The Academy Awards are this weekend, and in the animation category, there’s a lot of “Buzz” around Toy Story 3, nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Song, Best Screenplay and Best Picture. I’ve been a fan of Pixar since the beginning, but I’m not rooting for Toy Story 3 this year, because I think it is not one of Pixar’s best films. Despite its popularity, I thought it had a weak script, and it pains me to see it nominated for screenwriting.
You can read more of my thoughts about Pixar in a recent guest post I did for the Animated Writings blog. I invite you to leave comments and let me know what you think. Have you been disappointed by any of Pixar’s recent films? Do you think they are as good as their earlier ones? Do you think Toy Story 3 should be among the Best Picture nominees?
The film I would love to see win Best Animated Feature is The Illusionist, by French director Sylvain Chomet. It’s a quiet film, a quirky film, a film with almost no dialogue and almost no plot. It is like no animated film I’ve ever seen, and several days after viewing it, I’m still not sure what to make of it. It’s a slice of life, a tribute to a bygone era, and a beautifully-animated film.