According to a report in today’s New York Times, the race for Best Animated Film at this year’s Academy Awards has entered the official competitive hot zone. At this point in the year, it’s usually a foregone conclusion that the feature animation award will go to the hallowed-Pixar- masterpiece-that’s-better-than-any- live-action-film-you’ve-ever-seen. In this case, however, the hallowed masterwork in question, the delightful Up, isn’t the only highly decorated belle at the ball. The other one is Wes Anderson’s marvelous, one-of-a-kind, more-resonant-the-more-you-think-about-it Fantastic Mr. Fox. It’s a real showdown: digital vs. analog, fabled animation studio vs. new hipster animator on the block, and — most fascinatingly — eternal critical darling vs. possibly even more revered critical darling.
Right now, though, I’m less interested in who’s going to win the Oscar than in my own personal predilection for Fantastic Mr. Fox over Up. You see, it’s not that I in any way disliked the Pixar film; when I saw it back in May, I totally ate it up. Yet it’s the ticklishly droll and original enchantment of Fantastic Mr. Fox that, I admit, has cast my feelings about Pixar in a slightly new light.
At the end of last year, trying to nail down what was going to be on my 10 Best list, I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox a second time (only a few weeks after I’d seen it the first time), and I found myself even more happily addicted to its ramshackle surreal charms. The deadpan Roald Dahl-meets-Wes Anderson wit, the tactile fairy-tale diorama look, the suavely old-fashioned stop-motion technique, the delectable overlap between Mr. Fox’s world and our own, the performances of George Clooney and Meryl Streep (has Clooney ever been more charismatically…Clooney?) — it all cast its spell again. Then I saw Up a second time, a good six months after I’d seen it the first. Usually, the movies I love only grow for me upon repeated viewings, but that didn’t happen with Up. Once again, I adored the celebrated life-of-Carl-Fredricksen montage (a sequence that, if it doesn’t leave you a blubbering wreck, means that your heart is made of titanium), and the house-journey-by-balloon sustained that enchantment. But once Carl and Russell touch down near Carl’s nostalgic waterfall (which is only about 45 minutes into the story), the movie shifts from the bittersweet psychological to the antic logistical. It becomes a very elaborate, extended chase film about Carl and the boy trying to protect that glistening rainbow of a bird. Frankly, it played the second time as a little less magical.
I still found it dazzling and touching; on its own terms, Up is more or less a perfect film. But now there were moments that started to try my patience a bit too. (To be honest, I felt the same way, on a second viewing, about the spaceship half of WALL-E: The satire of techno-blob couch-potato America was inspired, but there was a little too much running around.) Up didn’t make the final cut of my 10 Best list, and the reason isn’t that I decided to go for the upstart underdog instead. It’s because I realized that after 10 films, the whole Pixar style, miraculous as it is, has become, as an experience, a little bit…standard. It’s not really taking us anywhere new.
Forty years ago, writing about the Beatles in Yellow Submarine, Pauline Kael, who dug the movie’s pop-art psychedelia a lot (without being overawed by it), said that Yellow Submarine “restores the pleasures of constant surprise, which was always the fun of good animation.” That’s a deliberately blasé, adult’s-eye-view of what a cartoon should be — not “art,” just a fun and eye-boggling ADD magic show. And that’s a view, I have to say, that I kind of subscribe to. For 15 years, Pixar has touched, dazzled, amazed, and — yes –surprised us, but in the last few years (starting, for me, with the overpraised Ratatouille), maybe Pixar has grown just a little less surprising. Whereas Fantastic Mr. Fox, in every primitive yet magical frame, unveils a sweetly unprecedented gimcrack counter-world. It’s the animated movie this year that never stopped surprising me into feeling like a kid again.
So which movie do you prefer, Up or Fantastic Mr. Fox? And does anyone else agree with me that the bravura, year-by-year stylistic steadiness of the whole Pixar thing has made their magic seem just a little less magical?
i use to have respect for you and read your reviews Owen… but after reading “overpraised Ratatouille”, i will not respect your opinion anymore.
I think your comment is a bit harsh:P but I do agree with you Lee. I don’t think Owen is correct in classifying “Ratatouille” as overpraised. If I recall correctly, it met its fair share of criticisms – mainly along the same lines as what Owen is saying- that it drags on a bit, not as deep etc. In general, it got very high reviews, just not in the A+ categories like the previous Pixar pics.
