IS IT JUST ME?
Am I the only one irritated with the inclusion of Toy Story 3 in the Best Picture race?
Not because I don’t see why people think it should be included but for the fact that it totally sucks the air out of the Best Animated Feature category. I mean, Toy Story can’t lose in the animated category. If it did it would call the whole nomination process into question. I think it’s a damn shame and not just because I think How to Train Your Dragon is a better film!
I think we should keep animated films seperated… same with docs and foreign films… is it just me???
THE LIST 
February 2, 2011 at 5:29 am
I think a feature film is a feature film. If you start splitting them off into various categories you might just as well have a Best Picture for every single genre.
I think documentaries should be kept seperate by virtue of their non-fiction basis but fiction animation and even foreign language should be considered for Best Picture.
The argument about Foreign Films is another minefield – it that non-english speaking or non-Amerincan making British, Canadian etc. films foreign. And would that therefore make American films foreign in the eyes of the British Film and Television Awards?
February 2, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Then, along the same mindset, shouldn’t we eliminate animated and foreign categories. If a BP nom makes the others a foregone conclusion, that is.
February 2, 2011 at 6:17 am
It’s not just you, I’ve heard this a few places…
…but allow me to retort.
February 2, 2011 at 6:33 am
No, Rachel and I are with you. We talked about it on the recent Reel Insight podcast. Basically, I think you should have to campaign for a particular category. If a film like Toy Story 3 wants to try for the Best Picture category, it should be excluded from the Animated Feature category.
February 2, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I like that reasoning but if TS3 campaigns and gets a BP nom and HTTYDragon wins Best Animated, it still steals HTTYD’s thunder, ya know?
February 2, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Sorry, Mad, I missed that post. I also see your point but disagree. The fact is it’s not a foregone conclusion in it’s own category. I don’t think it’s the best but it HAS to win due to the nod. It HAS to. Which completely ruins the category.
Because it is not going to win Best Picture!
February 2, 2011 at 6:33 pm
It might not win dude – the other two have made this a tough category.
Let’s apply this to documentaries for a sec – who DO have the rule that films can’t compete in both Best Doc and Best Pic. In 2004, BORN INTO BROTHELS won the Oscar for Best Documentary. But if you were that director, how much credence would you take in that win knowing that you didn’t have to compete with one of the biggest docs of all time – FAHRENHEIT 9/11, that sat out the category in an attempt to go for Best Picture?
(An attempt that it missed out on btw, which says something else about forsaking your category for a chance at the belt).
Thoughts??
February 3, 2011 at 4:33 pm
I’m actually fine with that. What really bugs is that you think there’s a .0000001% chance that TS3 won’t win. I mean it… it HAS to.
February 2, 2011 at 7:48 am
Yeah, it does pretty much negate the Best Animated category, but it was a great movie and I think putting in the Best Pic running is a big step for the Academy giving due credit to animated movies. Tricky situation, but still, I like that it’s there.
February 2, 2011 at 10:04 am
They should eliminate the Best Animated category. Animations shouldn’t be put into a special category, they are full-blown features just like the rest of them.
February 2, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Especially since the stories have gotten so good the last 10 years but I still like animated being it’s own thing.
February 2, 2011 at 12:21 pm
I agree with Castor. We should make all full-length movies, animated or not, have to compete in the same category.
It is not just you though. Personally, How to Train your Dragon was a better film! I also discussed Toy Story 3 in less-than-glowing terms today…
February 2, 2011 at 1:12 pm
I said last year that the foreign language category should be dropped in favour of more foreign language movies making the best picture category, I guess the same goes for animation. As the system and the categories stand I don’t have a problem with movies that are in both.
February 2, 2011 at 3:58 pm
I disagree completely Kai. Prior to last year when they introduced the ten nominations, animated films barely EVER got nominated for Best Picture. The reason? Because the Best Animated Film category allowed the academy to fob them off, thus not recognizing some of the best movies of any given year (WALL-E didn’t get a nomination despite being far and above the best reviewed film of 2008).
If an animated movie is one of the best movies of the year, then it should be recognized as such with a nomination. You’re right about there not being much air in the Animated catgoery, but quite frankly that’s true every year, because Pixar practically always make the best film (or if you don’t agree with that, certainly you’d have to agree that they make the most ACCLAIMED film)
Perhaps what they should do is make films animated films that get nominated for Best Picture ineligible for the Best Animated award. Then again, even though animated films get nominated for Best Picture, they probably won’t ever win – at least this way the best animated film of the year gets an award, as well as the recognition that animated films are just as legitimate as live action ones
February 2, 2011 at 5:16 pm
I can’t retort again. I see all your points. This may make a better podcast topic! 🙂
February 3, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I’m game 😛
February 2, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Yeah…that’s just confusing. And redundant. And unfair.
Now I understand why the Academy is so reluctant to animated movies for Best Picture.
February 3, 2011 at 3:31 pm
I think I’m still trying to get over the fact that there are 10 BP nominations…I fear change!
February 3, 2011 at 6:02 pm
The best picture is the best picture is the best picture. Whether it’s animated, foreign or a documentary hardly matters. That being said, I don’t think Toy Story 3 is among the 10 best films of the year. Obviously, I’m in the minority and many think it’s one of the best films of the year so I don’t have a problem with the best picture nomination.
February 8, 2011 at 5:16 am
its not as good as the two that came before, but in terms of last years movies its still up there. it deserves to be top ten
February 8, 2011 at 5:16 am
like the new banner by the way.. Greatest Movie Blog Ever… wow, well done!
February 8, 2011 at 9:09 am
Yup… it’s on the internet so it’s official… and it’s said that for almost a year now. haha
February 18, 2011 at 8:47 pm
I was upset several years ago when the ‘animated’ section was created. I severely ‘under-saw’ films in 2010. However, I did see TS-3 at the theater. As a stand alone piece of cinema it does not belong in the Best Picture Category, but it may well end up being ‘Return Of The King’d and receive an award not for what it is, but as a marker laid down on it’s series. ( ROTK was the least of the three in my opinion also, but was the last chance so the Academy took it. )
That aside, it is asinine and confounding that they would allow a film to multi-category like TS-3 has done. They won’t let an actor or actress be multi nominated for a singular performance, why double dip a movie?
If they really want to man up make the damn things mean something, drop the Animated category and expand best picture to 14 or 16 films.
Then, have two winners. Yep, two winners, and the voters get two votes. Top two takers get a statue with neither being named 1st or 2nd. That would let people vote for a film like TS-3 AND True Grit if they were so inclined, or, let them cast BOTH for one film so someone could double down on Black Swan if they wanted.
Just me.
Oh. and HTTYD was freaking head, neck, wings and tail a better movie than TS-3.