In a year characterized by disruptions to film production, one area of the industry has remained as productive as ever: animation. The contenders for best animated film at the upcoming 93rd annual Academy Awards prove that there is nowhere to go but up in a storytelling space that continues to advance both technologically and creatively. With stories that take us past the great beyond, through magical forests, and into the stars, these Oscar-nominated animated hits can sweep audiences off their feet in ways that live-action cinema often can’t.
The Best-Ever Voiceover Performances in Animated Film
Here’s a prime example of the creativity afforded to animated films: One of the season’s most delightful onscreen characters is a pair of pants. When teenage elves Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively) only partially complete a resurrection spell on their late father, the lower half of his body accompanies them on a magical quest beyond their New Mushroomton home. “Magical” is the key word here, as “Onward” is both literally and figuratively enchanting; Disney and Pixar’s penchant for poignant, charming fun works wonders in such a conceptually ambitious fantasy realm. Even throwaway visual details in this story make for clever world-building.
Adults may feel more in touch with their inner child after watching Netflix’s “Over the Moon,” a tale that contemplates and celebrates childlike wonder to dazzling effect. Young Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) believes so wholeheartedly in mythical moon goddess Chang’e that she builds a lantern-turned-rocket to transport herself, her bunny Bungee, and her stepbrother, Chin (Robert G. Chiu), to the lunar surface. Buoyed by soaring original songs and a stellar cast of actor-singers (including Broadway stars Phillipa Soo, Conrad Ricamora, and Ruthie Ann Miles), “Over the Moon” will make you a believer.
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”
This Oscar season’s only stop-motion animation nominee is an uproariously silly follow-up to 2015’s “Shaun the Sheep Movie,” this time taking a lively extraterrestrial turn. Finding humor in alien life, farm life, and the delightful ways they overlap, this StudioCanal UK and Aardman Animations production could be the year’s most adorable movie. It’s uncanny that Lu-La, a lost alien creature whose only lines are monosyllabic mimics of other sounds, is as immediately endearing as she is. Fans of Shaun and his fellow Mossy Bottom Farm residents are sure to love a sequel that recaptures and builds upon the spirit of the original film.
“Soul”
Introducing a main character only to have him die about 10 minutes into the story is one of this year’s most brilliant cinematic surprises, and the plot of Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” doesn’t stop there. As Joe, a middle school band teacher and struggling jazz musician (given a multilayered and touching voice performance by Jamie Foxx), discovers “the Great Before,” a jaded soul named 22 (a dryly funny Tiny Fey), and the simple joys of life on Earth, we’re with him every existential step of the way. The film’s most affecting element, of course, is its music; the trippy stylings of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, intercut seamlessly with Jon Batiste’s evocative jazz compositions, are what allow “Soul” to pull off such ambitiously incongruous tones.
“Wolfwalkers”
This enthralling tale inspired by Irish folklore is proof that 2D animation is alive, well, and as visually arresting as ever. With an aesthetic resembling woodblocks and medieval art, Apple’s “Wolfwalkers” follows a young apprentice wolf hunter (Honor Kneafsey) as she discovers a feisty wolfwalker (Eva Whittaker) and her magical pack of wolves outside a superstitious town in 17th-century Ireland. All of it is infused with symbolic meaning, giving what would otherwise be a straightforward folk tale fascinating undertones. Come for the gorgeously draw characters, locales, and magic; stay for the implicit cautionary tale about colonialism and environmentalism.
This story originally appeared in the April 1 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
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