It’s not a huge surprise that Avatar scored nine nominations – including Best Picture and a Best Director nod for James Cameron – but I can’t say I expected to see District 9 up there with it. Pixar’s Up (Fantasy? Sci-fi? You tell me.) also made the big time, the first animated movie since 1991’s Beauty and the Beast to be nominated for Best Picture.
Avatar and District 9 will also be taking on Star Trek for Visual Effects. Sorry, ILM. Trek might have a chance at Makeup: It’s up against Il Divo and The Young Victoria.
I loved Up, but it’s neither fish nor fowl. There are no fantasy elements to speak of, and the science (a new species of bird, talking dog collars) is mostly played for laughs. It’s probably the least genre-specific of any Pixar film, which may account for its huge success.
I confess…I kind of hope “Up” wins. Avatar is soulless, so my second choice would be “Up In The Air”. I can’t see “District 9” pulling off an upset. “Inglorious Basterds” would be an interesting choice. I can’t quite see how “The Blind Side” got in there and the other choices all seem too obscure or in “Precious”‘s case too niche-market.
I’m thrilled that Secret of the Kells was nominated. I didn’t think it could happen, but it did.