I'll Link To That

• AV Club as if the Gilded Age didn't have enough Broadway stars already, Robert Sean Leonard and Laura Benanti are joining the cast for Season 2
• IndieWire It's Batman vs Spider-Man on PVOD charts (but the iTunes chart is fairly interesting for its older titles like Easter hits like Ten Commandments and Passion of the Christ)
• Cartoon Brew Across the Spider-Verse has been pushed back until summer 2023 so yes...
• TFE... we've already had to update the Oscar charts for Best Animated Feature
• AV Club Andy Serkis is going to direct an animated Animal Farm

More after the jump including honors for Lily Tomlin, Liza Minnelli's feelings about her Oscar apperance, Danny Elfman at Coachella, The Northman and more...

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April Foolish Oscar Predix Pt 1 - Best Animated Feature

by Nathaniel R

It seems almost cruel to begin a new year of Oscar punditry with Best Animated Feature since the hot trailer of the moment is Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, which probably won't be eligible. The film combines live action with its endearing stop-motion and that's mostly a no-no. The only film we remember that's been deemed eligible that did that was The Lego Movie though it's live-action section was extremely brief (and it's worth noting that it was a surrprise snub in the end).

Already in the year one possibly major Oscar contender has emerged with Pixar's Turning Red though it will face stiff in-house competition with the release of Toy Story prequel Lightyear in the summer.  After the jump a preview of Animated Features coming our way in 2022. Which of them will delight the Academy... 

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Review: the relatable, surreal 'Turning Red'

by Lynn Lee

All images in this post are from Turning Red © Disney/Pixar

Here are some things I never thought I’d see in a Disney animated movie:

-unleashed adolescent female desire, front and center (here metaphorically represented by a red panda)

-matter-of-fact references to menstruation (even though it’s also metaphorically represented, or rather superseded, by the red panda)

-a boy band and Tamagotchis (remember those?) as major plot drivers...

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Review: The 2022 Oscar Nominated Short Films

By: Christopher James

Yes, we agree that this should be known as the 2021 Oscars (film year). However, Shorts TV has a different stance on their naming convention.Anyone who has filled out an Oscar office pool knows that the shorts can make or break your chances at winning. Often, the short films nominated are little seen, unless they play before a Pixar film. Thanks to Shorts TV, the nominees for Documentary (Short Subject), Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film play in theaters and are available for rental ahead of the Oscars. Watching the short film can not only help you win your Oscar pool, but it can also introduce you to new and exciting filmmakers.

This year’s nominees break some conventions, while also keeping to some of the tropes one expects. The live action short films, once again, are aggressively depressing. Meanwhile, the animated short films are decidedly not kid friendly (adhere to the warning label, most of the shorts are firmly R-rated). Still, the fifteen nominated films were on the whole enjoyable.

So what were the best shorts of the bunch? Which will win the Oscar? Read to find out...

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Netflix triumphs all over the place at the 49th Annie Awards

by Nathaniel R

The 49th annual Annie Awards honoring animation in features, shorts, and television were held last night. While Raya and the Last Dragon led the nominations it went home empty-handed. The night's Best Animated Feature winner was Netflix and Sony's The Mitchells vs The Machines which took home 8 Annies in total. The Annie winner doesn't always line up with Oscar but it might. Disney's Encanto, which many pundits including us are predicting for the Oscar win, only won three prizes: Music, Character Animation, and Storyboarding. On the television side of the prizes, Netflix's Arcane was totally dominant winning an amazing nine trophies, a clean sweep of its nominations. Full list of winners is after the jump...

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