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Why the Oscars Don't Get Animation - Especially Anime

AuthenticM

AuthenticM

Son Altesse Sérénissime
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,970
Just watched this video from Mother's Basement, a youtube channel whose owner discusses anime, film and video games.



The Academy, being an ethnocentric American institution, has always preferred to reward its own than artists and art from other countries. This is caused not only by money and marketing, but by the fact that animation isn't taken seriously by the academy and its members. This was exacerbated further this year with the opening up of the Best Animated Feature category to all members of the Academy, as opposed to being only open to a smaller group of animation specialists, as it was in previous years. This is why you get a mediocre film like Boss Baby nominated, but not a great film like A Silent Voice. Though even with the previous setup of members dedicated to the animation category, lots of great films would have gotten snubbed anyway.

I wish it would change, but I don't think it will anytime soon. This feels like the kind of thing that requires several generational shifts for institutional change to occur.
 

PatMan

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
978
I think it's because anime is considered a lesser art form and one that has a history of sexism and some of it catering to people that are attracted to "lolis". Obviously not all anime. I personally cringe when I see some of the stuff coming out of anime. Not my cup of tea.
 
Lady Murasaki

Lady Murasaki

Scary Shiny Glasses
Member
Oct 25, 2017
680
Saving this, I will check this video out. But already agree with this line of thought on the matter.

My personal outrages involved how beautiful movies like Song of the Sea and The Tale of Princess Kaguya were overlooked to favor Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks movies, as always.

And about this year in particular, even though Coco is a very good and visually stunning movie, it isn't one of the best Pixar made. And Loving Vincent deserved it more, in my opinion, being a well made and innovative movie like it is.
 
OP
OP
AuthenticM

AuthenticM

Son Altesse Sérénissime
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,970
HyperFerret said:
Give animation its own awards show with judges that actually care.
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Maybe Michael B Jordan could use his clout to start one.

Vincent Alexander said:
Boss Baby got a nomination?!
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lol yes. It's embarrassing.

PatMan said:
I think it's because anime is considered a lesser art form and one that has a history of sexism and some of it catering to people that are attracted to "lolis". Obviously not all anime. I personally cringe when I see some of the stuff coming out of anime. Not my cup of tea.
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I can guarantee you that sexism or lolicon hasn't got anything to do with the lack of representation of japanese animated films at the academy awards.
 
ArmsofSleep

ArmsofSleep

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,833
Washington DC
I really don't think the issue isn't that "the Oscars don't take animation seriously". The reality is, all Oscar movies get there somewhat by merit and mostly on politics. A huge distributor makes all the difference in the world. That's why Studio Ghibli films have been nominated for four years in a row, because Disney is able to push for them.

This isn't an issue with the animation category at all, it's an issue with the entire idea of the Oscars. It's just that film nerds pretty much accept the Oscars aren't for them at all and that the discourse is pointless, and anime fans who are less familiar with the overall film landscape want to complain about this every year.
 
Messofanego

Messofanego

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
26,070
UK
I think this might be helped if animation directors around the world got to be Oscar voters for the animation category. And if animation studios got western representation and distribution like Ghibli with Disney.
 
Nepenthe

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
20,624
PatMan said:
I think it's because anime is considered a lesser art form and one that has a history of sexism and some of it catering to people that are attracted to "lolis". Obviously not all anime. I personally cringe when I see some of the stuff coming out of anime. Not my cup of tea.
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Considering some of the opinions that come out of there discussing movies they actually give a damn about, I honestly don't think the Academy is even aware enough of anime to even think about the creepy sexism that pervades it.
 
teruterubozu

teruterubozu

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,822
AuthenticM said:
This feels like the kind of thing that requires several generational shifts for institutional change to occur.
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"Several" being the keyword here. I teach middle school and those who are into anime are still a small group and viewed as outsiders. Not sure when that stigma will ever let up. In fact I would say that Gen Z is even less into anime than Millennials and Gen X.
 
SolidSnakeUS

SolidSnakeUS

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,556
I do agree that they don't really get animation and it really fucking sucks that the Oscars don't give two shits about it (outside of Disney), but...

Wasn't there a thread about this already like a month ago?
 

Crocodile

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,071
I'm sure someone will post the examples soon but when you see some of the anonymous letters Academy voters have written or interviews they've given in years past its super clear they don't care and have a general animosity towards animation in general. If their 5 year-old niece/nephew hasn't seen a animated film, they probably don't know or care to know it exists.
 
99Luffy

99Luffy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,344
Yeah wasnt there an academy voter that said he didnt watch any of the nominees and voted based on what his child told him to do. Big hero 6 won that year lol.
 
Timbuktu

Timbuktu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,227
HyperFerret said:
Give animation its own awards show with judges that actually care.
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The Oscars matches up with the Annie awards most years, doesn't it? It's still American centric of course, but I also don't think anime has a monopoly on quality animation outside of the US either.

That isn't confined to animation though, it's almost a given that the Oscars is about Hollywood. Most of the time everyone else has to settle with Best Foreign Language.
 
