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Disney Pushing Wall-E for Best Picture Consideration!

by Alex Billington
October 28, 2008
Source: NY Times, Variety

I'm not sure I want to jump into the Oscar game this early, but this news was too exciting to pass up. We posted a rather crazy report last week saying that Paramount was going to push Robert Downey Jr. from Tropic Thunder for Oscar consideration, but that's only just the beginning. Disney is gearing up to push Wall-E for Best Picture consideration. And we're not just talking about Best Animated Feature Film, we're talking about Best Picture! Technically, it's still the best reviewed movie of the year, with a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Confirmation of this Oscar buzz today comes from both the NY Times and Variety.

"If we didn't do it, I don't think we'd be giving the movie its due," Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook said of their decision to promote Wall-E. The rules state that Academy members can vote for the same film in both the Best Picture and Best Animated Feature Film categories, making this completely viable. The only other animated film in Oscar history to be nominated for Best Picture was Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 1991. So the rules allow it and it's certainly possible that it could happen given it's such a beloved film, it just comes down to seeing whether the Academy members will indeed support it.

I know everyone loved Wall-E, there's no question about that. It comes down to asking whether the brilliant filmmaking in Wall-E is deserving of Best Picture over other live-action films. Unfortunately we haven't seen all the big Oscar contenders yet, like Australia or Benjamin Button, so it's very hard to say this early on. Here is my biggest fear: as much as I think Wall-E undoubtedly deserves to win, if it it does win instead of, say, The Dark Knight, fans will be in an uproar. The reaction could be severe if it happens, which is what worries me. But maybe people do think Wall-E should win? What are your thoughts?

Explore tags: Discussion, Hype, Movie News, Opinions

Brandon S.

Are you kidding the dark knight as best picture? I don't think there has been a more overrated movie in history. Wall-e is hands down better than any movie put out this year.
http://jrc-1138.blogspot.com/ moif

I thought Wall-e was mediocre at best. Some nice animation but the story was abysmal
-Peter-

I've been saying since I saw it that WALL-E was the best movie I've seen so far in '08. I loved The Dark Knight just like everybody else, but that doesn't mean it's a movie that deserves awards. WALL-E for the win!
TBone

@1 You cant be serious...'Wall-e is hands down better than any movie put out this year.' Im not saying it wasn't good, but this movie does not provide the shock and awe effect as so many movies have this year, for me it doesnt stand out, other than the best animated film this year.
Chris

@1 You have to be kidding. Your are one of a select few people who didnt like The Dark Knight. And to compare it to WALL E is crazy. Now im not saying that WALL E was a bad movie. But it just didnt blow me away like Finding Nemo or Toy Story did
troy

I loved the Dark Knight, however, if we like it or not, its not going to be nominated for best pic, i think that wall-e has a real chance of being nominated, and if so then winning as well.
Brandon S.

I am sorry I guess I am the only person that likes going to the movies to be entertained not walk out feeling depreassed.
D-9

BOOOO! Wall-E....I was incredibly dissapointed in it's message. Wall-E was maybe 15 or 16th. If horrible message had been recanted, then give it a 8.
tzarinna

I've come across a lot of people that didn't like Wall-E, I'm not one of them. I loved this movie, but I think it has some serious competition.
Hello

Best Picture - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (haven't seen it yet but looks like potential winner, seen it from the trailer) Best Actor in a Leading Role - Sean Penn (Milk) or Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button) Best Actress in a Leading Role - Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Heath Ledgar (The Dark Knight) Best Actress in a Supporting Role - not sure Best Director - Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) Best Animated Feature - Wall-E personally this is the perfect Oscar for me (so far) cheers =)
Peloquin

I'd support Wall-E...though comparing it to TDK is tough for me because both are so good in their own respect...it's like comparing apples and oranges... Walle was brilliant and had some amazing cinematography for being an animated film so I'm leaning towards that as my favorite of the year. It was also the first animated feature I could think of that didn't use big name voice actors which revolutionized the way the animated film world marketed these type of films in the past. It focused its budget more on story, effects, composition, character development, and sound editing which took out the drama involved in dealing with actors and allowed for a structured tale told by surprisingly coherent beeping noises. That's not for everyone though, but I appreciated a fresh look at the animated genre so it's why I'd support Walle as best picture.
Hello

