Oscar for Best Animated Feature 2021

[Disney's Divinity]

I guess the rig is in for Miranda.

[Farerb]

I guess the rig is in for Miranda.

Exactly! That's why he won in 2017.

[Disney's Divinity]

You may be right! Still, predicting Encanto will win before we've seen anything is pretty incredible. What little we know of it sounds mediocre. Of course, I personally loved Raya, but even leaving that film aside since awards shows gravitate towards more serious films, going on details alone, Luca looks and sounds better than Encanto, among WDAS's / PIXAR's lot. But Soul won this year, which means it must be WDAS' turn to get focus in Disney's eyes.

[Farerb]

I personally predict that Luca will win, and I don't think that there's a Pixar turn or WDAS turn, it just that everytime WDAS won, it was a year that Pixar hasn't released anything or anything worthy

[Sotiris]

Well, this is a bummer. Does this mean there won't be any awards or that just the ceremony won't be televised? NBC refusing to broadcast the ceremony doesn't prevent members from selecting nominees and winners and publicizing the results online, does it? Though now that they're being boycotted by most Hollywood studios, they probably won't have access to certain movies or materials, so that might be an issue.

NBC Will Not Air Golden Globes in 2022 Due to Ongoing HFPA Controversy
https://variety.com/2021/tv/awards/gold ... 234969976/


Update:

But with no telecast, will there also be no awards? One individual close to the organization said the group is probably going to take a year off from the awards race completely.

Source: https://www.thewrap.com/golden-globes-w ... -canceled/

[D82]

^I was surprised too they cancelled next year's show. I didn't expect the situation would get so bad. I think the HFPA should make drastic changes as soon as possible if they don't want the awards to disappear completely. In my opinion, the worst part wasn't that they didn't have any Black members (they're a foreign association after all, so I guess they're at least quite diverse), but the accusations of bribery; which are probably true, since they're a very small group and therefore easier to buy than bigger organizations like the Academy. I hope they do what you said and they at least publish the nominees and winners online. It would be a shame to have a year without Golden Globes.

By the way, have you guys watched the new trailer for Wish Dragon? I understand that due to the type of story there'll be some similarities to Aladdin, but I think they copied from the Disney movie a bit too much. The film looks interesting, though.

[Sotiris]

By the way, have you guys watched the new trailer for Wish Dragon? I understand that due to the type of story there'll be some similarities to Aladdin, but I think they copied from the Disney movie a bit too much.

I agree. It's so similar to Aladdin, it borders on rip-off. There's the love story angle, the protagonist being a peasant boy and his love interest a wealthy girl who leads a restricted life, the three wishes, the rule about not being able to wish for love, the joke about the wish dragon having to fit in such a small space, the wish dragon being trapped in there for a thousand years, and the wish dragon himself who has a Robbin Williams-eque vibe to him.

[estefan]

^I was surprised too they cancelled next year's show. I didn't expect the situation would get so bad. I think the HFPA should make drastic changes as soon as possible if they don't want the awards to disappear completely. In my opinion, the worst part wasn't that they didn't have any Black members (they're a foreign association after all, so I guess they're at least quite diverse), but the accusations of bribery; which are probably true, since they're a very small group and therefore easier to buy than bigger organizations like the Academy. I hope they do what you said and they at least publish the nominees and winners online. It would be a shame to have a year without Golden Globes.

And it would be such an easy fix for them, too. The reason the HFPA has so few members is because they only allow one member per country and they have to live in Los Angeles and write about Hollywood for a foreign publication. They should get rid of restrictive requirements like those and allow any writer from any country who writes about entertainment for a publication (online or print) to join. It would also be harder to bribe the members if there were, say, 500 instead of 100.

[D82]

I agree. It's so similar to Aladdin, it borders on rip-off. There's the love story angle, the protagonist being a peasant boy and his love interest a wealthy girl who leads a restricted life, the three wishes, the rule about not being able to wish for love, the joke about the wish dragon having to fit in such a small space, the wish dragon being trapped in there for a thousand years, and the wish dragon himself who has a Robbin Williams-eque vibe to him.

And all that just in the trailer! I even spotted a couple more similarities: the joke about the dragon making the protagonist very muscular for a moment, and the fact that he creates him an elegant outfit and means of transport to go to the girl's mansion. The last joke where the protagonist wants to get out of that traffic jam but doesn't want to waste one of his wishes also reminded me of the scene in which Aladdin wants the Genie to get him out of the Cave of Wonders.

