Walt Disney went back to basics earlier this year with the hand-drawn animation Princess and the Frog. The result was utterly charming but under-performed at the box office. So studio chiefs will have been giving thanks at Thanksgiving last month when its latest animation Tangled – Disney’s 50th – was the second-highest-grossing film of the US holiday weekend, beaten only by Harry Potter.
This delightful adaptation of the Rapunzel story (reportedly renamed so as not to put off boys) was also warmly received by the critics – but will it be in the running for an Oscar?
The recently revealed longlist of possible nominees for Best Animated Feature is pretty strong. As well as Tangled, it includes Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist and Shrek Forever After.
Of course, Toy Story 3 is there, too, and there can be no doubt that Pixar’s latest blockbuster will make the shortlist of three. As happened with Pixar’s Up last time, it is extremely likely that, as well as being nominated in the animation category, TS3 will also be among the 10 nominees for Best Picture. Which would be entirely appropriate, though imagine the mind-mangling implications if it won the latter but not the former.
Toy Story 3 is a masterful achievement, brilliantly presenting the latest escapades of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang in a manner that thrills smaller viewers while appealing equally to grown-up sensibilities.
My guess is that it will be joined on the shortlist by The Illusionist and How to Train Your Dragon. The Illusionist, by French animator Sylvain Chomet, who also made Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003), is the enchanting story of an old vaudevillian who befriends a young girl in 1950s Edinburgh. How to Train Your Dragon, the best DreamWorks animation yet, is a terrific tale of Vikings and airborne fire-breathers, featuring flying sequences to rival those of Avatar.
There’s something about the widespread presumption that Toy Story 3 can’t fail that almost makes you hope How to Train Your Dragon scoops the prize. Almost but not quite.
- 'Tangled’ is released here on Jan 28.