I'd agree with Peloquin =) Wouldn't surprise me if Wall-E won Best Picture cheers =)
Kail

Benjamin Button looks fucking stupid, give the Oscar to fucking Beverly Hills Chihuahua over that garbage
http://www.myspace.com/kevjohnphotography kevjohn

Wall-E: Great first half + somewhat weak second half = very good movie, not Best Picture material.
http://colorpalette.com j. todd

Without seeing any of the new films coming out soon how could anyone say one of those should win. Wall-e is the best I've seen so far this year. TDK was a fun popcorn movie but Wall-e is one of those rare films that was excellent in every scene. So far, it deserves to win.
Peloquin

Anyone know of any special reason Beauty and the Beast won the award back in 1991? I would've thought that The Lion King, Toy Story, or Aladdin were better contenders than Beauty and the Beast, but I guess it's relative to what kind of competition it was going up against if they were going to spend their time marketing for a win. Though under that logic it doesn't make much sense to go up against The Dark Knight...
Derek

@16 Lion King - 1994 Toy Story - 1995 Aladdin - 1992 As you can see, none of these movies were released in 1991 thereby making Beauty and the Beast the only contender. Also, Best Animated Feature wasn't even an oscar category until 2001. But thanks for playing anyway. I got nothing for ya. Head on back to camp.
SlashBeast

I think it deserves a nomination. The Dark Knight by far is the better film though, I still loved Wall-E and thought it was the 2nd best film this year. But The Dark Knight has something which has always hindered animated films, acting. Wall-E had voice acting, but that's not live acting. The actors in The Dark Knight trained for months to pull off their roles.
WB EXEC

Have not seen Wall E. But have seen The Dark Knight hands down the best pic of the year. Who cares about Benjamin Button, The Wrestler. Etc. THose movies are seen by like 5 people who say it is good and then the followers just say yes fantastic movie when they do not comprehend what is going on. Stuff like No Country For Old Men suck, someone please explain what the ending was?
ha1rball

there is no way that Wall-E is going to win! most of you are crazy!! I think #11 has a pretty good prediction of how its gunna go down.
me

At #17 I think what #16 was trying to say (but failed miserablly) was why is Beauty and The Beast the only animated movie ever to be nominated for best picture when there have been so many much better animated movies throughout the years. For my money The Lion King, and Toy Story are two of the best movies (let alone animated movies) I have ever seen and both far superior to Beauty and The Beast. So why weren't those two given a nomination as well? And for that matter why wasn't Finding Nemo nominated when it came out? For best picture I mean. That movie was way better than Wall-E (and I loved Wall-E). Just a guess, I think its just a matter of Disney dropping the ball with those 3 previously mentioned movies (The Lion King, Toy Story, and Finding Nemo) and wanted to make up for it now.
Josh Rowe

19 just reminded me, I hope Benjamin Button gets some awards, the trailers are beautifully done so far.
abomination

Wall-E was about going green. Dark Knight may or may not be conservative in it's values. The Oscars being political, I'd give Wall-E a better shot at winning.
peloquin

@ 17 and 21... I don't see how I failed miserably in my statement. It's obvious that those three movies didn't come out in the same year and I was simply pointing out why would Walle deserve a nomination if these classics didn't. I was also giving a possible reason being that they thought the competition was too hefty for each films respective release year so they didn't waste their marketing money (in case you didn't understand that either). And there's no need to be rude just because you're sitting in your room typing alone in the dark where there's no possibility of confrontation. I have a dream...where all people can come together on a blog and not undermine each other with insults and petty arguments yet still have a civil and intelligent conversation as if we were speaking in person.
http://www.walleforum.com/ Vanessa

