MovieChat Forums > L'illusionniste (2011) Discussion > The Illusionist Should Win the Best Anim...

The Illusionist Should Win the Best Animated Feature Oscar

posted 14 years ago by LaurieMann
7 replies | jump to latest

It probably won't, but we can aways hope for an upset (like, a few years back, when the brilliant Spirited Away won the Oscar over Disney's cute but not great Lilo and Stitch).

I generally like Pixar movies, but they tend to have a very set tone and style. I liked but did not love Toy Story 3 and find it extremely overrated. The Illusionist is lovely and different. The Impressionistic backgrounds are glorious. I especially loved the rendering of 1959 Edinburgh. It's such an interesting city and was great setting for this feature.

Laurie Mann
Pittsburgh Flicks - Movie-making in the 'Burgh
http://www.pghflicks.com/

[–] junstie 14 years ago

It should win but I'm a bit worried true artistry will lose out to mainstream popularity. The other day there were some people on the radio twaddling on nonsense about each category; when they talked about animated feature the host (who shall remain nameless!) said words to the effect that we all know these are really for kids but we all enjoy them anyway, at which they all jabbered on about Toy Story 3 and completely bypassed The Illusionist, even the so-called "expert". I love Pixar, I am their number one fan (I even write that as a reference to The Incredibles) but The Illusionist is in another league entirely. It's a piece of art. We can only hope that commonsense prevails but if it doesn't then all I can say is yarbles, great gobbly yarbles to the lot of ya who don't get it.

[–] LaurieMann 14 years ago

Pixar can, at times, commit "art" - most of Up was lovely. I saw it three times in the theater, and, other than finding the talking dogs tiresome, loved it.

Every once in a while, Oscars voters do surprise us. I hope this might be one of those years for Best Animated Feature.

Laurie Mann
Pittsburgh Flicks - Movie-making in the 'Burgh
http://www.pghflicks.com/

[–] girl_on_wire 14 years ago

More than anything the Oscars know that Americans love underdogs-- that's one of the reasons why The Hurt Locker beat Avatar for Best Director. However, I think that everyone is used to Pixar winning everything.

[–] LaurieMann 14 years ago

But, more important, The Hurt Locker also won the Best Picture Oscar. It was a more mature movie than Avatar, which was a big video game more than a movie.

I love good science fiction and fantasy movies, but Avatar, while it had incredible art direction and effects, had an amazingly simplistic script and erratic performances. I was so glad when it didn't win the major Oscars.

And, frankly, that's the main reason I'm rooting for The Illusionist - it's a better movie than Toy Story 3.

Laurie Mann
Pittsburgh Flicks - Movie-making in the 'Burgh
http://www.pghflicks.com/

[–] girl_on_wire 14 years ago

Of course-- I was just reporting a similar case when a lesser-known movie beat out a widely seen and extremely popular one.

[–] phillosophy 14 years ago

I respectfully disagree that this movie should win the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Very bittersweet and moving. Love the style of animation in this movie. But at points, it dragged. Ending was emotional, which I'm a sucker for.

I do like this film A LOT, but don't love it. I loved Toy Story 3. Perfect bookend to that trilogy.

Toy Story 3, then How To Train Your Dragon, and then The Illusionist. Every other animated feature from 2010 can't even be seen in the same category as these three films.

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Through our bleeding, we are one

[–] DThomps 14 years ago

Until I saw this movie today, I had thought that Toy Story 3 would win hands-down. Finally got around to watching it, and I have a bit of a change of heart. Beautifully animated, the story was masterfully told with minimal dialogue. It was all in gibberish to me, yet I understood the whole thing. I loved it. Toy Story 3 was fantastic, but this was just something completely different.
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I am Jack's smirking revenge