Laika Studios won the Best Animated Motion Picture Golden Globe for a stop motion movie of a brand new story that’s not a sequel or a remake to anything, facing against 3 Disney movies, one Pixar movie, the Lion King Remake, and Frozen 2.
This is why the Golden Globes have always been infinitely superior to the Oscars. Let me remind everyone how in 2014, several Oscar voters admitted that they don’t even watch the animated films all the way through, some of them even skipping them entirely and choosing whichever film their child liked. (And yes, I should point out, as many others have, that How To Train Your Dragon is not Disney. Nor are sequels inherently bad or “lesser.” The second Httyd film actually won the Golden Globe for best animated feature, as it was a prime example of what a sequel should be: something that expands and deepens the story, builds off off the characters and their growth, explores themes and improves worldbuilding, and just… has an actual reason to exist beyond making money.)
But a studio that doesn’t get by just on virtue of being Disney, or making sequels to stuff that was already proven to sell, and instead takes risks every time and makes stories for the sake of storytelling?
That’s Laika.
I’ve actually been underwhelmed by Laika in many ways– I respect the hell out of their artistry, but find them to often be weaker storytellers than Disney or Dreamworks.
But when the Golden Globes reward them, especially above studios like Disney and Dreamworks, I take that shit seriously. Because the Globes actually seem to give a shit.
In 2014, the year of Httyd2, Big Hero 6, Princess Kaguya, Song of the Sea, and the Lego movie, the winner of the Academy Award was… Big Hero 6. The most mediocre of them all, imo. The Acadmey has been biased towards Disney and Pixar for years, to the point of self parody. (And get this: The Lego Movie? Wasn’t even nominated. It was completely snubbed.)
The Globes remembering to nominate the Lego Movie, and giving the Globe to Httyd2 instead of Big Hero 6, is when I started watching and ditched the Oscars entirely.
And it seems they still have their priorities in order. The Globes choosing a smaller studio’s lesser known movie over a half-assed Dreamworks sequel to a massively popular franchise, two Disney sequels (also of massively popular properties), and a Disney live action remake? Shows they actually care about story first.
Oh also this.
Because we all better fucking remember this when the Oscars roll out this year.