"Toy Story 4," "Frozen II," and the Race for the Best Animated Film Oscar

Scene from Frozen II

This morning, Disney released the trailer for their latest film Frozen II. Most audiences will know the franchise very well, in part because of the 2013 film but also because this is the third year in a row that Elsa and Anna will have appeared on the big screen. Following Olaf's Frozen Adventure in 2017 and brief cameos in Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet in 2018, it's the long-awaited follow-up to the highest-grossing animated film in history that also spawned two Oscar wins. Considering that this trailer is likely to play in front of Toy Story 4 in 10 days, it also begins to raise another question: how is this year's Best Animated Film Oscar category shaking out? Have we seen the winner already? Considering that Frozen II AND Toy Story 4 are both sequels to previous winners, the answer may be staring us in the face. That is if the pattern continues to hold up.

Review: "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is a Smart Yet Overbearing Sequel

Scene from Ralph Breaks the Internet

As any of the countless studies have proven, the internet is a crucial tool to how we communicate with one another. So why then is it so hard to capture the feeling of digital relationships on film, itself a medium of equally limitless potential? Disney's latest Ralph Breaks the Internet is a film that attempts to be everything all at the same time. It tries to make the internet seem like a world of wonder, where Disney Princesses can be pulled up in a second's notice, while discovering something darker and more unpleasant about humanity. Ralph may be a video game character, but his insecurity is a real feeling and something that Disney has been grappling with in the past two years with many films exploring toxic masculinity (Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, Coco, etc.). For a character who was built in the first film as sympathetic and misunderstood, it's a bit of an odd shift. However, it makes the film one of the studio's boldest films in a long time, serving more as an essay on internet culture than genuine entertainment. It may hurt the film, but it also makes it a unique achievement. 

Golden Globe Nominations 2013 Are Here, and Guess Who Got Ignored?

It is an exciting time for movie awards fanatics. With all of the nominations coming out, we are only a month away from when we finally get a peek at what will be nominated for this year's Academy Awards! Unfortunately, the Golden Globes have always been perceived in some way as a predecessor to the event and for no good reason. Each year, they mistake celebrity for quality with very few wins for the right people. However, that's kind of why they are my favorite whipping boy. I love to criticize their choices with a heavy hand. The following is a look at the nominations that were released this morning and my brief opinions about each category.

Review: "Wreck-It Ralph" is the Best Animated Film, and why the Academy Won't Recognize That

As previous speculation had me believe, director Rich Moore's biggest obstacle with Wreck-It Ralph will be the subject matter. Of course, that is only the case for those that ignore the story. Disney has managed to do an impossible feat. They have managed to turn video games into an allegorical tale of accepting others as well as a tale of how disabilities shouldn't ruin your life. Sure there is a lot of video game references, but in general, Wreck-It Ralph succeeds in being one of the more heartfelt animated movies to come out in 2012.

Can "Wreck-It Ralph" Convince the Old Voters that Video Games are Cool?

Update: A review for the film has been posted here.

With The Avengers blowing up at the box office, I think it finally time that we admit that nerd culture has become the norm. For the most part this is fact, though at the Oscars, we haven't seen too much traction for comic book or video game property films outside of technical fields. With Friday's release of Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, we see what could possibly be the first advancement in incorporating nerd culture to the awards circuit. In a year when we have two animated features about death (ParaNorman, Frankenweenie), it is a relief to see something different. However, can Wreck-It Ralph do one step better and beat the competition?