And it would be such an easy fix for them, too. The reason the HFPA has so few members is because they only allow one member per country and they have to live in Los Angeles and write about Hollywood for a foreign publication. They should get rid of restrictive requirements like those and allow any writer from any country who writes about entertainment for a publication (online or print) to join. It would also be harder to bribe the members if there were, say, 500 instead of 100.

I didn't know they only allowed one member per country. That's ridiculous! Yes, I agree; the first thing they need to do is increasing their membership.

[Disney's Divinity]

Everybody has known money and bribes decide what wins the awards for as long as these kinds of shows have existed, the Golden Globes are just the first to get caught, I guess! (This is the first I'd heard about this controversy, actually.) I don't think the number of members would make any difference; bribing a few hundred people is nothing in the scheme of things for companies that make billions and billions every year. These awards, whether they're those for film like the Oscars or music like the Grammy's, are becoming increasingly irrelevant because of all the controversies every year over things that win that shouldn't have, things that weren't even nominated that should've been, people they disrespect by not allowing them to perform (usually a woman or POC), the fact that 99% of the voters BTS are White and how that is reflected in what gets nominated and what doesn't, etc. etc.

[Sotiris]

Still, predicting Encanto will win before we've seen anything is pretty incredible. What little we know of it sounds mediocre. Of course, I personally loved Raya, but even leaving that film aside since awards shows gravitate towards more serious films, going on details alone, Luca looks and sounds better than Encanto, among WDAS's / PIXAR's lot.

I think Encanto is already the frontrunner despite the lack of info and materials for the following reasons:

• Encanto marks WDAS's 60th film. It's a milestone that Oscar voters may feel needs to be commemorated. Giving the Oscar to Encanto is a way to honor the studio as a whole.
• It's a musical and usually musicals by WDAS get more press, attention, and interest than their non-musical counterparts.
• It features the first Disney Latina lead/"princess" which makes it a big deal. Raya may have featured the first Southeast Asian one, but there's a much larger demographic of Latinos in the U.S. than Southeast Asians. Also, because of Mulan, the Asian community was already represented by a WDAS film, so Raya was seen as a less important benchmark in representation. Moreover, Raya faced backlash for being set in a fictional kingdom that was a mashup of various Southeast Asian nations and cultures whereas Encanto is set specifically in Colombia thus avoiding a similar controversy.
• LMM wrote the songs and was heavily involved in the story and Hollywood loves him and everything he does.
• There aren't any other mainstream movies from big studios that are much of a threat. I already explained why Encanto has a leg up Raya. Mitchells vs. the Machines, while it has a high Rotten Tomatoes score, if you read the actual reviews they are more mixed and not as glowing as you'd think. The fact it's a Netflix original decreases its winning chances too. Luca seems like a fairly straightforward coming-of-age story. It's not high-concept and lacks the philosophical aspect and/or sentimentality that Oscar voters want in a Pixar movie. Also, it lacks diversity as all of the characters are white. Vivo, another LMM musical, has a monkey protagonist and that can't really compete with the LMM musical whose protagonist is a Disney princess.

I even spotted a couple more similarities: the joke about the dragon making the protagonist very muscular for a moment, and the fact that he creates him an elegant outfit and means of transport to go to the girl's mansion. The last joke where the protagonist wants to get out of that traffic jam but doesn't want to waste one of his wishes also reminded me of the scene in which Aladdin wants the Genie to get him out of the Cave of Wonders.

Good catch! It's weird how many gags and story beats were lifted from Aladdin. Did no one really notice during the movie's entire development and production?

[estefan]

"Aladdin" borrowed a lot of things from the 1940 movie "The Thief of Bagdad." I remember seeing that movie and being surprised at just how much was lifted from it and then I read how much of an influence it had on "Aladdin." Disney even bought the rights to make a remake of "The Thief and Bagdad" around that time, so it was a movie very much on the studio's mind when they were making it. There are also stories of artists who had worked on "The Thief and the Cobbler" then including elements of that movie into "Aladdin."

So, as much as I love "Aladdin", that film copied an enormous amount of things from other sources. If "Wish Dragon" has elements that bring to mind "Aladdin", well, I don't see that as a problem, then. It's the final execution that matters and if the result stills end up an entertaining and well told story with endearing characters.

[Disney's Divinity]

I think you underestimate how much the Oscars love their White male coming of age stories, of which Luca is one.

[estefan]

I also just remembered the number of similarities one could make between "DuckTales The Movie" and "Aladdin" as they both contain fast-talking genies and even have incredibly similar climaxes. I'm certain some viewers probably saw "Aladdin" and thought to themselves that Disney was just repeating themselves.

