Pinocchio Rightfully Won Best Animated Feature At The Oscars, But All Of The Nominees Are Amazing
The Oscars don't always (or often) get it right, but the first award of the 95th Academy Awards was well-deserved. Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" is not only a gorgeous adaptation of the classic children's novel and a feat of stop-motion animation, but it takes the source material to the next level by flipping the story into a dark fable about fascism. A stout (yet menacing) Mussolini even makes an appearance, just in time to sit through a hilarious musical number in his honor, with profound lyrics such as, "He's just doo-doo to me." For that song alone, this movie deserves its gilded trophy — which I assume will live on a shelf of honor, alongside the adorable Pinocchio and Gepetto puppets that brought this story to life.
This win marks Del Toro's third Oscar win (out of seven nominations), after taking home Best Picture and Best Director for "The Shape of Water" in 2018. "Pinocchio" also marks the first stop motion movie to win Best Animated Feature since "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit" in 2005.
This win comes as no big surprise, as the film has been scooping up trophies throughout awards season, including at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. But there's no denying that this was not an easy call: del Toro's animated feature had stiff competition, in a category stacked with incredible films.
Animation is cinema
"Animation is cinema," Del Toro said during his emotional acceptance speech. "Animation is not a genre. Animation is ready to be taken to the next step. Please help us. Keep animation in the conversation." And the rest of the animated films deserve just as much recognition as "Pinocchio."
The Oscars have been less than respectful to animated features in the past, particularly last year, which earned ripples of disappointment from filmmakers throughout the industry. Seemingly making amends for their mistakes, the Academy opted to open the show with Best Animated Feature, spotlighting five incredible animated films in the process.
While "Pinocchio" won out in the end, all of the nominees were more than deserving. The competition for the category included one of Pixar's latest and greatest, Domee Shi's "Turning Red," a coming-of-age story about boybands, friendship, and generational trauma that was heavily influenced by anime. Not only did the groundbreaking title introduce the world to 4*Town, but did so while giving a young girls identity crisis a rare chance in the spotlight.
Also in the category was Joel Crawford's "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish," one of the most recent films to take inspiration from "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse." With stylistic flair and lots of big, adorable eyes, it combines 2D and 3D animation to incredible effect, marking one of last year's best pleasant surprises.
Speaking of joyful surprises, Chris Willaims' "The Sea Beast" was a seafaring blockbuster that burst onto Netflix in 2022, with anti-imperialist ideals and surprisingly friendly sea monsters to support its seafaring adventurers. The final competitor was Dean Fleischer Camp's "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On" aka the movie so wholesome that it's impossible to sit through without at least a few sobs. Though partially live-action, everyone's favorite little shell is a stop-motion wonder.
Between all of these titles and "Pinocchio," it's a refreshing change of pace to see the Oscars start off by honoring five animated features that push the bounds of animation while telling memorable, poignant stories.