Best Animated Film: 2005

[Sabin]

I just watched Howl's Moving Castle. I didn't read Okri's take on it before watching. I vaguely recalled the criticism of it being "meandering." It's overstuffed! It has all the pleasures of a Miyazaki film (a sense of wonder and discovery) but there are so many subplots that just arrive and fade into the background that it was a struggle to square what I was supposed to care about it, let alone why I was supposed to care about Howl. Threads like the war just seemed to get arbitrarily wrapped up. One of my favorite elements to a Miyazaki film is when I have an emotional reaction to something but I have no idea why. I didn't quite have that experience in Howls' Moving Castle but I hope I do in subsequent viewings.

As catching all of these films is rather time-consuming, I'm going to cast my vote for Wallace and Gromit but I could see a world where Howl's Moving Castle grows on me down the road.

[Sabin]

Doing my catch-up thing:

Corpse Bride is gorgeous. Like with Wes Anderson, a case could be made that stop-motion is the ideal form for Tim Burton. It's beautifully designed, although the Land of the Dead feels a bit skimpy in comparison to the visions of Victorian-era England. Okri writes that it's a love triangle where you don't dislike any of the corners. That may be true but you don't much like them either. Emily wins by default by virtue of how much she is wronged by Victor. I thought the first act was promising enough but there's nothing much beyond that besides water-treading until the final act. Watching Corpse Bride, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a more imaginative, free-spirited film about a too-proper Englishman who marries a corpse lying somewhere beneath the surface. But the surfaces are beautiful though.

[Okri]

As I mentioned in 2004, I think 2005 is the first year where I preferred all the animated films to the worst best picture nominee. In fact, I even prefer them to two of the best picture nominees (I was not the biggest Capote fan). There’s no other animated film worth mentioning this year, though I’ve got a soft spot for Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (which I used in an emergency babysitting situation). But you don't give Oscars for reducing a child's tears.

I basically like each of these films exactly the same – B/B+. They’re all minor films – none stand a chance against the peaks in this category. One of the downers, to be honest, is that each studio involved (Aardman, Laika [as contract], Studio Ghibli) does work adjacent to these films that would’ve easily won this year (personally). Of course, Ghibli already won their Oscar and Aardman won this year (alas, Laika). So, who do I vote for?

Part of me says Aardman and Wallace and Grommit. I think the success of Chicken Run was the clincher in creating the animated film category and Aardman deserves an Oscar, right? The characters remain their signature achievement. It’s an amusing charmer. But doesn’t it feel quite minor? I rewatched it for this and was surprised that I didn’t love it more – I do think Chicken Run and Arthur Christmas are Aardman’s best features by a reasonable measure. But I didn’t mind it winning at the time and don’t mind it now.

Okay, then how about The Corpse Bride? It’s terrifically designed and there’s real wit in the staging. It’s a movie about a love triangle where you don’t actually dislike any of the corners. There’s one genuinely breathtaking moment (the titular character dissolving). The voice cast is solid. But, if I’m dinging Wallace and Grommit for context, how does The Corpse Bride stand up? Not that well, I’m afraid. It pales in comparison to later Laika and earlier Henry Selick (yeah, The Nightmare Before Christmas stomps all over it, but I also prefer James and the Giant Peach). And it’s very thin. The songs are generic (outside “Remains of the Day”)

I don’t think I can criticize Howl’s Moving Castle as being thin. One critic compared it to a 12 course meal you couldn’t finish. It’s fluidly animated and richly imagined and given the sheer soullessness that we’re subjected to, it would be churlish to complain. But it’s so meandering! I’m not one to complain about long movies (yes, yes I am) but I also think that movies aimed at children are like comedies. Once you hit the 90 minute mark, you run the risk of running out of energy and indeed, the second hour of the Miyazaki really runs out of steam. It’s no Spirited Away or Laputa: Castle in the Sky anyway.

So I went with The Corpse Bride. I don’t know the board’s impression of Laika to be confident we’re going to give it the victory when I really want to, so consider this a vote for the future just as much as the present.

[gunnar]

I liked Corpse Bride and Howl's Moving Castle, but agree that the Wallace and Gromit feature was easily the best of the three. While Howl's was good, I didn't think it was one of the better Ghibli films. Then again, my opinion might be influenced a bit by having read the book not too long before seeing the movie. I liked the book a bit more.

[OscarGuy]

One of the few years I've seen all of the titles (thanks, GKIDS...). Wallace & Gromit is easily the best of the three. Corpse Bride is a Tim Burton movie in animated form and not a great one at that. I prefer the Burton-produced (not directed) Nightmare Before Christmas by a wide margin. I do like Howl's Moving Castle as well. I mean, it's not a bad year for titles, but The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is hands-down the best.

[Sabin]

I wanted to get this poll going despite the fact that I can't vote in it yet. I've yet to see Corpse Bride and Howl's Moving Castle, so I can't comment on whether or not this is better or worse than any previous lineup. But what I like about this lineup (somewhat sight-unseen) is that it comes the closest thus far to validating why this category exists. This category came about during an uncanny run of animated features that could have all contended for Best Picture if this category hadn't potentially held them back (Shrek, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles) and the one year (2002) that didn't came as close to invalidating its existence in place of some Outstanding Achievement Award that went to whatever film Hayao Miyazaki released that year. The branch could have nominated that year's major studio offerings like Chicken Little, Madagascar, or Robots. Instead, they went for three films more known for their director's specific imprint, none of which cleared $50m domestically. Again, I haven't seen two of them but I feel pretty confident in assuming this branch did their job

I'll watch Corpse Bride and Howl's Moving Castle asap. I should probably watch Wallace and Gromit as well because I barely remember anything about its plot save for how delighted I was from beginning to end. I remember it being a very popular winner at the time.