Big Hero 6 (winner)
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
What’s Missing
In three words, The LEGO Movie. In three more words, fuck you, Academy.
Okay, I should also add that two of 2015’s nominations--Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There were released in their respective countries in 2014, but they did get nominations eventually. I should probably watch The Book of Life. My kids liked Rio 2, but I haven’t seen it and probably won’t. Really, though, there’s only one miss here.
Weeding through the Nominees
5. This is one of those years where I want to put a lot of movies in third place. The Boxtrolls, though, isn’t one of those movies. I didn’t like this film much at all. I found the art ugly, the plot silly, and the characters unengaging. The animation is good and I commend it for that, but I don’t have a lot else to say that’s too positive about it. I understand why it was nominated, too, even though I don’t think that it should have been because there were clearly some better choices available. The Academy likes to go far afield sometimes, but this time, they should have left this one off the ballot.
4. I’ll catch hell for putting Big Hero 6 in fourth place, but I don’t really care. There is a lot to love with this movie. The art is truly beautiful and Baymax is one of the great characters of 2014. So why is it here? Because I was disappointed with pretty much every other aspect of it. There was not a single surprise for me in this movie. I knew every single plot point minutes before it happened, and at least one major plot point before I even entered the theater, thanks to a weak trailer. Movies for kids don’t have to be predictable and this one was, and I find that really disappointing. It could have done a lot better…and it didn’t.
3. I enjoyed The Tale of Princess Kaguya quite a bit. This is another case where the artwork is one of the biggest selling points, despite this artwork being vastly different from all of the other nominated films. It’s truly beautiful and expressive, and adds to the story being told in a real way. It’s also a really good story. I’d love to have it higher, but I like two of the other nominations more. While not as important, I think the other two are also easier sells to other people, meaning that I think if I recommended this and the next two to people, this would also be their third pick in most cases.
2. Song of the Sea is a hidden gem. Filmmaker Tomm Moore will probably never win an Oscar, but I hope he keeps making films like this one and getting nominated, because he tells a wonderful story. His art style is interesting, and while it’s not the sort of thing that gets a lot of people excited, it’s interesting and evocative, and I find it beautiful. More importantly, his characters are wonderful and the stories he tells are filled with magic and are appealing to kids as well as adults. This is one that passed by a lot of people, and it shouldn’t have. It’s worth tracking down and enjoying.
1. Of the nominated films, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the one that does everything right, and I do mean everything. The animation is gorgeous, as is the artwork. The story is compelling and interesting, and, like the first one, goes to some dark places for a kids’ movie. The characters are still wonderful, and interestingly, have been aged up from the first film. The world that the film takes place in has progressed since we’ve seen it last, and I love that they did this. It makes everything that much more believable. It’s a great follow-up to a great first film, and limited to the nominations, it’s my pick. But it’s not really my pick.
My Choice
In three words, The LEGO Movie. In three more words, fuck you, Academy.
Final Analysis
