Behind the Scenes of "Wolfwalkers"

by Nathaniel R

Today's must read is a memoir piece from storyboard artist Iker Madigan about working on Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers.  There are all sorts of interesting tidbits including how difficult compositional choices are with the two dimensional "flat graphic style" that Cartoon Saloon is known for. Here's another interesting note. I've never heard animators described like this but it makes emotional sense:

Depending on the degree of freedom entrusted to them, story artists can exhibit qualities from both directors and writers. Truth is, they can be something like a cross between a second unit director and a script doctor. 

And the following, about artists who are part of "story teams" that most animated features employ, is the type of honesty you rarely get in such pieces...

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Oscar history: Titanic's not-quite clean sweep, Julia's ascendance, and Chicago vs The Pianist

5 things that happened today, March 23rd, in Oscar History only...

1950 The 22nd annual Academy Awards honoring 1949 are held. All the King's Men wins Best Picture but it's the Olivia de Havilland classic The Heiress, among the Best Picture honorees, which wins the most Oscars (Actress, Costume Design, Art Direction, and Score) and has had the longest cultural shelf life thereafter.

1990 Pretty Woman hits movie theaters becoming a sensation and Julia Roberts ascends to superstardom...

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93rd Academy Awards: On the Best Animated Short nominees

by Nathaniel R

We'll be reviewing each of Oscar's categories before the ceremony. We've already explored the nominees in Best Animated Feature, Doc Shorts, Live Action Shorts, and Visual Effects.

For Best Animated Short it's a pity we can't honor Kapaemahu a beautifully evocative Hawaiian story of transgender spirits, with a spot near the top of this preference ranking but awards season can be cruel like that. Nevertheless you should stream it on Vimeo to see the one that got away. Otherwise, though, the voters chose fairly well. Here are thoughts on each nominee and where you can stream them...

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How Often Does Best Actor Go to a Performance from a Film That Missed Best Picture?

 by Christopher James

After "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" missed Best Picture, is Chadwick Boseman's win still secure?Chadwick Boseman still stands as the frontrunner in Best Actor for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The actor gives the role of Levee, an ambitious horn player, his all and shows new sides to his towering star persona. In many ways, his win feels like the biggest slam dunk predictions heading into the Oscars on April 25th.  However, is there cause for concern now that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom missed out on Best Picture?

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Gay Best Friend: Oliver T'Sien in "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018)

 a series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope 

Nico Santos does what every gay best friend does in a romantic comedy, stage a makeover montage.After a few retro episodes, we've made it back to modern examples of the Gay Best Friend trope. Crazy Rich Asians employs so many classic romantic comedy moments. When Nick Young (Henry Goulding) asks Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) to meet his family in Singapore, some nearby people overhear and set off a chain of texts that break the news to the entire Young family circle. Bright animated colors pop around the screen to demonstrate word spreading, recalling classic Doris Day title sequences of the 50s and 60s. This pastiche blends well with the grand opulence of the Young’s Singapore compound that feels in line with the worlds of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the recent Sex and the City movies. 

Any love letter to the romantic comedy has to employ one of the character mainstays of the genre: the gay best friend. This comes in the form of Oliver (Nico Santos), the rainbow sheep of the family...

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