After the ill-advised introduction to the animation Oscars this year, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller they have criticized the Film Academy and the industry for their treatment of animated films and have made some suggestions on how to elevate these types of films instead of disparaging them.
It is seen that adults do not enjoy animated films, according to the Academy
It’s been several years since the animation Oscars have raised controversy, although this year it hasn’t been so much for the ‘Charm’ award with Disney dominating the category by default once again. Instead, the biggest criticism has come from how the award was presented, with three actresses who play Disney princesses in live-action remakes joking about how animation is children’s cinema that adults have to suffer through.
These comments did not sit too well in the industry, when in addition the animators’ unions and other professionals in the world of animation are in the midst of negotiations and claims with their #NewDeal4Animation in order to achieve better working conditions in an increasingly precarious industry.
There has been a lot of talk these weeks about the treatment of the American Film Academy and the film industry in general towards animation, which unfortunately is still considered a second category, but those responsible for ‘The LEGO Movie’ and ‘Spider- Man: A New Universe’ have written this week in Variety to criticize what happened at the Oscar ceremony and make a few things clear.
“To describe the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product that parents must grudgingly put up with might simply be an oversight,” Lord and Miller wrote. “But for those of us who have dedicated our lives to making animated films, these oversights have become routine.
As the directors say, in the last ten years these oversights have become more and more common at the Oscars and unfortunately also in the industry. Animation is still considered by many so-called professionals to be a “genre” rather than just another storytelling medium, and certain creators are expected to transition to live-action films if they want to be taken seriously.
Miller and Lord themselves comment on this, recalling how an executive praised them and suggested that if they framed their career correctly they could make live-action movies. “Years later, an executive from another studio even told us that another animated film we had made was so good it reminded him of a ‘real movie'”quoted the creative duo.
A problem that comes from afar and that we can begin to solve
The movie industry has a problem (many, actually) with animation, and Lord and Miller suggest that appreciation for the medium should start directly from the Oscars.. The also producers of ‘The Mitchells against the machines’ have suggested that the Academy make a better effort to elevate animated cinema, instead of only treating it as second movies.
“This has led us to a very simple proposal. Next year invite a respected filmmaker to present the award and treat animation as cinema,” the directors have proposed. “Guillermo del Toro, who produces, directs and deeply appreciates animation, could remind audiences that animation preceded cinema, that without the zoetrope there would be no American Zoetrope.”
“Bon Joon Ho could introduce as he explains why two of this year’s nominees were among his Top 10 Favorite Movies This Year. Mahershala Ali, such a well-rounded performer in live-action and animated films, could tell the world that animation is not a genre, but a medium that observes and amplifies all the nuances of our humanity so that we can see ourselves”.
It should be noted that during this year’s ceremony several films with marked anniversaries were honored, and “Spirited Away” was left out of this type of tribute. Also left out was ‘Beauty and the Beast’, which earned a Best Picture nomination at the ceremony 30 years ago.
“That nomination caused such a stir that there were those who became concerned that an animated film would win every year. A sentiment that, in part, led to the creation of the award for best animated film,” recall Lord and Miller. “Partly to acknowledge animation’s contributions to cinema today and, for some, to keep animated films from the ‘real’ prize.”