# The Oscars: Best Animated Feature **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598 "2015-02-13T19:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/1 "2015-02-13T19:06:13Z")
If you had an AMPAS ballot, which film would get your vote? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/2 "2015-02-13T19:16:35Z")
If I had a vote, I’d scrawl “LEGO MOVIE” in giant red crayon across the whole ballot then resign from the Academy for them being stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/3 "2015-02-13T19:35:02Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > If I had a vote, I’d scrawl “LEGO MOVIE” in giant red crayon across the whole ballot then resign from the Academy for them being stupid. I wouldn’t resign, there are too many great perks to being an Academy member, but yeah, I’d want to write in The LEGO Movie too. What could they have been thinking? I’ve seen all these except for Song of the Sea, which hasn’t opened here yet, but it’s by the same people as The Secret of Kells so I know it’ll be good. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/4 "2015-02-13T19:56:09Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I wouldn’t resign, there are too many great perks to being an Academy member, but yeah, I’d want to write in The LEGO Movie too. What could they have been thinking? I’ve seen all these except for Song of the Sea, which hasn’t opened here yet, but it’s by the same people as The Secret of Kells so I know it’ll be good. The Animation branch is a collection of old-schoolers, who have always demonstrated a dedication to the disciplines of the craft of animation over other elements (most notably, popular entertainment value). So they’ll choose the beautiful hand-drawn THE ILLUSIONIST over DESPICABLE ME or the more detail-oriented SURF’S UP over the more simple drawing style of the far better-written THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. And let’s be honest–part of the joke of THE LEGO MOVIE is that the animation is clunky! When it comes to conveying complex character expressions or sophisticated renderings of movement, you do not go to THE LEGO MOVIE. It’s appeal lies elsewhere. So while its exclusion from the final nomination list seems bizarre to many, it makes perfect sense when you realize who were making the decisions and what criteria in particular they use. And I don’t doubt for a second that, the positive attributes of the film aside, some AMPAS members thought it was just a glorified toy commercial. And they’re not exactly wrong. Personally, I can only think of one movie (HERO) that I might’ve bumped for LEGO anyway. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/5 "2015-02-13T20:32:56Z")
If I was just voting for animation, I’d go with _Big Hero 6_. Its story and its characterization were flawed but the animation was top notch. So I guess it comes down to whether this is an award for Best _Animated_ Feature or Best Animated _Feature_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/6 "2015-02-13T21:12:47Z")
Well, I with **The Book of Life** was on the ballot, but it’s not, so **Big Hero 6** is my choice. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/7 "2015-02-13T23:19:40Z")
Big Hero 6 and How to Train Your Dragon were disappointments for me. Boxtrolls was cute, but Princess Kaguya was probably the best movie of the group. Except I did not see Song of the Sea. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/8 "2015-02-14T02:19:46Z")
Big Hero 6 was amazing. But The LEGO Movie was better. And from what I’ve seen of the live-action nominees? It’s better than most of them too. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/9 "2015-02-19T18:38:33Z")
bump ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/10 "2015-02-19T19:44:35Z")
Even if this is an oddly imbalanced ballot, I still think Princess Kaguya should win (I won’t be seeing Song of the Sea until next week, though). I thought it was better than several of the Best Picture nominees as well. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/11 "2015-02-20T04:18:11Z")
I haven’t seen Kaguya. 100% RT with 60 reviews? Damn, son. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/12 "2015-02-20T04:39:19Z")
Hard for me to choose between Big Hero 6 and How to Train Your Dragon 2 - loved them both. Finally went with BH6 because it seemed a bit more innovative, story-wise. But essentially it’s a tie. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/13 "2015-02-22T13:01:26Z")
Urgh. I would guess _Song of the Sea_ is best, but I haven’t seen it. Of course, as mentioned, _The Lego Movie_ is the deserving winner, so its absence is mystifying. Both _Big Hero 6_ and _How To Train Your Dragon_ use performance capture, which is kind of cheating (in a rotoscoping kind of way), but definitely looks spectacular. _Boxtrolls_ was cool and funny, but lacked a decent punch. I pick _HTTYD2_, just for the one sequence of [Hiccup’s meeting above the clouds](https://basilmarinerchase.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/dragon-thief.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/14 "2015-02-22T20:09:30Z")
Is this award for the best animation in a movie, or for the best movie that is animated? Because while the animation itself of _The Lego Movie_ wasn’t that great (as it needed to be), the movie as a whole was brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oscars-best-animated-feature/712598/15 "2015-02-22T21:18:24Z")
The only movie on the ballot I’ve seen, yet, is HTTYD2, though I do want to see the others. While I liked HTTYD2, I want it to lose. Just because the fandom is so fucking obnoxious.