When the Oscar nominations came out, there was one movie I was prepared to see in the Best Animated Feature category. And to my utter shock and surprise, Frozen 2 wasn't nominated. Easily one of the standout films of 2019 and one of Disney's best offerings in terms of sequels, it's a shock that the Academy snubbed it in a category it was sure to win. Without Frozen 2, the whole category is kind of surprising, and I honestly don't know how to feel about it.
Oscar nominations are always controversial. Usually the Best Animated feature is the only category that is utterly predictable. There's always the latest Disney release, maybe a DreamWorks film and then at least one or two that no one has ever heard of. Sometimes there may be two Disney movies (or a Disney/Pixar split) and the question becomes which of the two will win? A Disney or Disney/Pixar movie is pretty much guaranteed to win.
Except for last year. The 2019 Academy Awards were full of fascinating choices, but the most surprising part was Sony winning the Best Animated Feature film Oscar for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It was the first non-Disney animated feature to win the Oscar since 2011, and the first non-Disney film to win when a Disney or Pixar movie was also in contention since 2006. Into the Spider-Verse beat not only one, but two Disney entities: The Incredibles 2 (Disney/Pixar) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (Disney.) While the Disney offerings were great, the superior movie won in that case.
2020 has a good chance of following in 2019's footsteps. The fact that only one of Disney's animated features is nominated is a huge deal. It could very likely be because both of their animated features this year were sequels in very popular franchises. Toy Story 4 is apart of Disney's hugest franchise, so it's not surprising that it was the one that clinched the nomination. Disney/Pixar movies are usually critically acclaimed and much loved. But, if the Golden Globes are an indication (and they usually offer some insight) even the much beloved Toy Story movie might be at risk. Missing Link won the Golden Globe this year. Does that mean it can win the Oscar? Absolutely.
It's still hard to believe that most of the nominees are not Disney movies. The least surprising contender is How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. That entire franchise has been immensely popular, and the films are actually amazing. Honestly, that would be my choice to win, even though I'll always be a loyal Disney fan. DreamWorks has established itself as a contender over the years, so it wouldn't be a shock if this wins.
Really, what's most shocking is that Netflix has two nominations, Klaus and I Lost My Body. Klaus is actually 2D animation, which is kind of a rarity now when it comes to animated feature films. And technically it's a film about Santa, and holiday films don't really get much attention come award show season. Even though we know Netflix as our favorite streaming service for bingeing, they're really ramping up their original content. Having two animated feature films be nominated for an Oscar can really improve their street cred.
But really, what happened with Frozen 2? The film was just so good. Obviously it was a juggernaut with the intended crowd, but even with adults. I took my son to see it because he's so obsessed with the first one. And as I watched the film, I have never felt more connected to animated characters in my life. Watching Elsa come into her power as a woman punched me right in the gut. While Disney's handling of representation re: marginalized and indigenous people can use some work, the fact that they even approached the topic is a huge deal. Every adult woman I know who took their kids to see Frozen 2 found themselves relating to some element of it themselves.
Maybe that's why the film was snubbed this year. A lot of the criticism of this year's nominees is that they're way too male-centric, especially when there was so much excellent work made by women. Perhaps an animated film about two young women coming into their power was simply too much for the Academy voters to handle and so they went with the safer choice.
It's not that Toy Story 4 isn't an awesome movie. There is a lot of nostalgia, but also a really interesting existential element to the movie. But even with the Bo Peep storyline, it still feels very male-centric. But apparently that's the running theme of the 2020 Oscars, so I guess we can't be too surprised.
One thing is for sure, the Best Animated Feature Academy Award is truly anyone's to win. There is no clear cut standout here, which is incredibly rare. For the first time in a long time, any of the films nominated really stand an equal chance of winning. That's actually really exciting.
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