Comments on: Disney Officially Pushing Wall-E For Best Picture https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/ The Correct Opinion Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:13:08 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: MASTER_CHIEF https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-174603 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:13:08 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-174603 Wall-e For the win!

]]> By: Kent https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-173880 Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:36:21 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-173880 I almost agreed with everything that Chillyfreez has said, but SETH’s post is obscenely flawed and I am excluding his subjective claims about the movie. He says “The film had no acting or cultural significance whatsoever” !?

The movie hints overconsumption(ism) , corporate takeover of every sector, Bush speech, the auto-pilot, the numerous Apple goods.

If these references are not enough for you, I dont know what culture you belong to.

]]> By: Dragonslayer https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-172355 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:57:08 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-172355 Cloverfield for best editing!

]]> By: chillyfeez https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-171698 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:32:44 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-171698 OK, I doubt anyone will read this, as the last post is nine days ago, but I need to get some stuff off my chest about this issue (that is, Wall-E for BP), despite the fact that it seems I arrived a bit late to the party.
First, the (very valid) idea that it’s unfair for a movie whose genre has its own oscar to be nominated for BP. I’m not exactly sure where I stand on this issue, because I agree that it is unfair, but I also think that, if a movie is good enough, it should be able to transcend the genre category and at least be nominated for BP (see “La Vita e Bella,” 1997). To some extent, I think the Golden Globes have the whole “Best” movie thing more in order, because they give a category to EVERY genre (though I recognize that the Globes will always be Oscar’s redheaded stepchild). To make it all fair, The Academy should have Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Animated, Best Foreign AND Best Picture (I don’t think other genres, action, horror need specific consideration because they generally don’t lend themselves to meritable filmmaking, and when they do they can be placed in one of the aformentioned categories).
This classification system, though, doesn’t exist, and so I must also visit the prolific argument that, “Wall-E doesn’t deserve to win because a Best Picture needs real actors.” There is no argument I’ve heard against Wall-E that grinds my gears more than this one. On what grounds do you base this claim? Here’s the thing – the people who make this argument seem to think that, when George Clooney’s movie wins Best Picture, that little statue goes on George’s Mantle. That is not the case. The Best Picture award goes to the producers of the film, as it well should. These are the people responsible for coordinating the entire talent pool that goes into the production of a film. The honor can be carried by everyone who was involved in the film’s production, and anyone will tell you that a live action film is much more than the sum of its actors.
Now – can and should Wall-E win Best Picture? In my opinion, yes and yes, but I admit that I am not one who is properly informed to make that call. I have seen Wall-E, twice, but I have not seen a single other film that may be considered for BP this year (nor did I see any of last year’s nominees). Generally, I’m the kind of person who will wait for a movie to come on HBO, unless I feel properly motivated to shell out $10 for the big-screen experience. With the exception of “Cars,” (having now seen it on TV, a good decision on my part) I have never missed a Pixar flick at the theater.
Is Wall-E the best Pixar movie ever made? I’m not so sure. Toy Story was at least close to as good (if not as good or better), plus it was literally genre defining. Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles also deserve mention in the argument.
But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Wall-E is the best Pixar movie… Is it the best CGI movie? Well, while I like (the first) Shrek quitte a bit, it doesn’t stand up to anything made by Pixar (except Cars), and there’s really only one other non-Pixar CGI movie that is worth mentioning here – Happy Feet. Here is a movie that caught many of its viewers by surprise. I don’t think anyone went into Happy Feet with elevated expectations, but that was a BEAUTIFUL film. It was a feast for the eyes and the ears, and had its own (and probably more valid than Wall-E’s) environmental points to make. The one drawback to Happy Feet was its overuse (and don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a great actor) of Robin Williams.
Let’s say, again for argument’s sake, that Wall-E beats out Happy Feet… Does that make it the best animated feature ever? Well, given the above to proposed victories, than I say yes. I will not deny the significance of Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King or the (apparent) big gun, Beauty and the Beast (though I enjoyed Oliver and Company more than all of them, but I’m a big Billy Joel fan), but I say Wall-E’s got them all beat. Story-wise, there’s not too much to compare. Whereas the above cell animations are all (albeit well-done) adaptation of classic storybooks, Wall-E is an original screenplay. Score one for Wall-E. While they all meet Disney’s standard for visual production value in an animated feature (and Snow White wrote that standard), none stand up to Wall-E’s execution (I know, this is a very subjective topic). Did anybody else find themselves asking themselves when we stopped seeing real actors and started seeing toons on that wall of past Axiom captains? And the scene where Wall-E and EVE finally mutually realize that they’re falling in love (you know, when they’re dancing around in space)? Beautiful. All this, not to mention the contrast presented in “Bleak Earth vs. Beautiful Spaceship…” 2-0 Wall-E. Those other films all had their own original songs, though, many of which were written and/or performed by pop icons… 2-1 Wall-E, but Wall-E still wins.
NOW… does Wall-E deserve to be mentioned as one of the best FILMS of 2008? I say, whoever says it does not deserve a nomination is in serious denial. Do you want to know what I think makes Wall-E so unique? You’re still reading this so I assume you do… It’s not the environmental message. I agree, this message is not entirely original, it is simply there to give context and perhaps to make the movie a bit culturally relevant. What makes Wall-E unique is this: CGI animation is a filmmaking “wave of the future” realized. What started with Toy Story has become another method by way of which Hollywood can produce more crap. Whereas the crap used to be all hands-on manmade, now the humans in Hollywood can have the computers help them make the crap. Thank you, technology. So what does Pixar do with Wall-E? They say, “Hey, we invented this, we can reinvent this.” and they take this crap vehicle and drive it to an homage to a time before animated features ever existed at all. What makes Wall-E fantastic is that it is, for all intents and purposes, a silent film.
Okay, the humans on the spaceship talk, but I think this was only done so as not to completely estrange the expected largely under-14 audience. The humans did not need to speak to get across the points they make. The humans’ parts could have easily been played in Tom & Jerry pantomime, if not for the fact that doing so would surely lose the attention of every child in attendance.
And, without saying anything beyond each other’s names, Wall-E and EVE have given us one of the sweetest love stories we’ve seen on the screen in years. Oh, and by the way, this love story is being played out by inanimate objects. Inanimate objects that will later teach the humans how to be human. You cannot deny how cool that is.
So, alright, I have not seen ANY of the other movies in the conversation for Best Picture, and I probably won’t until at least after the Oscars next year. I have, therefore, no argument for why Wall-E should be considered THE best movie of 2008, but I hope I have given you a convincing argument for why it should AT LEAST be nominated.
Thanks for reading,
Chillyfeez