Yes, it should.
me

@ #24 I understand what you were trying to say, but if you go back and read your original post and read #17's response i think you may notice that your post was flawed in a way that led #17 to misinterpret it: "Anyone know of any special reason Beauty and the Beast won the award back in 1991? I would've thought that The Lion King, Toy Story, or Aladdin were better contenders than Beauty and the Beast" First off Beauty and the Beast did not win "the award" back in 1991. It was nominated for best picture and to this day is the only animated movie ever to be nominated for best picture, but it did not win. Second it seems as if (eventhough I know otherwise) like you were wondering why Beauty and The Beast beat out (so to speak) The Lion king, Toy Story, and Aladdin in 1991. Now..... I know what you were trying to say. You were trying to say why was Beauty and the Beast nominated but those 3 other great movies were not (in their respective years). But I think it is obvious that #17 thought you did mean it this way. Here is what #17 responded: "Lion King - 1994 Toy Story - 1995 Aladdin - 1992 As you can see, none of these movies were released in 1991 thereby making Beauty and the Beast the only contender. " So you see, #17 thought you meant it like you thought B&TB beat out TLK and ToyStory and Aladdin for the award in 1991. My response to him was to tell him that he misunderstood your orginal post which in my opinion was filled with flaws that led #17 to interperet the wrong way. I know what you were saying, I was just pointing out to #17 that you said it in way that wasn't clear so it led to him misinterpreting it. Now as far as being rude i think you aught to take a close look at yourself. I did not insult you. I was pointing out errors in the way you made your statement that clearly led to someone else's misinterpretation of it. In fact i was trying to make sure that #17 understood your point so I think I was being rather helpful. You however got a bit touchy aboubt my "failed miserabally" remark and resorted to stereotypical insults: "there's no need to be rude just because you're sitting in your room typing alone in the dark where there's no possibility of confrontation." I wont begin to counter that statement other than to say, how can you crticize others for doing something that you yourself do as well? Oh and trust me buddy, you wouldn't want a "confrontation" with me. Trust me. Have a nice day : )
sorr

bunch of typing tough guys.. sad. TDK best picture all the way.. hands down
me

My apologies #27. Here's my childish excuse along with my "tough typing": He started it. LOL.
how

personally, I'd kinda agree with #11. Don't get me wrong, Wall-E is a fantastic movie though =)
avoidz

Wall-E was technically impressive. But the story sucked.
crAziemutant

wall-e was a pretty all right movie. but i don't think it should get best picture. of course best animated, but not all over picture. and i'm not saying tdk should win it either. i mean, sure i love tdk and everything about it, but i bet there's a more in depth and serious artsy film that came out. it'd be great if tdk won, but i highly doubt it.
Proudfoot

I was expecting some regular "Super Hero" movie when I saw TDK and I was blown away... Quite possible the best movie I've ever seen. Heath Ledger dieing doesn't make my appreciation for his performance any stronger, he was just flat out impressive. I really hope TDK wins best picture.
Johnbo

Given the lack of strong contenders this year, with Body of Lies flopping, Defiance, The Soloist, and The Road getting bumped back, blockbuster movies like TDK and Wall-E have a more legitimate shot than in recent years. I truly hope both get nominated because they were both better then any of the Best Picture contenders last year. When it comes to actually winning the statue I think Wall-e gets the slight edge. I have yet to find a flaw with Wall-E and while TDK was truly incredible it falls just short of Wall-E IMO. What I do know is that as a moviegoing public, these two movies have made 2008 a great year for summer flicks and both will be studied as monumental achievements in film making. I also think both Andrew Stanton and Christopher Nolan deserve a Best Director nod. Stanton gace an animated movie and epic scope without sacrificing heart string pulling intimacy and Nolan gave film the greatest superhero villain of all time and made truly reinvented what an action sequence can do.
insanartist