[Sotiris]

We have an update when it comes to the eligibility requirements for this year's Oscars.

The eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration, however, will return to the standard December 31 deadline after having been extended to February 28 this year for a 14-month Oscar year rather than the usual 12 in the normal calendar year that has been in effect since 1934. As such, this year will encompass just 10 months where a feature film must have a qualifying release date between March 1 and December 31, 2021. The Academy states that for the 2022 Oscars, which is still impacted by the pandemic, eligibility requirements for the 94th Academy Awards will be consistent with the addendums made for the 93rd awards season. That is good news for streamers, which don’t have to worry about qualifying with theatrical engagements.

Source: https://deadline.com/2021/05/oscars-94t ... 234765139/

[Sotiris]

Teaser poster and teaser trailer.


Source: https://twitter.com/ronsgonewrong/statu ... 7323131913


Theatrical poster and theatrical trailer.


Source: https://twitter.com/ronsgonewrong/statu ... 4544613388


International poster and international trailer.


Source: https://twitter.com/ronsgonewrong/statu ... 4335086604


Single, music video, lyric video, and behind-the-scenes featurette.


Source: https://twitter.com/LiamPayne/status/14 ... 1320937481

[blackcauldron85]

I thought it was an ad when it first came on, so I was zoned out and had to rewind it. . That looks like it's going to be funny!!!

[D82]

The movie might be good, but in my opinion, that trailer did a really poor job selling it. Where's the conflict? I know it's just a teaser, but they could have hinted at some plot. Or at least tried to make the characters engaging. Also, the robot looks like a cross between EVE from WALL-E and Baymax. They should've tried to make it more unique.

I think Encanto is already the frontrunner despite the lack of info and materials for the following reasons:

• Encanto marks WDAS's 60th film. It's a milestone that Oscar voters may feel needs to be commemorated. Giving the Oscar to Encanto is a way to honor the studio as a whole.
• It's a musical and usually musicals by WDAS get more press, attention, and interest than their non-musical counterparts.
• It features the first Disney Latina lead/"princess" which makes it a big deal. Raya may have featured the first Southeast Asian one, but there's a much larger demographic of Latinos in the U.S. than Southeast Asians. Also, because of Mulan, the Asian community was already represented by a WDAS film, so Raya was seen as a less important benchmark in representation. Moreover, Raya faced backlash for being set in a fictional kingdom that was a mashup of various Southeast Asian nations and cultures whereas Encanto is set specifically in Colombia thus avoiding a similar controversy.
• LMM wrote the songs and was heavily involved in the story and Hollywood loves him and everything he does.
• There aren't any other mainstream movies from big studios that are much of a threat. I already explained why Encanto has a leg up Raya. Mitchells vs. the Machines, while it has a high Rotten Tomatoes score, if you read the actual reviews they are more mixed and not as glowing as you'd think. The fact it's a Netflix original decreases its winning chances too. Luca seems like a fairly straightforward coming-of-age story. It's not high-concept and lacks the philosophical aspect and/or sentimentality that Oscar voters want in a Pixar movie. Also, it lacks diversity as all of the characters are white. Vivo, another LMM musical, has a monkey protagonist and that can't really compete with the LMM musical whose protagonist is a Disney princess.

I'm not so sure about that. Tangled was WDAS's 50th film and a musical, apart from having good reviews and being successful at the box office, and wasn't even nominated. And The Princess and the Frog featured Disney's first Black princess and didn't win either. The points you mentioned could help the movie, but I think whether it ends up being the frontrunner or not will depend mainly on the quality of the film itself.

It's weird how many gags and story beats were lifted from Aladdin. Did no one really notice during the movie's entire development and production?

Exactly, I'm surprised by that too.

"Aladdin" borrowed a lot of things from the 1940 movie "The Thief of Bagdad."

Well, that's true. But here it was very specific things like some very similar jokes, for example. And all just in the trailer. But, who knows, maybe those are all the similarities with Aladdin and the rest of the movie will be quite different.

[Farerb]

I started watching Wish Dragon but stopped halfway through. The film might find its fans and I'm sure kids will like it, but I didn't think it was good.

[D82]

^I didn't know it had already been released. Despite my criticisms regarding the similarities to Aladdin, I was actually interested in watching it. This makes me a bit less excited for it, but I'm still curious to see how much they've actually borrowed from Aladdin. I'll try to watch it one of these days.