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IT'S RAT VS HOMER: THE RACE FOR THE ANIMATED FEATURE OSCAR!

Can "The Simpsons" go from Emmy winners to Oscar winners?

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By Joey Magidson

One is an original product from a studio known for releasing the best in animation. One is a borderline cult production that has grown into a multimedia empire. Both are financially successful films. Both received rave reviews. Both headline the animation class for 2007 and both are going to be going right up against each other come Oscar time. In case I’m being too vague, I’m talking about “Ratatouille” and “The Simpsons Movie”. At this point, they seem to be the top two contenders for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

The first thing that works in the favor of both of these films is that their critical acclaim has been outstanding. “Ratatouille”, according to Rotten Tomatoes received a 96% positive rating, with 100% from the “cream of the crop” critics. The consensus was that is was “stunningly animated”. Not far behind, “The Simpsons Movie” got an 89% positive rating and an 83% positive from the “cream”. Consensus for it was that it contained “lots of hearty laughs and biting satire”. Both films were genuinely well received, which was somewhat expected for “Ratatouille” but perhaps a bit of a surprise for “The Simpsons Movie”.

Next on the agenda is what rules most of the world…..cold hard cash. A film with no box office is a film that doesn’t have much in the way of prospects come awards time. It’s a sad reality that many quality films fall by the wayside because they go unseen by the general public, but it’s one that we have to live with. A notable exception is Ryan Gosling and “Half Nelson” last year…but for every film like that there’s a dozen that get no promotion. Luckily for both of the flicks that I’m discussing here today, they had very profitable runs at the cinema (in fact, both are still playing as of the end of August). “Ratatouille” debuted strong with 47 million in it’s opening weekend, though for Pixar releases, it was the second smallest ever (that dubious honor belongs to “A Bug’s Life”). It looks like it will cross the 200 million mark before it leaves theaters entirely, and that’s something that can’t be ignored. As for “The Simpsons Movie”, it opened with a larger figure than the aforementioned rat did, with a bow of 74 million (actually the biggest opening for a cartoon ever, aside from the last two “Shrek” films). Homer and company will most likely come close to, or get past, the 200 million mark as well, so when all is said and done, the box office will be fairly similar for both films.

The place where these movies differ the most is in their pedigree. As I stated before, “Ratatouille” is a product of “Pixar”, a name that is synonymous with animated films of the highest caliber, while “The Simpsons Movie” is a more of a cultish fare, though it has grown from that to one of the landmark television shows in history, complete with a marketing line of products second to none. As an original film, “Ratatouille” delivers what most audiences were expecting. It is a harmless family film that looks great and won’t bore adults. As a product that is making the transition from the small to the silver screen, “The Simpsons Movie” was perhaps walking a bit of a tighter rope. There were questions about if it was going to be “just a long television episode” or if it would feel dated. It seems that the Simpson clan has been able to dispel those fears and make their appearance in the Cineplex more than just a shameless money grab on the part of the Fox Corporation. The Simpsons also benefits from a following that is like a built in support system, but it remains to be seen how much of an effect that will have come the end of the year.

What does all this mean for Oscar? Well, with little competition so far this year (films like “Meet The Robinsons”, “Shrek the Third”, and “Surf’s Up” failed to impress on the same level as both of the movies being discussed) it seems like a two horse race (it also doesn’t hurt that both are also being touted for screenplay nominations as well). There is a potential dark horse looming on the horizon in the form of “Beowulf”, the motion capture picture that is directed by Mr. Forrest Gump and Polar Express himself, Robert Zemeckis. It is based on a classic story and might seem like just the thing that the Academy would go for, but until it is seen there is no way to know for sure. As it stands, a food loving rat and a family of yellow people are what seems to be the class of the animated category. Whether Oscar prefers the latest Pixar offering or a slightly edgier fare remains to be seen, but it certainly is not going to be a boring race.

What do you think? Are you on Team Homer or Team Pixar? Share your thoughts here!
 

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