Daily post 31 Jan 2006 08:43 am

Nominations

The 5 Oscar nominations for Best Animated Short Film went to:

“9″ directed by Shane Acker

Badgered directed by Sharon Colman

The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation directed by John Canemaker

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello directed by Anthony Lucas

One Man Band directed by Mark Andrews & Andrew Jimenez

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The 3 Animated Feature nominees include:

Howl’s Moving Castle directed by Hiyao Miyazaki
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit directed by Nick Park and Steve Box

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- On a strictly personal note, I couldn’t be happier for my friend, John Canemaker. He’s a fabulous person who’s continued making films for many years. His enormous and deserved success in animation history only informs the films he’s done. This film had to have been difficult for him to make, and I’m absolutely pleased at the success it’s having.

I’m also happy to see another 2D animated film, Badgered, nominated. Two out the five nominations are 2D, and the predominance of cgi is gone from these categories. None of the cgi features made it. This is interesting.

4 Responses to “Nominations”

  1. on 31 Jan 2006 at 9:56 am 1.Mark Mayerson said …

    Mike, you’re too much of a gentleman to note that your own film, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, did not get a nomination even though it was short-listed. I’m disappointed for you.

    I’ve only seen one of the nominated animated shorts so I don’t know what you were up against, but given your track record, I can’t believe that your film didn’t win a nomination.

  2. on 31 Jan 2006 at 10:06 am 2.Michael said …

    Mark, you’re great. Thanks for the comments and sympathy. It was great being on the short list, but it was obvious to me that there weren’t going to be three shorts from NY nominated. I actually expected Bill Plympton to be on the final list. It’s all such a crap shoot anyway, that all you can say is, “Next.”

  3. on 01 Feb 2006 at 9:09 am 3.John Canemaker said …

    I would like to comment about Mike Sporn as a great and generous friend, as well as a fine filmmaker.
    When my film THE MOON AND THE SON was in production, I went to Mike more than I should have for budgetary and other advice. He always patiently gave me information and tips even when he was in the midst of a hectic production schedule. These proved very helpful and I am grateful for his kindness. He is one of the most honest and forthright people I know and I trust his opinions and instincts completely.
    His know-how comes from the hard work he has put into creating wonderful, individualistic films through the years and maintaining a truly independent studio against all odds. For thirty-some years I have valued and admired his knowledge of the art and craft of animation and his special artistry.
    Mike’s excellent skills and taste as a producer/director/animator are well-known around the world. THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS is one of his finest film achievements — a beautifully crafted, emotionally evocative story told with warmth and sensitivity.

  4. on 01 Feb 2006 at 5:08 pm 4.Daniel Thomas said …

    I’d like to extend my thanks to Michael Sporn for sending me a DVD copy of “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” It’s a marvelous, literary little picture, one that perfectly captures the original children’s book. It reminds me of the way we read to our own children, and I thourougly expected to see it win an Oscar nomination. Sadly, this was not to be, but as all the selections are excellent, I feel glad for everyone whose work is being recognized. This shows me the great variety and potential for animation in America, that it really can become more than cynical corporate marketing, ala Disney or Dreamworks.

    I’ll be writing a review column for my website about “The Man Who Walked,” and do my part to bring attention to it. The movie’s style reminds me a lot of Isao Takahata’s masterful “Goshu the Cellist.” Is Mr. Sporn and his studio familiar with that film? If not, I’d eb glad to send a copy.

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