Can WALL-E Contend for Best Pic?

It was mentioned in a few reviews. Now magazines like EW and Time are taking the baton and running with it, asking the question, “Can WALL-E compete in this year’s Best Picture race?”

The Academy established a separate animated category in 2002. Since, no animated movie has generated enough buzz to push it into the Best Picture race (though some argue The Incredibles, Spirited Away and Finding Nemo could have survived an Oscar run).

This got the FilmCritic geeks talking. Could WALL-E be the first animated feature since the introduction of the animation category to earn a Best Picture nomination? My friend and colleague Norm Schrager felt the conversation was “kind of close to the Heath Ledger thing I wrote,” where the media pilots an overcrowded bandwagon of praise behind a decent performance. As a final note, Norm wisely adds, “Talk about the Oscars in November and December. Talk about Oscars in early July and you’re just lazy and bored.”

I agree … sort of. Since WALL-E is out and we’re able to properly judge it on merit (unlike Ledger, whose largely an unknown at this point), it’s totally possible to weigh WALL-E’s Oscar chances. I, for one, want to see it in the Best Picture race. Now, will five better films come out between now and nomination time? God, I hope so! But the discussion, in my opinion, is CAN an animated movie contend for Best Picture now that there’s a separate Animated category. That’s a discussion worth having. And yes, I think WALL-E can (and should) be the picture that bridges the categories.

Then Norm took it one step further. “For that matter, should a documentary film be considered?” he asked. “And what are the differences in those two arguments?”

What are your thoughts? Should animated, foreign and documentary films stay in their respective categories, or can they branch out if they’re good enough?

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by Sean O'Connell | July 9th, 2008, 7:29 am
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One Response to “Can WALL-E Contend for Best Pic?”

  1. Norm Schrager Says:
    July 10th, 2008 at 8:09 am

    I think you have to retain the categories as they now exist… only because the majority of Oscar voters don’t think broadly enough to include films like WALL-E in their Best Picture “thinking”. (Not including the folks we know who vote and shall remain anonymous).

    So, yeah, the stray “non-traditional” entry should definitely be considered — the crossover is great for the film, and a short-term shot in the arm for the industry with all the chatter it provides (as happened with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast).

    When does the Best Musical category get added? I’m not proposing it, just asking.

    The tough truth is many Oscar voters — not all — have malleable brains. I know this to be true for one Best Picture winner. Too much blah blah for this comment, but I’ll write about sometime soon. Not trying to tease, just saving space.

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