Happy Pride: Queer cartoon characters abound! (sort of)

by Nathaniel R

The website Insider has compiled a list of 259 LGBTQ characters in recent American cartoon series. Despite all the research it's still highly debatable since the database includes dozens of characters that are only queer via creator statements and not in-show confirmation (and as we know from the JK Rowling's Dumbledore debacle, that is weak-sauce as representation goes; creators shouldn't get credit for pushing boundaries if what they're doing is much much closer to virtue signalling than true activism). Of course these things are more complicated with children's shows since, naturally, sexuality is less explicit than in adult television (apart from the prevalence of mom & dad units of course).  While we watch a lot of animated movies we aren't that familiar with animated TV shows so many of these characters are unfamiliar to us...

Click to read more ...

Yes No Maybe So: "Belle" from Mamoru Hosoda

by Nathaniel  R

We recently debuted our first Oscar chart of the year for Best Animated Feature as well as an extensive overview of all the international animated films  which could be competing for the unofficial "foreign" spot in that particular Oscar race. Perhaps we underestimated Belle by Mirai director Mamoru Hosoda who we had the pleasure of interviewing a couple of years back. Here's the international trailer...

Click to read more ...

Animated Features of 2021... and first Oscar Predictions!

by Nathaniel R

This past year wasn't a particularly great one for animation but hope springs eternal and maybe we'll have a more competitive Oscar race next February? This will be the 21st year of the Best Animated Feature Oscar race. With 20 years of statistics we know what Oscar voters go for in this category and what they don't. They generally turn their noses up at sequels (unless they absolutely adored the first one). They will always honor at least one international title (but usually two) with a nomination, but they won't give them the win unless they absolutely have to. The animation studios Cartoon Saloon, Laika, and Aardman are widely respected by animators and will always be nominated if they're eligible... but it usually stops there as the wider voting body on the "win" defaults to big American studio animation and 70% of the time (literally) the wins go to the Mouse House for either Disney or Pixar titles. When it comes to animated titles from overseas they're a bit like they are with the Best International Feature category (even though it's different voters) in that they generally ignore Asian animation (with the exception of Studio Ghibli) and prefer European titles. 

With the recent announcement of the competitive line-up for the 2021 Annecy festival (one of the four most important animation events each year) we have a better sense of which international titles might crop up this year in the circles that love animated films. Surely at least some of these will submit to the Oscar race as well. So here's as many animated features as we could find that might delight animation-loving cinephiles this year

Click to read more ...

Are we really getting TEN movie musicals in 2021?

by Nathaniel R

In the Heights

In the recent Yes No Maybe So post I mentioned that we were getting three musicals in the space of seven months. But that was a gross understatement as I hadn't yet finished my Oscar chart research for 2021. There are actually TEN musicals... no make that eleven (!) that are supposed to arrive before Christmas. Release dates are subject to change, of course. The current schedule represents Hollywood doubling-down, no quintupling down, on audiences salivating en masse for musicals in the way they currently only do for animated fare and superhero films. (That'd be a wonderful world of course, if audiences were so inclined.)

Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, is spectacularly talented but looking at this schedule we're a little worried for him. We don't want Miranda to become the next Ryan Murphy -- i.e. stretched thin, predictable, veering into being a Brand first and artist second, and offering diminishing returns. Given that Miranda is involved in more than a third of these musicals, that's a major oversaturation risk. Tell us which of these ten you're most excited about in the comments...

Click to read more ...

Box Office: "Demon Slayer" is now an international hit

by Nathaniel R

People are slowly trickling back into movies theaters including Team Experience. There was an actual tight contest for #1 this weekend at the box office. How about that?! The anime hit Demon Slayer, which failed to score a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars, is crying all the way to the bank. After breaking recrods in Japan it's now the first anime film to top the US charts since Pokemon back in 1999. That puts Mortal Kombat at #2 which had the disadvantage of also being free on HBO Max (for another two weeks)...

Click to read more ...