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| Your Oscar Cheat Sheet |
Waltz with
Bashir was expected to be one of the top three, but instead Disney's
TV star pooch, Bolt, stole his thunder. However, Bashir
did manage to pop up in the Foreign Language category. Although many
hoped that WALL•E and The Dark Knight would
also be recognized in the Best Picture race, we're just happy that the
lovesick robot also got also nominations in the best sound, editing,
song and screenplay categories. |
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 Studio: DreamWorks Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Written By: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger Voice Talent: Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane Synopsis: Po the panda is a big furry slacker, lazing through life in ancient China. But when the malevolent Tai Lung, a villainous snow leopard, threatens the Valley of Peace, Po hooks up with a furious fivesome of kung fu fighting animals who teach him how to kick butt and, more importantly, believe in himself. Release Date: June 6 Box Office to Date: $631.9 million Running Time: 92 minutes On the Plus Side: Panda wowed audiences with its stunning design work, seamless animation and glittering cast list—not to mention all the cute critters and bad-ass martial arts moves! Weak Points: It’s another animated movie with talking animals. |
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 Studio: Disney/Pixar Director: Andrew Stanton Written By: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon Voice Talent: Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Ben Burtt Synopsis: In the far-off future, mankind has abandoned an uninhabitable, polluted Earth—leaving mechanical clean up crews to fix it. WALL•E, the last functioning ‘bot on the planet, carries on alone until an unexpected visitor arrives from the depths of space. Release Date: June 27 Box Office to Date: $532.9 million Running Time: 98 minutes On the Plus Side: Touching and inspiring, with plenty of awkward robot related physical comedy and animation that makes you do a double-take—the perfect combination we’ve come to expect from the Pixar wizards. Weak Points: Some felt the environmental themes were too preachy and noted that the third act of the movie never really matched its first. |
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 Studio: Disney Directors: Byron Howard, Chris Williams Written By: Chris Williams and Dan Fogelman, story by Chris Sanders Voice Talent: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton Synopsis: When Bolt (Travolta), a German Shepherd who has lived his whole life on the set of his action-packed TV show, escapes the set in an attempt to rescue his on-screen owner (Cyrus), he teams up with an alley cat and a fanboy hamster in order to save the day—even if it turns out his awesome TV powers aren’t real. Release Date: November 21 Box Office to Date: $194.1 million Running Time: 103 minutes On the Plus Side: Though we were saddened when Chris Sanders dropped off the project (previously American Dog), Bolt seems ready for action with not-toocutesy characters and a good mix of heartstring pulling and funny bone tickling. The movie was a huge hit at Comic-Con this year. Weak Points: The mention of Miley Cyrus’ name may yield some pretty heavy eyerolling (in adult cirlces, that is)—Disney will have to prove that this flick can charm all ages with story work that lives up to the big-budget animation. |