Oscar's Best Animated Feature (2006)

The Nominees


Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)



Corpse Bride (Tim Burton & Mike Johnson)



Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Nick Park & Steve Box)




Only a three nominee category, and for the first time in the short history of this award no Disney or Pixar. Hell, there's not even a DreamWorks. So, does that mean that Miyazaki will be able to win his second Oscar? And how do you feel about his work being seen here in dubbed versions? Why didn't they get Helena Bonham Carter to lend a voice? Everybody else did. Will Tim Burton get in the back door as an Oscar winner in this animated category? Should he only make animated features from now on and spare us from any more Planet of the Apes debacles? Will Nick Park and his characters Wallace & Gromit, who have won two Oscars in the Animated Short Subject category in previous years, translate that success into the new Feature competition?


Your thoughts?

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I hope he (Miyazaki) finally gets the Oscar he so richly deserves. As for the dubbing, I won't go and see the films in the theater, as absolutely abhor dubs, and tend to think they ruin the original vibe of a film, animated or otherwise. In my mind, all the original passion and emotion of the original cast is stripped away by a dub, no matter how well done it is. Give me subs any day.

My vote goes to Miyazaki, all the way.

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I think everybody who knows anything about animation is aware that Hayao Miyazaki is a genius, but his best shot at actually winning could be this year, when he's not up against some $600-million megasmash or two. But even dubbed (so stupid that "we" only get to see them this way), I just don't think the mainstream Academy is going to go for Howl's Moving Castle. Too bad.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride may be a little too dark and twisted for the Oscar voting body at large, who wrongly seem to think "animated" necessitates that the winner be patently and obviously child-friendly. Ridiculous. Burton's project will also have some backers if only because of the Hollywood cast and crew out there who have worked on his live-action features over the years. In that sense, he's the only recognizeable "name" among the nominees. The lazier voters won't know Miyazaki or Park, but they'll surely know the name Tim Burton.

Even so, yes, I think when all is said and done Nick Park and his characters Wallace & Gromit will win their third Oscar, the other two coming in the Animated Short category for "A Close Shave" and "The Wrong Trousers". The first Wallace & Gromit short, "A Grand Day Out", was nominated too but Nick lost to himself that year, when "Creature Comforts" took the Oscar.

I enjoyed Curse of the Were-Rabbit. And while as a feature it didn't manage to keep the same kind of energy and wit and focus the shorts do, it was still a great time at the movies, and on a technical level his designs and craft are still fantastic. And I do love those characters, especially Gromit who continues to just slay me. So much of the humor with Wallace & Gromit is subtle and visual, where a blank stare or a slightly arched eyebrow are among the biggest laughs. In general Americans like their comedy more broad, so despite mountains of good reviews Were-Rabbit only managed about $60-million in U.S. boxoffice. Compared to the hauls even horrid "kid's movies" almost automatically make these days, that figure is a disappointment (Chicken Little made $130-million, and crap like Herbie: Fully Loaded and Sky High made more than Wallace & Gromit). But despite that less-than-impressive financial status, I think the voters will go for the sweeter, gentler Curse of the Were-Rabbit over the darker Corpse Bride and over any and all Anime they have ever seen, including yet another stunning piece of work by master Miyazaki.

I haven't seen Howl's Moving Castle yet, but I want to. Has it been released on DVD?
Wait...I thought Hayao Miyazaki won an Oscar for Spirirted Away or am I mistaken?

The funny thing about Corpse Bride is that I really LOVED the message at the end of this movie...and that's what I remember. But I agree with you Holden, the tone might be a little too dark for some people's/voters tastes. I wasn't sure myself if i'd like it because of that darkness, but by the end I loved it.

Curse of the Were-Rabbit...I think you're right again Holden and this may win. Everything about this movie was simply charming. I loved the characters and the subtle humor...from Gromit's expressions to the peanut jar of middle-age spread on the table and so on.

Just wondering, but why do you think Steamboy wasn't given a nod?



Holden...nice thread btw...and all of the other Oscar threads you've made are interesting too.

Wallace and Gromit all the way!

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Nope, you're absolutely right! It was the second year of the Animated Feature category. I had blocked that out of my mind somehow. I think I didn't have a firm image of it in my mind because Miyazaki wasn't there to accept it himself. But yes, he did indeed win that year! That was a pretty weak field then too, as there were no incredibly strong super-blockbusters like a Shrek or Incredibles. Besides Spirited Away, the other nominees were Ice Age, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet (how in the fu*k did Treasure Planet get a nomination?).


