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2010 Animated Feature Oscar Analysis

2010 was the last year where the Academy chose to nominate only three films for their Best Animated Feature category. That was the wrong choice as there were more than three worthy animated films this year. Still, the three nominees are all worthy of their place here and it was a great choice to have not only Disney/Pixar and DreamWorks, but Sylvain Chomet in there as well.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

3. The Illusionist

The Illusionist is a very moving film. It’s honest and heartbreaking in the treatment of its subject matter and its protagonist. It’s also much more serious and deeper than the director’s previous movie, which itself was also nominated for an Oscar. His direction here is superb and the silent approach to it really worked. The animation is incredibly charming as you would expect from him. However, the movie can be slow and uneventful in its middle act and certainly it is overly simplistic, which is why it gets the third spot in my ranking.

2. Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 is undeniably the greatest chapter of the Toy Story franchise and the only movie from this overrated series that I genuinely love. That is because the ending of it was truly moving instead of emotionally manipulative like Pixar movies usually are these days. It’s also more serious in its themes and some dark moments while featuring such a memorable, superb villain in the form of Lotso the bear. They should have ended the franchise with this great movie, but unfortunately they did not. It obviously won the Oscar, but for me there is one more deserving film this year…

1. How to Train Your Dragon

Yes, How to Train Your Dragon clearly should have gotten the Oscar that DreamWorks obviously deserved to win this time. Though all three films in this impeccable trilogy are amazing, the first one gets the cake as the best of the three due to its simple, but powerful tale of a boy and a dragon being perfectly crafted on all levels. The animation was great for its time, the movie has a lot of heart and the characters are all iconic by now. The ending was super dark and brutal, which instantly made this franchise much more suitable for adults than others from DreamWorks Animation. It’s the studio’s magnum opus and one of the best films of this entire decade.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Tangled – Unfortunately, Disney did not get a nomination this year when in reality they made such a wonderful fairy tale that harkens back to their Renaissance classics in style and tone. Rapunzel and all the other characters are superbly developed, the soundtrack is so wonderful and the animation’s gorgeous. It’s a magical film for sure.

Colorful – Loneliness, suicide and depression are very difficult themes, but they got explored so well in this anime gem that is very underrated and deserves more love. It’s a movie that is both very intelligent and highly moving without it ever being manipulative in any way. It’s one of the best anime flicks of the decade.

Megamind – Megamind gets the third spot in the honorable mentions simply because it’s so god damn fun. Yes, the Academy usually doesn’t go for films like this, but this was clearly the funniest DreamWorks movie the same way ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ was the funniest Disney film. It also needs to be appreciated for its early, hilarious parodying of superheroes.