Either way, I still love “Ratatouille.”
He didn’t say Ratatouille was a bad movie. He just said it was a little “overpraised”. I agree. It was a good movie, but I don’t think he deserved all of the hype it received.
I’d happily add I thought Ratatouille was not a good film at all. It was vastly overpraised for a rather flat and dull film. The Incredibles was by far Pixar’s best film – one of the best of all films of the last decade.
Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar film, so I’ll agree with you on that it is not overpraised. Up was more emotionally resonant and a bigger hit, so I think it will win. FMF is great though!
Agreed, it was not overpraised, and it was a film that “surprised” people, just as much as Wall-E, and… Up, which is something you said Pixar has lacked since… Owen, you aren’t making any sense.
Ratatouille > Fantastic Mr. Fox > Up
I’m sorry but you can’t just give it to some other animated movie just because there are more than one good one this year. Up is amazing and Mr. Fox is good. Don’t be unfair to Pixar just because they have competition now.
also Mr. Fox rips off of the Incredibles. think about it.
I agree with you, ugh. Just because Fantastic Mr Fox is better than Shrek the Third doesn’t mean it’s better than Up.
How can a movie based off of a Roald Dahl book rip off The Incredibles???
I haven’t seen Fantastic Mr. Fox, but here’s my run-down of the Pixar films I’ve seen:
the first half of Wall-E
> Toy Story and Toy Story 2 > the first twenty minutes of Up > The Incredibles > Finding Nemo > Ratatouille > everything else
Of all the (generally) great Pixar movies, Ratatouille is the one that is the least “standard”ly Pixar. I find Gleiberman’s slam there also very off-putting.
Rat is way overated!!! I agree Owen
Ratatouille is one of the finest animated or non-animated films produced in the last 10 years. To sit here and say it is over praised when we are subjected every year to abominations like Transformers we really need to examine the terms we throw around. If movies like transformers had half the story and thoughtful ideas that something like Ratatouille has in 10min worth of film then perhaps we could discuss overpraise. You could agrue that perhaps Ratatouille was over hyped in the fact that you were built up to highly by the praise it was given, that I could accept. But to suggest it didn’t deserve all the praise that it received is not fair. Go watch Transformers 5 times and you’ll be begging for a copy of Ratatouille so you can overpraise it too.
Saw both, loved both. Basically agree with OG. As a movie, Fox was better, but I just wish both movies could compete in the Best Pic category, rather than have a separate Best Animated Pic category. A good film is a good film
I completely get what you’re saying about Pixar. I personally liked Fantastic Mr. Fox a lot better than Up. I really like Up so I’m not saying that it wasn’t a good movie but I thought that Mr. Fox was a better movie because I had never seen that before. So I agree with you
Up and FMF were great. But for me the real draw-dropper of the year was “Coraline” – one of my all time favorites!
I have to agree with you Paul. Coraline was amazing.Great script, acting and animation. It’s really underappreciated.
I completely agree too. I’ve watched both Up and Coraline several times now and though I adore Up and am moved every time by that opening sequence, Coraline always fascinates and surprises me in new, fun ways. I think it’s going to be more appreciated some time from now, as so many great films are.
Agree also. There just aren’t many films as deftly imaginative and original as Coraline.
Agreed. These Movie Critics Blogs are the reason I still visit this website. Keep up the good work!
PS- I wish Lisa posted longer, more in-depth essays like Owen. She’s a smart lady, but she doesn’t seem have gotten on board with this blog with the enthusiasm that Owen has…
But she actually replies to comments! I love that!
Ha, I love that, too. Still…
I wonder what Lisa thinks of this… she actually did include Up in her top 10 list and it topped Fox for her.
While I completely disagree on the comments about “Ratatouille” (severely underrated, in my opinion), and “Wall-E” (one of the best films of the decade, undoubtedly), the rest of this article is PERFECT. Thank you so much Owen, for backing up my personal passionate defense of Anderson’s position in the Oscar race. Sure, I loved “Up,” but “Fantastic Mr. Fox” struck something that truly excited me. Its fresh, quirky without overdosing on the quirk, and even more poignant than it seems on first level. Its pure animated bliss. Meanwhile, “Up” gets a bit overblown and gimmicky during its Paradise Falls scenes. I do believe the race should be tight, and I would LOVE a surprising “Fox” win… But most importantly, does “Up” deserve a Best Picture nom? Absolutely not.
