this category, having earned nominations for the last four consecutive years (even for work that may not have been that awards-worthy, but thus is the benefit of being a studio with a high reputation). Can they make it five years in a row with Cars 2. I can think of a few reasons why the streak may end, but Pixar is never that much of a longshot for Sound Editing.

Perhaps a longer shot would be Jon Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens, which looks like it may be a lot of fun, but not really up the Academy's alley. Nevertheless, David Farmer and company have an interesting opportunity to meld rip-roaring Western sound effects with sci-fi alien gadgetry.

Steven Spielberg has two big pictures that could find their way in here this year; War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin. The former, a late-release WWI drama with sound effects supervised by three-time Oscar winner Richard Hymns (Saving Private Ryan) seems like a good enough bet. The latter, a motion-capture adventure with big box-office potential and the attached prestige of a respected director at the helm is probably a formidable contender too.

Finally, one of the few original premises that aims to make some serious coin this summer is J.J. Abrams Super 8. The fact that it isn't based on a comic book hero or previous movie already gives it a leg up with the Academy, who tend to stay away from blockbuster sequels unless they're absolutely amazing. Super 8 looks like it'll have lots of nice loud sound effects to satisfy the sound branch.

Predicted five:
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Cars 2
Cowboys and Aliens
Super 8
War Horse

Also consider: Captain America, The Green Lantern, Transformers 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 4