I don't see a cartoon receiving the BEST MOVIE. Billion Dollar Batman thats my choice.....................................
safichan

ahh...come on folks... Wall-E is just an animated film...its only a cartoon...u just direct it like what u wanted coz its done 100% on computer...it so easy these days to make such movie...its too easy...no props...no real talent... live action movie should win...TDK should win...you got to honor real talent...TDK not just a great movie...TDK also used less CGI on the film which made it looks fantastic...
JimD

I enjoyed Wall-E but in no way would I consider it best picture.
http://www.movieguys.org 790

I can think of 20 films better than this piece of scrap...
#38

@ #37 Please go on. Give us 20 films from 2008 that were "better" than Wall-E
#39

@ #35 I am greatly appalled at your response to not just Wall-E, but the animation field in general. It takes years to make these animated movies, that you say are "so easy to make", and "no talent"? Are you kidding me?! While animators may sit behind the scenes, at a computer, how dare you say that they have no talent. They are merely actors who portray their actions in a different form. Just because they are not "on screen" does not mean that they have no talent. There are many more obstacles that a computer animation studio has to go through for their film to be produced. There are software limitations, processing power, and most importantly time. I don't think that you understand that you cannot put a "cookie cutter" story into a computer and it comes out a hit. I'm spending my years in school trying to study this field and hopefully make movies with as much heart and story that Pixar puts into every film. Animation is not a genre, it is a medium.
peloquin

@39... Amen brother, amen
Kyle

If Wall-E and The Dark Knight both get nominated this will be an awesome awards season.
wendi

Wow, who's the retard who said that animation doesn't take any talent? I assure you that few things take the teamwork, specialization, time, and blood/sweat/tears that animation does. And what about the AMAZING computer effects in live action movies like The Dark Knight or LoTR or The Matrix? You know, the incredible visual effects that can define the entire SETTING and TONE of a film? But nooo, Sir Idiot here thinks that anything made on a computer is "easy" and takes "no talent." .... In any case, I hope both movies get nominated. It'd be lovely if Wall-E won.
caroline

I hope WALL-E ends up on the Best Picture Nod. If it doesn't, I will not watch the oscars. Now who says animation has no talent. You try making something even as close to Finding Nemo. Do you realize that it takes so much effort to making something that visually looks effortless on screen? WALL-E costed 180,000,000 to make, just as much as the Dark Knight. So many people worked so hard on it. Ben Burtt did amazing voice design, Stanton wrote his most daring script, the computer graphics were realistic (with the exception of the human characters), Newman did a beautiful themed score (WHY DID HE NOT GET A NOD FOR BEST MUSIC AT THE ANNIES?!), etc.,etc. WALL-E is not one of the bloated romance films like the great, but overrated Titanic. Titanic did nothing but circled around Jack and Rose romance. There were many things going on beside WALL-E's and EVE's romance- There was a lethargic society, a polluted Earth, and machines discovering life. And WALL-E romance with EVE affected humanity. WALL-E is certainly better than Kung Fu Panda. Kung Fu Panda is certainly funnier, but comedy is not enough to define a good movie. Kung Fu Panda had a excellent storyline, but it is what it is, it was only meant to make children laugh and enjoy it. Kung Fu Panda is not of the universal. Young children will love the cuteness of WALL-E, and teens and adults will love the allegorical story. Dreamworks may be funnier, but Pixar suceeds in mixed comedy with out-of-this world storylines. Storylines matter more than comedy. Because you think comedy defines how good a movie is, you are one of those inconsiderate people who give no damn toward the hard effort. What use is an Annie Award to WALL-E? WALL-E is no animated movie, it's a romance made by animation. Saying that WALL-E is an animated movie is discriminating. If WALL-E doesn't show up on the Best Picture category, I will never watch the Oscars again. Mark my words.
http://itshumour.blogspot.com Rajj

.I was incredibly dissapointed in it's message. Wall-E was maybe 15 or 16th. If horrible message had been recanted, then give it a 8
snickers

The first half of Wall-E was technically great, and that part alone would have worked as a celebrated animated short. The movie as a whole, though, doesn't deserve to be anywhere near a Best Picture nomination. Sorry to burst your bubble, Pixar fanboys/girls.