One Category at a Time: Animated Feature

Alright. Phase 1 is over and done with, and I think most will agree that despite The Social Network's unprecedentedly strong start with the critics, it's The King's Speech that came hurtling into Phase 2 with the most momentum at just the right time. So with 22 business days remaining until Oscar night, that leaves me just enough time to get down to what I love to do; a category-by-category breakdown of the nominees, who should win, who will win.
Starting off is Best Animated Feature. Regrettably, the list of submissions this year was one short of making that arbitrary magic number of 16, so the field of nominees could be no larger than three, resulting in the sad exclusion of the wonderful Tangled. As consolation, however, we still have a trio of terrific movies, any of which would make a deserving winner.

Obviously, Toy Story 3 is the one to beat. Its whimsical humour and heartstring-tugging finale were more than enough to push it into the Best Picture race. Much like Up last year, that should really be all the information we need to call it for a victory here.

But is it an "easy" victory?

The other two nominees will take some votes as well. Maybe not so much The Illusionist, which simply doesn't have as big an audience, but How to Train Your Dragon has its champions. Dreamworks showed us that they are capable of telling stories with genuine emotion behind them, and that's the sort of movie that gets votes. Probably not enough to topple the Toys, but hopefully this is a sign that Dreamworks is on the track for a creative hot streak.

Will win: Toy Story 3
Runner-up: How to Train Your Dragon

Should win: Toy Story 3
Should have been nominated: Tangled

My Award nominations: Animated Feature

Best Animated Feature:

How to Train Your Dragon
(Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois):
Not since the first Shrek movie has Dreamworks attempted to make a film that's more about heart than it is about snark and pop culture references. Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois see to it that the evolving relationship between Hiccup and his new pet is done with tact, subtlety, and body language, which really is the most effective application of the animated medium. Technically, the film excels.

The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet):
The film marks a wonderful meld of the endearing comedic stylings of classic French director/comedian Jacques Tati and the gorgeous visual film artistry of animator Sylvain Chomet. The story is beautifully told from adorable start to devastating finish with a gentle sense of humour and a meticulous attention to detail.

Megamind (Tom McGrath):
Easily the most cartoonish of this bunch, but who's to say there's not a place for cartoonishness when it's done well? Not all the jokes land but those that do are often laugh-out-loud funny, and the animation/character designs are (appropriately) absurdly over the top.

Tangled (Nathan Greno, Byron Howard):
Eschewing the more bankable style of obnoxious modernized humour that sells franchises like Dreamworks' Shrek, Disney has finally produced a completely charming family treat that can deservedly sit along side classics of the studio's 1930s-40s golden age and their 1990s renaissance. Warm, funny, blissful entertainment.

Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich):
The film is just as witty and lovable as its two predecessors, but is even more upfront about complex themes. Its now-famous ending is more emotionally powerful than not only either of the previous films, but than any film in years. Toy Story 3 has elevated the series from a cute family franchise to one of the great movie trilogies of all time.

My Award nominations: Production Design and Set Decoration

With the Art Directors' Guild announcing their nominees tomorrow, today seems like a good one for me to offer up my own selections for the Best Production Design, Set Decoration, and Art Direction of 2010:

The Illusionist (Jacques Arhex, Bjarne Hansen):

True, no sets are built for this gorgeous animated gem, but the art direction still makes a lasting impression. Beautiful watercolour effect.

Inception (Guy Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas Mowat, Brad Ricker):

Multiple dream levels designed to reflect our protagonist's id, and constructed to accommodate the many special effects. The stuff that dreams are made of.

The King's Speech (Eve Stewart, Judy Farr, David Hindle):

Visually evokes distinctions between class and character with subtlety and richness, from Lionel's cozy wallpaper to Bertie's austere matte painted walls.

Shutter Island (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Shiavo, Robert Guerra):

The decaying edifice of the titular island's asylum for the criminally insane help put us in an uneasy state of mind. Spooky, spooky, spooky.

The Wolfman (Rick Heinrichs, John Bush, Vincent Jenkins, Andy Nicholson):

Absolutely nailed the creepy atmosphere, and serves as a nice throwback to vintage Universal monster movie lore. Gotta love that Gothic period detail!

Just missed: The Ghost Writer, Prince of Persia, Tangled

Quick reviews for 2010

Around this time of year, it's not always easy for me to find time to write proper reviews for every movie I catch up on. So anything that I see and can't be bothered to compose a lengthy review for will be mentioned here over the next few months. Read them after the cut:

15 Animated Feature submissions

Just one shy of that magic 16, so those 15 films are stuck with only 3 available slots.

I'm gonna stick with the three I've been predicting since May; How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, and The Illusionist (which I can't wait to see).

See the list after the cut.