One Category at a Time: Animated Feature

Never can I remember the race for Best Animated Feature being as competitive as its been this year. Not that I think it's been a particularly stellar year for the medium. To me, the closeness of the race is due to all the nominees achieving roughly the same level of enjoyable mediocrity, with one standout clearly above the rest, but that doesn't mean it has the Oscar locked up.

My Award nominations: Animated Feature

Didn't think it was the strongest year for animation all around, but there was lots of variety of technique upon which to feast the eyes. My five Best Animated Features nominees are:

Review - Frankenweenie

Not since Edward Scissorhands has Tim Burton made a film as personal as his latest stop-mo animated feature Frankenweenie, and after a string of less than stellar efforts in recent years, one can understand how fans of the singular filmmaker would wish it to be an unqualified success. Unfortunately, the success here is hardly unqualified, although it at least marks an improvement over duds like Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows.

Based on Burton's own short from 1984, the first half briskly lays out the world of young Victor Frankenstein, whose canine friend Sparky stars in his homemade monster movies. There's not much else that interests him in his quiet town of New Holland, which was no doubt chosen as the setting so that they could stick a windmill on the hill. He shies away from his neighbors and classmates, most of whom represent broad caricatures of legendary horror actors and characters. When sparky is felled by an untimely car, the grieving Victor decides to try out a little science experiment, figuring that enough electricity can revitalize his dead dog's nervous system and bring him back to life. This portion is when the movie is at its best, serving up an even blend of horror pastiche, macabre humour, but ultimately pathos (as Danny Elfman's mournful violins make perfectly clear). It also avoids needless dialogue, often allowing Burton's black-and-white compositions to tell the story, especially effective in the critical reanimation scene.