Oscar Nominations 2019: Animated Feature, Short Film, and Visual Effects Predictions

Animated Feature Nominee Breakdown

• 💡 Isle of Dogs is noted for its stop-motion style and Wes Anderson's return to the medium, with its nomination in a separate category for Alexander Desplat's score being a significant achievement.
• 🚀 Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet are discussed as strong contenders, with Incredibles 2 achieving a massive $1.2 billion domestic box office.
• ✨ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is highlighted as a strong contender, benefiting from a later release date which aided Oscar voters' recall and its capture of the cultural zeitgeist.
• 🏆 Disney/Pixar's dominance in the category is noted, having won six years in a row and ten out of the last eleven years.

Animated Short Film Contenders

• 🎬 The discussion touches on Bao and Weekends as notable animated shorts, with Weekends being part of Pixar's program supporting artists.
• 🌟 DreamWorks' short is mentioned as a remnant of a shut-down feature, containing impressive designs but a story that didn't quite work.
• 🎯 Other shorts like Late Afternoon by Cartoon Saloon and One Small Step are also mentioned as having received positive attention.

Visual Effects Category Predictions

• 💥 Avengers: Infinity War is considered the likely winner in the Visual Effects category, despite Black Panther's multiple nominations and lack of a VFX nod.
• 🎬 Christopher Robin and Solo receiving nominations are seen as somewhat surprising, especially with Aquaman's exclusion despite its notable effects.
• 🌟 Ready Player One and First Man are also discussed as potential winners, with Ready Player One praised for its significant ILM animation and First Man for its subtle yet effective visual effects.
• 🗳️ The voting dynamics are analyzed, with multiple Disney projects potentially splitting the vote, making it interesting to see if a non-Disney film like Infinity War or Ready Player One could take the win.

Lego Movie 2 and Theme Park Expansion

• 🧱 The Lego Movie 2 is praised for its charm, humor, and ability to balance entertainment with self-awareness, continuing the franchise's success.
• 🎢 The expansion of theme parks with IP-driven lands is discussed, specifically the upcoming Zootopia land at Shanghai Disneyland.
• 🌍 The strategy of using familiar IPs like Zootopia in international markets is highlighted, contrasting with the deeper catalog available for US parks.
• 🗺️ The potential for a Zootopia land at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida is speculated, noting the park's need to become more kid-friendly.

Future Projects and Disney's Strategy

• 🔮 Future animated projects like Zootopia 2 and Onward are mentioned, with Zootopia 2 potentially coinciding with the Shanghai land's opening.
• 💰 The financial implications of Disney Plus and the acquisition of Fox assets are briefly touched upon, emphasizing the need for successful monetization.
• 🏰 The idea of theme park properties being adapted into animation, like a Figment show, is proposed as a potential avenue for Disney.
• 🎤 The show concludes with predictions for the Oscar winners, favoring Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for Best Animated Feature and Bao for Best Animated Short.