The Croods Despicable Me 2 Ernest and Celestine Frozen The Wind Rises I suspect the majority of people, even the most green-thumbed Oscar gamblers, don't need an expert's advice to pick this one. Disney's Frozen, which is a return to the old-school princess musicals that brought the company much success in the 1990's, has not only proven to be an unqualified success with the movie-going families, but also earned surprisingly strong notices with critics as well. This double-whammy of both public and critical approval makes the actual handing out of the award all but a formality. If there somehow does prove to be an upset in this category though, there is only one of the other nominees that has a prayer of pulling it off, and that would be legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's swan song, The Wind Rises. Miyazaki was actually only the second recipient in this category back in 2003, when his classic film Spirited Away won the Oscar, but it looks unlikely the 73 year-old animation veteran will be picking up a second Oscar, which frankly, is a shame. While The Wind Rises has received good reviews from critics since its debut at the Venice Film Festival, they haven't been over-the-moon level positive, which is what the film would need to pull off the upset over Frozen. However, I must personally say I think The Wind Rises is a masterpiece that is not only one of the best films of this year (it ranks second among the films I have seen from 2013), but one of the best films of this still young decade. This article is not meant to be an advocacy rant though, so when it comes to filling out your ballot, do the smart thing and fill in the little bubble next to Frozen. (It's what I will doing, no matter how angry it makes me to do so). Will Win: FrozenCould Win: The Wind RisesShould Win: The Wind Rises
A film fanatic at a very young age, starting with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies and gradually moving up to more sophisticated fare, at around the age of ten he became inexplicably obsessed with all things Oscar. With the incredibly trivial power of being able to chronologically name every Best Picture winner from memory, his lifelong goal is to see every Oscar nominated film, in every major category, in the history of the Academy Awards.
