Oscars: ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ could lead stop-motion renaissance in Best Animated Feature
From prestige critical darlings like “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” to gonzo arthouse fare like Phil Tippett’s “Mad God,” stop-motion filmmaking is in the midst of a renaissance. As opposed to traditional and computer-generated animation, stop motion is achieved by physically manipulating puppets, clay models, and other tangible materials between frames. While some level of CGI is necessary to simulate, for example, a natural disaster, the bulk of what audiences see on screen is designed by hand.
Gold Derby’s projected Best Animated Feature lineup poses an exciting possibility: With “GDT’s Pinocchio” out front, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” in third, and “Wendell and Wild” on the verge of breaking into the top five, stop-motion projects could outnumber computer-animated features for the third time since the category’s 2002 induction. It will be just the second time, however, that this has happened in a lineup of five.
In 2006, “Corpse Bride” and eventual winner “Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit” competed against only one other film, Hayao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle.” “ParaNorman,” “Frankenweenie,” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” were nominated in 2013 (the Oscar ultimately went to Pixar’s “Brave”). Not only could at least three stop-motion features receive nominations again, but “GDT’s Pinocchio” may very well end up only the second (after “Wallace and Gromit”) to win the prize. As if those prospective stats weren’t impressive enough, “Pinocchio” could make history by getting nominated for Best Production Design. It is currently ninth in our odds and steadily on the rise. It’s also competitive in Best Score and Best Adapted Screenplay.
After prolonged doubt regarding whether it met the AMPAS’ criteria for animated films, A24’s “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” which mixes stop-motion and live-action filmmaking, was deemed eligible in November. The movie, based on a series of YouTube shorts by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp, only made $6.3 million worldwide but still enjoys a relatively high profile on the strength of its distributor. Besides, the animation branch has recognized far obscurer titles, like “Wolfwalkers” and “I Lost My Body.” A contingent could also rally around “Marcel the Shell” because of the broader, ongoing conversation about the academy’s system of evaluating animated projects that the film (along with Richard Linklater’s rotoscoped “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood”) has come to represent. Some may feel that supporting the movie is a way of advocating revised standards. Finally, “Marcel” consistently draws raves from those who do see it. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 99 and 91 percent approval rating from critics and audiences, respectively. New York Film Critics Circle just awarded it Best Animated Feature.
From the minds of Henry Selick and Jordan Peele, two name-brand creative forces, Netflix’s “Wendell and Wild” has one of the finest pedigrees in the race. The feature, Selick’s first since 2009’s “Coraline,” uses elements of horror and fantasy to impart a progressive message about mass incarceration. It marks the reunion of sketch comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Peele, who voice the eponymous demons that rise from the underworld to become carnival proprietors. Angela Bassett, James Hong, and Ving Rhames co-star. The animation community’s reverence for Selick is tremendous and shouldn’t be underestimated, especially after his recent comments about not receiving due credit for directing “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Phil Tippett is another respected industry veteran the branch could be eager to celebrate this year. Primarily known for his VFX work on the original “Star Wars” trilogy, the first “Jurassic Park,” “Dragonslayer,” and “Robocop,” Tippett finally wrapped production on “Mad God,” his 30-years-in-the-making passion project, in 2021 with the help of multiple Kickstarter campaigns. Shudder released the crowdfunded post-apocalyptic horror this past summer. Its experimental structure may not be for everyone, but Tippett’s journey completing “Mad God” is precisely the kind of labor-of-love narrative that wins over Academy voters, particularly filmmakers. Tippett is scheduled to oversee VFX for Frank Miller’s live-action adaptation of “Corto Maltese.” He’s also reportedly in talks with del Toro to revive the “Pinocchio” co-director’s abandoned adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness” as a stop-motion feature. “Mad God” is currently unranked but eligible. Netflix’s “The House,” another original, challenging feat of hand-crafted animation, was not included on the Academy’s just-released shortlist.
The number of qualifying films, as well as the likelihood of at least one of them—“GDT’s Pinocchio”—getting nominated in categories other than Animated Feature, could materialize a historically strong showing for stop motion at the Oscars. The physical work that goes into composing every single frame has always made the art form a financially risky endeavor. Increased exposure afforded by the films described inspires optimism that it will continue to attract investors and creative talent.
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