]]> By: aaron https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-171283 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:59:56 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-171283 again, we agree, lol

]]> By: Dragonslayer https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170347 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:11:40 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170347 Sorry guys, I gotta agree with Aaron on this one. Wall-E is second best of the year, TDK wins by a long shot.

And I’m afraid to mention where Cloverfield is on my best of the year list, but that’s not important. TDK will win

]]> By: Shovels Popcorn https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170122 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:18:50 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170122 I think Wall-E deserved the nomination and win.

@Gutpunch:

If Wall-E doesn’t deserve bets animated film at absolute least, what does? I haven’t seen nor heard of any animated films being close to as good as Wall-E is.

]]> By: aaron https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170085 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:30:01 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170085 sorry Giren, i disagree completely

]]> By: giren https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170080 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:04:54 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170080 Wall-E is the best movie of 2008. So glad Disney is campaigning this.

]]> By: aaron https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170020 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:19:09 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170020 also, did you not even see the ending to TDK?? I mean the joker?

]]> By: aaron https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170019 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:18:11 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170019 Matt, TDK was dark because in the time the film took place, gotham went through rough times. im sorry Matt, but Wall-e sucked incredibilly. TDK was dark cuz of…hmm lets see… TWO-FACE, THE JOKER, THE MOB,
and wall-e was…like any other pixar film.

]]> By: Kristina https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture/#comment-170018 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:16:18 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2008/10/disney-officially-pushing-wall-e-for-best-picture#comment-170018 Okay, I really truly loved WALL-E. One of the best animated films I’ve ever seen. I wept at the end. Awesome movie.

Having said that, I really don’t know how I feel about the possibility of it being nommed for Best Animated Picture AND Best Picture. Is that really fair? Why not have categories for Best Comedy Picture as well? The animated feature category has always been a bit of a WTF to me. If that genre can have its own category, why can’t other genres have one as well? I may be way off (wouldn’t be the first time), but I’ve never been a fan of the category. I get that they are trying to give animated work recognition, and rightfully so, but if an animated movie is good enough to win a separate category, why not put it in the Best Picture race? It’s always felt like they are saying, “Well, we don’t want to repeat the controversy of the Beauty and the Beast nomination, so we’ll put them over here, FAR away from our hallowed category”.

Now, I say this, but if my complaint is to be believed, then you’d have to nom the Best Documentary feature in the Best Picture category as well, and that isn’t right either, sometimes. It’s not a perfect system and never will be, which is part og what makes it so much fun to discuss.

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