“TS3″ FACES HISTORICAL HURDLES
Lee Unkrich‘s “Toy Story 3″ (Disney, 6/18, trailer) has been one of the most critically and commercially successful films of 2010 and has been mentioned as likely best picture nominee ever since its first screenings. Is it, however, really such a sure thing? I’d like to address some of the historical hurdles that it will have to overcome in order to make it into the final 10…
Sequel Bias
Only twice has the third installment in a franchise garnered a best picture nomination: “The Godfather, Part III” (1990), which lost because it was vastly inferior to the two installments that preceded it, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) WON, which won because it [a] was not, [b] was promoted as the culmination of a groundbreaking cinematic venture that had yet to be properly acknowledged, and (c) faced no obviously better alternative in its category.
At the moment, “Toy Story 3″ meets the same criteria as the latter: [a] it’s certainly an improvement upon “Toy Story 2″ (1999), if not the original “Toy Story” (1995), as well; [b] its franchise ushered in the now-booming phenomenon of computer animation; and [c] there is no obvious frontrunner in the best picture category, though there’s still plenty of time for one to emerge.
Unlike the first two films in the “Godfather” trilogy, though, the first two films in the “Toy Story” trilogy were not nominated for best picture. Why? Not because they weren’t good enough, but because they were animated, and the Academy has always shown a bias towards animated films.
Animation Bias
Only twice has an animated film garnered a best picture nomination: “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), which was nominated in a fairly weak year and largely as an acknowledgement of the Disney studio’s return to glory after years in the wilderness (see the new documentary “Waking Sleeping Beauty” for more), and “Up” (2009), which was the obvious beneficiary of the Academy’s decision last year to expand the size of the best picture field from five to 10 slots.
This Academy move, as well as the body’s conscious effort to increase its number of younger members (and thereby keep its preferences a little more in touch with those of the people who watch its show), make it seem like the door is now much wider open to genres that voters have traditionally excluded from the best picture race. A number of current Academy members, however, have told me to my face that they could never bring themselves to vote for a “cartoon” in the best picture race, especially since a category — best animated feature film — now exists specifically for them.
“Get Off My Lawn!” Syndrome
Only a handful of films that revolve primarily around a young kid (or young kids) have garnered a best picture nomination: “Skippy” (1930-1931), “The Champ” (1931-1932), “David Copperfield” (1935), “Three Smart Girls” (1936), “Captains Courageous” (1937), “Boys Town” (1938), “The Yearling” (1946), “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959), “Oliver!” (1968) WON, “E.T.” (1982), “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006), and “Up” (2009).
Yes, “Up” made the cut last year, and “Toy Story 3″ is a comparably good animated film revolving around a young kid, but “Up” also featured an old guy and dealt with aging (getting older) whereas “Toy Story 3″ deals with coming-of-age (growing up). Why does this matter? Because Academy members — understandably, given their age — relate more to the former than to the latter, and tend to vote accordingly.
The Bottom Line
“Toy Story 3″ is a beautiful film — that nobody can deny — but I’m not at all certain that it’s the slam-dunk best picture nominee that many others believe it to be. A lot remains to be seen.
Tags: Beauty and the Beast, Boys Town, Captains Courageous, David Copperfield, E.T., Lee Unkrich, Little Miss Sunshine, Oliver!, Skippy, The Champ, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Godfather Part III, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Sixth Sense, The Yearling, Three Smart Girls, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Up, Waking Sleeping Beauty