Well this is a surprise. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has just released their picks for best of the year in the usual categories. What's surprising about it though is that 'Wall-E' a film almost universally loved by critics and audiences alike has been named film of the year, beating out stiff competition from the likes of Darren Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler' and Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'. The reason this is such a coup is that animated films are rarely (if ever) recognized as equal it quality to live action features, for example only one animated feature ('Beauty and the Beast') has ever been nominated for best picture and it is part of the reason they introduced the best animated feature Oscar, so these films would receive some recognition.
So, does this mean 'Wall-E' will be nominated for best picture this year? Or can it perhaps even win the award? It's going to be incredibly close I think with so many Oscar worthy pictures out this year I think the vote is going to be spread out very evenly. Personally, as a fan of animation, I would be very happy to see this happen.
Entertainment Weekly has the full list:
Picture: Wall-E
Runner-up: The Dark Knight
Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Actor: Sean Penn, Milk
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Actress: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky
Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Elegy
Runner-up: Viola Davis, Doubt
Screenplay: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York
Foreign-language film: Still Life
Runner-up: The Class
Documentary: Man on Wire
Runner-up: Waltz With Bashir
Animation: Waltz With Bashir
Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, Still Life
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Production design: Mark Friedberg, Synecdoche, New York
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, The Dark Knight
Music/score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Does anyone else find it odd that 'Wall-E' lost out to 'Waltz With Bashir' for best animated feature? I guess even if 'Wall-E' isn't nominated for best picture, at least the battle for best animated feature won't be a forgone conclusion.
Source:
EW
December 30, 2007, 07:58:40 PM