SRO7

SRO7

Member
Nov 30, 2017
523
The academy might have a bias for Disney/Pixar but honestly most time Disney/Pixar stuff just happen to be the best out of the choices presented in a given year. There's just not much competition in the field.
 

Zelas

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,020
This issue is one that's rolled up in the larger issue. That the award ceremonies aren't exclusively about quality, that you still have to be popular among those doing the nominating. No film is able to get around that.

HyperFerret said:
Give animation its own awards show with judges that actually care.
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So the Crunchyroll Awards?

There are several other award shows for anime or general animation too. The problem is people want the thousands of AMPAS voters to care instead of being happy with their own things.
 
Wanderer5

Wanderer5

Prophet of Truth
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Oct 25, 2017
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Somewhere.
I think definitely part of it, is that someone like Funimation or Aniplex is going to have to really push it and make connections if any of their movies have even a chance to get a nominated. Like who was the distributor of A Silent Voice? It wasn't even nominated for best foreign/independent film for the Annie Awards, but In This Corner of the World and Napping Princess (which was getting out here by GKids) were able to make it.

Funimation also kind of screwed Your Name, trying to get it in for the 89th Oscars, rather than this time when they had an bigger release.
 
Rosenkrantz

Rosenkrantz

Member
Jan 17, 2018
4,914
I don't think anime doing that hot at other award ceremonies either. Basically, if it's not Ghibli or at least Hosoda it has a very little chance to win anything, and frankly speaking, whoever thinks that stuff like Madoka Magica deserves awards more than Wall-E or Up is delusional.
 
julian

julian

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Oct 27, 2017
16,726
But they came up with the Best Animated Film after Mononoke was snubbed and then Spirited Away won.
 
Sinneslöschen

Sinneslöschen

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Oct 27, 2017
1,332
It is very Hollywood / American-centric, but that is what the academy is about.

Add a best Foreign animated film category, that would at least give Anime a chance at something. But I guess that would hurt foreign films that currently get nominated in the existing category...
 
Wanderer5

Wanderer5

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Oct 25, 2017
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SolidSnakeUS said:
I do agree that they don't really get animation and it really fucking sucks that the Oscars don't give two shits about it (outside of Disney), but...

Wasn't there a thread about this already like a month ago?
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Yeah I think this was posted already heh.

But anyway, I just throw in this video too, which I think did bit of a better job tackling this.

 
subpar spatula

subpar spatula

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Oct 26, 2017
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Studios have to push for their movies to win. Plenty of great movies every year could be nominated but no one is putting the time and effort.

The animation industry really only has Disney backing them at an awards level.
 
Krauser Kat

Krauser Kat

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Oct 27, 2017
1,696
Awards for anime is like awards for porn, 99% of all of it so shitty people who enjoy it already know what the good ones are.
Coco and Breadwinner still have more heart and better animation then all of japanese and korean anime last year anyway.
 
Banana Aeon

Banana Aeon

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Oct 30, 2017
1,258
Krauser Kat said:
Awards for anime is like awards for porn, 99% of all of it so shitty people who enjoy it already know what the good ones are.
Coco and Breadwinner still have more heart and better animation then all of japanese and korean anime last year anyway.
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Fj0823

Fj0823

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Oct 25, 2017
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SRO7 said:
The academy might have a bias for Disney/Pixar but honestly most time Disney/Pixar stuff just happen to be the best out of the choices presented in a given year. There's just not much competition in the field.
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Koe no Katachi destroys Coco on every single aspect

Its a much more powerful story of bullying, redemption and friendship
 
fundogmo

fundogmo

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Oct 25, 2017
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Corronchilejano said:
Annie awards is a condensed Hollywood.
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Fun anecdote about the Annie's this year: every single show or movie from Japan that was submitted this year was shut out, except for Mary and the Witch's Flower (presumably on the basis that it's pseudo-Ghibli).

When clips of the film were presented before the award, there were maybe around five people total in the auditorium who clapped for it.
 
Wanderer5

Wanderer5

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Oct 25, 2017
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fundogmo said:
Fun anecdote about the Annie's this year: every single show or movie from Japan that was submitted this year was shut out, except for Mary and the Witch's Flower (presumably on the basis that it's pseudo-Ghibli).

When clips of the film were presented before the award, there were maybe around five people total in the auditorium who clapped for it.
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Eh? In This Corner of the World and Napping Princess got in too.
 
Spinluck

Spinluck

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Oct 26, 2017
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PatMan said:
I think it's because anime is considered a lesser art form and one that has a history of sexism and some of it catering to people that are attracted to "lolis". Obviously not all anime. I personally cringe when I see some of the stuff coming out of anime. Not my cup of tea.
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Hollywood doesn't have a history of sexism or catering to pervs?

News to me.
 
Kelsdesu

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Oct 25, 2017
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They need to petition/lobby the academy more and show up to all of the academy events.
 
gutter_trash

gutter_trash

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Oct 26, 2017
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Montreal
reason one about animated motion pictures... you have to MAKE it to movie theaters.

are the anime movies featured in NA movie theaters? Nope? then it's closed and shut case then
 
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