Oscar nominations 2013: Disney and stop-motion prevail in animation

ZF Team 10 January 2013

The 5 nominees for best animated feature are:

Brave" Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman (Disney/Pixar)
Frankenweenie" Tim Burton (Disney)
ParaNorman" Sam Fell and Chris Butler (LAIKA)
The Pirates! Band of Misfits" Peter Lord (Aardman/Sony)
Wreck-It Ralph" Rich Moore (Disney)

3 stop-motion films feature in the nominees: Frankenweenie, ParaNorman and The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

Dreamworks' Rise of the Guardians and Madagascar 3 were left out of competition. Disney/Pixar competes with 3 features, and Pixar's Brave enters the competition, after the no-nomination for last year's Cars. Laika scores a second Academy Award nomination with ParaNorman, after Coraline.

However, the main contenders seem to be Tim Burton with Frankenweenie (a critical favorite), and Wreck-It Ralph. It's the second time Tim Burton is nominated for an Academy Award. He was nominated for Corpse Bride in 2006, but lost to Wallace and Gromit. However, one should not underestimate the Aadrman-Sony collaboration of Pirates! Band of Misfits.

Nomination trivia: It's only the second time in the history of the Academy Awards that a black-and-white film (Frankenweenie) is nominated in the category of Best Animated Feature. M. Satrapi's black-and-white Persepolis was nominated in 2007.

Short animated films nominees:

Adam and Dog," Minkyu Lee, director (Lodge Films)
"Fresh Guacamole," PES, director (PES)
"Head over Heels," Timothy Reckart, director, and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly, producer (National Film and Television School)
"Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"," David Silverman, director (Gracie Films)
"Paperman," John Kahrs, director (Disney Animation Studios)

A multli-awarded UK film, Head Over Heels (Tim Reckart) [info-trailer], is a stop-motion story of a couple upside-down.

The Simpsons short film about Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare (directed by David Silverman) also competes, and the Disney tender film about two wannabe lovers, Paperman (John Kahrs) is nominated for an Academy Award.

Adam and Dog [trailer] by Disney devlopment artist Minkyu Lee tells the story of a playful dog exploring the newly created world, who eventually comes upon the first man.

Fresh Quacamole by PES [trailer] is an object animated film. An unseen cook uses a series of unusual ingredients to prepare a bowl of guacamole. It is a follow-up to the director's stop-motion hit Western Spaghetti.

Rango was the recipient of the Best Animated Feature for 2012, and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, Moonbot Studios) won the Academy Award for best animated short film.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.