Animated films seek to find a place in best picture Oscar race

LOS ANGELES: "Inside Out 2" was the highest grossing film of 2024 and is the highest grossing animated film of all time, but it was shut out of the best picture Oscar race along with acclaimed animated films "The Wild Robot" and "Flow."

Animated filmmakers now aim to be included to the best picture race after being shut out for several years.

"In general, animation is just in its little corner on its own, so we'd love to champion it to be considered for best film," said Merlin Crossingham, who co-directed "Wallace and Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl."

Among the top 10 grossing films in 2024, five were animated sequel movies: Disney's "Moana 2" and "Mufasa: The Lion King," Universal Pictures' and DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda 4," and Universal Pictures "Despicable Me 4," Box Office Mojo said.

"I think more and more that we're being considered in that area, it's a little bit of a glass ceiling for us," said Bonnie Arnold, veteran film executive who worked for Disney Animation, Pixar Animation and DreamWorks Animation.

While there have been some animated films nominated for best picture, including "Beauty and the Beast" in 1991, "Up" in 2009 and "Toy Story 3" in 2010, they have been overlooked in recent years.

There is a stigma that animated films are just for children, rather than audiences of all ages.

Arnold also said that while animated theatrical releases are frequently family-oriented in her opinion, versus adult animation with a stronger streaming presence, she does not believe family inclusive elements limit audience.

By contrast, "Inside Out" director Peter Docter believes that sometimes animated films do not meet the expectations of a best picture contender due to low humor.

"There is a certain caliber that people are looking for in a best picture, so we gotta step it up," Docter told Reuters.

Breaking those barriers, Screen Australia's adult stop-motion animated film "Memoir of a Snail" is the second R-rated animated film ever to receive an Oscar nomination.

The movie follows a girl named Grace growing up in 1970s Melbourne, Australia, as she uses an obsession with snails to cope with the traumas of life.

LANDING HIGH SCORES

The 2024 Disney and Pixar movie "Inside Out 2" crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office in less than three weeks of its release, reaching that level in the fastest time of any animated film in history.

"Inside Out 2" is a sequel to Docter's 2015 film, which follows five humanoid emotions inside the mind of a girl named Riley.

For "Inside Out 2" director Kelsey Mann, the sequel was successful due to encouragement from Docter.

"He (Docter) said 'the sooner you start thinking of this film as an original, the better off you're going to be' and I really took that to heart," Mann added.

By contrast, the DreamWorks Oscar contender "The Wild Robot" introduces a new cinematic story based on a 2016 novel, written and directed by industry veteran Sanders.

"The Wild Robot" has received high acclaim, including a 97% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie follows a service robot named Roz who is shipwrecked on an island, eventually becoming the adoptive mother to an orphaned goose.

For Sanders, who worked on successful animated films "Lilo and Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Wild Robot" was an opportunity to revisit raw aesthetics.

"The Wild Robot" incorporated "beautiful painted characters and painted backgrounds" that do not tend to make it into CGI movies.

LATVIA'S 'FLOW' IS CONTENDER

One film that has become an unexpected contender is the Latvian independent animated film, "Flow."

The movie is a standout in the 2024 season having no dialogue.

"Flow" follows a cat that finds refuge on a boat along with other animals that work together after a flood has destroyed their homes.

"Flow" entered the Oscar race after big studio films like "Inside Out 2," "Moana 2" and "The Wild Robot," which all had higher box office numbers, lost the Golden Globe to the small independent film.

The "Flow" team transformed its smaller budget into a best international film Oscar nominee, getting rare recognition for an animated film within two major categories and making history with the first Oscar nominations for Latvia ever.

Despite obstacles, animation filmmakers are hopeful for the future.

The "Chicken Run" filmmakers noted progress with the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nomination for Best British Film that put "Wallace and Gromit" up against live-action films.

"Wallace and Gromit" has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.