The Hype: A stop-motion animated film written and co-directed by the fantastic Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) about a man who struggles to connect with other humans until he encounters a woman who serves to change that. Kaufman has been nominated for three writing Oscars previously, and so to see him tackling the Best Animated Feature category equals instant awards hype, as well as outside buzz for Best Picture. Why It's Lost The Oscar Race: Though Anomalisa has scored an astounding 100% on RT from festival reviews and at this point is the only valid challenge to Inside Out's near-guaranteed Animated Film Oscar, the problem is that the subject matter may simply prove to be too bleak and without the warm comfort of Pixar's film to score big with Academy voters. Expect Anomalisa to be the big film that everyone complains about getting snubbed next year, and though a screenplay nod for Kaufman seems possible, don't be surprised to see the film shut out entirely simply because it's too "out there". It may be too dark for animation fans, while the animated approach may deter more stubborn, older filmmakers who feel like these humanistic issues can only be taken seriously in a live-action film. We'd love to be wrong about this, though. But on the other hand, Inside Out is still an easy masterpiece, so it's not too devastating... Which other movies do you suspect are going to fall at the Oscar hurdle? Shout them out in the comments!
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