I don't know? Because all Anime looks alike to them? I'm really not sure what the selection process of the Animated Feature is. I know it's a specilized category, like Documentaries and Foreign Language films, but I don't have a handle on how it works exactly (the category was just created in 2002). The special executive committee determines eligibility, then they make their recommendations to the Academy's Board of Governors, and they make public a list of eligible features that are being officially considered. The flicks on that list this year were the three nominees plus Chicken Little, Hoodwinked, Madagascar, Robots, Valiant and Steamboy. But I really don't understand when they decide to make it three or five nominees, or how the nominees are even chosen. It's still too new a process.




And Howl's Moving Castle is scheduled for release on R1 DVD March 7th, two days after the Academy Awards.

When you say "dubbed", do you mean in wide release? I saw it subbed in N.Y. and assumed that at least some theaters were playing that version.

I liked Steamboy better than any of the above, not that it was a great movie. Howls was inconsistent and preachy, even by Miyazaki standards, but a fun time. Of that lot I'd go with Were Rabbit but haven't seen Bride yet. Robots should have at least gotten a nod for the opening track ball sequence, though again not such a great flick.

Thank you for all of the information Holden. I appreciate it.


If anyone's interested...

Wallace and Gromit just won the top prize for Best Animated Feature at the 33rd Annual Annie Awards. For a peek at other catagories, go here.

I voted for The Corspe Bride but it will probably go to Wallace & Grommit

I haven't seen any of the features nominated, so i voted Wallace and Gromit etc because I think it will win for all the reasons you stated above

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I've only seen Wallace & Gromit: TCotWR and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Both were enjoyable films. I felt that Corpse Bride was better, though. Technically it's superior. The work they do with these puppets and the expressions they can get on the faces of the 3 main characters: Victor, Victoria, and Emily. Just watching the special features on the Corpse Bride dvd gave me that look behind the scenes. I own both of the stop motion films mentioned here on DVD and I go back to watch Corpse Bride more than I do Wallace & Gromit. I really hope that they win this oscar. I know that Wallace and Gromit is some stiff competition because it was also a fun and well done movie. We'll see how this turns out~

My vote was for Wallace and Gromit. It may not have the slick style of corpse Bride but that's also the charm of it. The special effects used were only used because simple stop-animation would have been impossible for certain scenes (the floating rabbits in the machine). Wallace and Gromit remains true to its roots, it's from the heart.

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I liked Wallace and Grommit & The Corpse Bride but I think I liked Wallace and Grommit the best, maybe just because I've been a fan of their's for so long. I've not seen the third one.

How do you like Corpse Bride if you haven't seen it? Do you just like the way it looks?

I'll go with Corpse Bride, but only because I didn't see the other ones, so it is not so fair, haha

I do appreciate Miyazaki's work, and whilst i loved Spirited Away, i grew tired quite quickly of Howl's Moving Castle. I feel its the kind of movie i would have adored as a child, but im finding myself getting bored with the strange stories that don't really make much sense. i seem to have lost my tolerance a little. Maybe one day when i get my soul back i'll be a fan again.

So i'm gonna be voting for Wallace and Gromit. Holden already pointed out the best thing about it. Who knew a plastacine dog with no mouth could say so much by just furrowing his brow. Brilliant animation.

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I'd seen Corpse Bride, it was the third that I hadn't seen

Maybe I'd also go with Corpse Bride, that the only film i've seen in this category. Heh. But i'm betting Howl's Moving Castle will win.

Corpse Bride contains a nice touch of gothic scenery + romantic musical stuff. I've always enjoyed Tim Burton's stuff (Nightmare Before Christmas) and the designs in his movies (NBC and CB)

Corpse Bride just because it's a phenominal film. One of the best animated films I've seen in a long time. I had to buy the DVD as soon as it came out in other words and tried desperately to win a puppet from the corpsebridedvd.com site. Wallace and Gromit and Howls Movie Castle were both good as well though Wallace's animation is much more primative than corpse bride and Howl's isn't the best Hayao Miyazaki movie i've seen.

i can't say ..i haven't seen any of them, but if i know the oscars, wallace and gromit will get the award...