2008 Oscar Preview- Welcome and Animated Feature

This year’s Oscar season is obviously filled with doubts. Not just the usual doubts about who will win tight races but also doubts about who will show up, what kind of show will we see, and who will watch it. I’m hoping the WGA and the producers can settle before the show if only for the fact that I’d like to see Jon Stewart save some face and not end up hosting a glorified press conference. While we wait for February 24th and the resolution of some of these mysteries, I thought I’d kick off this year’s preview. Here’s the line up:
2/6- Animated Feature
2/8- Music (Song and Score)
2/10- Cinematography
2/12- Screenplay (Adapted and Original)
2/13- Supporting Actor and Actress
2/18- Actor
2/19- Actress
2/20- Director
2/22- Picture
2/25- Show Reaction and Fallout

So without further ado…

Animated Feature
Who’s Nominated: Persepolis, Ratatouille, Surf’s Up

Who’s Missing: It took 18 years but 2008 finally brought the Simpson family to the big screen. Was it the greatest Simpons ever? No, but it was a damn entertaining 90 minutes and more to the point the mix of cell and computer animation was flawless. In a category where there is usually a small list of films to choose from I would have thought this would be a slam dunk. Instead we’re stuck with a movie about a surfing penguin. Hey Oscars, enough with the penguins already!

Who Should Win: Brad Bird is one of the great storytellers of the 21st century in any medium. While I thought Ratatouille few short of his master strokes The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, it was one of the best films I saw last year. The animation set new highs even by Pixar standards especially in the recreation of Paris. The voice acting was great especially Patton Oswalt. The story, the acting, the animation all combine for a wonderful stew that’s should bring Ratatouille the Oscar.

Who Will Win: This is a two horse race with Surf’s Up playing the role of child actor in this category. Persepolis might not have the jaw dropping visuals of a Pixar flick but it’s a great story and has been embraced by critics. Furthermore the fact that it was snubbed in the Foreign Language category gives the film an even greater appeal to voters. In the end though, it will come up short against the powerhouse studio and an equally deserving film in Ratatouille.