P.S. Paul’s comment reminded me of the glorious dark humor and intelligence of “Coraline”; where’s all the love for that picture? Regardless, such a wonderful year for animation.
I think Coraline came out too early in 2009 to really be remembered for the awards season. I enjoyed Coraline much more than I enjoyed Up, but I think Fantastic mr Fox may have been the best of the three in terms of overall movie. Coraline had the best visuals.
Team Pixar. Wes Anderson is the American Apparel of filmmaking.
hahahhahaha… I dont even understand your comment but i thought it was a doozy… I gotta say though- I wasnt floored by Up as much as with Wall-E… it makes me kinda sad that Up will be the first animated film since beauty and the beast to be nominated for best picture, considering its not pixar’s best. admit it- its not. I havent seen Fantastic mr Fox, unfortunately so I wouldnt know how good it is.
Hard to say which is Pixar’s best. Probably Nemo (just keep swimming… just keep swimming).
Lol I’m scratching my head trying to understand what you just said. I think I get it? But Fox was a great film! And I’m not even a Wes Anderson fan (I really dislike most of his live-action films).
I’m the same way, not at all a Wes Anderson fan. I find his characters are always trying too hard to be quirky rather than just being quirky. But animation fits his style and tone so perfectly; FMF was a true delight, and something I haven’t seen before.
I also think you’re wrong on Ratatouille, Owen. I adore that movie. In some ways, I think it is more cohesive and consistent in tone than Up. Having said that, I love both Up and FMF. I don’t know how I’d choose between the two. It’s an embarassment of riches this year in animation. We also have the delightful Ponyo and imaginative (if somewhat off putting) Coraline.
The default winner of this category has become Pixar, but I would not be unhappy to see FMF win. The movie is so refreshing and has reminded movie-goers (and hopefully animation whizes) that making things look less like animation doesn’t necessarily make for better films. There is room for both.
I’m afraid I’d have to disagree with you as well Owen. While I continue to agree with most of your assessments on films, I must sa that I found Ratatouielle to be severely UNDERATED if anything. Up struck cords with me that made me really truly enjoy the film and I consider it by far one of the bests of the year. If it were to win the Best Animated Picture Oscar than I believe it would be rightfully so.
Up is my second favorite Pixar film….However, I lost a great deal of respect for Owen after he released his much maligned “Best Films of the Decade” list.
Amen, Owen! I love, love, love animation, but Pixar IS overpraised starting exactly with Ratatouille. The studio doesn’t have a bad movie (not even Cars), but I think critics have gotten out-of-hand with handing the studio a free pass. Ratatouille was the highest rated movie the year it was released – an indication that things are amiss. Pixar’s best is either Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, two fantastic movies that are so good that Pixar it still riding their coattails (or fins or capes or whatever).
I thought Up & Wall-e were overrated. Loved Ratatouille & Fantastic Mr. Fox
They’re both really, really good, and in my Top 5 for ’09. But Up was the one that resonated with me the most, while Fox was an exciting surprise. Not to diminish either film, but Pixar has done no wrong by my count (with Incredibles being my absolute favorite.)
I actually felt for Pixar what you’re feeling now after seeing Cars. I didn’t think the movie was bad at all, I just thought, “Pixar could do his in their sleep at this point.” But I have to say – having only seen each movie once thus far – I thought they completely regained their mojo with Wall-E and Up. As for Up vs. Fantastic Mr. Fox, I think I’d be happy with a win for either. The only reason I might pull a little harder for the latter is because I’d like to see the Academy recognize there are worthy animations outside computer animation.
So you feel that because Pixar is consistently good that they’ve become stagnant? Fox is a great movie no question, but it seems that the main reason it resonates with you more is because it’s different. Does that make it better? Personally, I don’t think it matters. This past year has given us some of the best animated films ever in a single year. I can always count on an excellent Pixar film. What other studio can you say that about?
I agree with you. Tell him! I’m not even going to respond to Owen’s article directly because I’m still pissed off that he utterly didn’t get Let the Right One in.
UP>Fantastic Mr. Fox