As soon as I saw Wallace and Gromit air on Christmas Day, I knew that it would be a contender for the best animated film Oscar. But then I saw Memoir of A Snail, and it appeared that they had some serious competition. It was going to be a good category, but the winner at the Oscars this year took many by surprise and has more people calling the Academy Awards rigged than ever.
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There have always been accusations of the Oscars being a rigged awards ceremony. Multiple times in the past, films that have been panned by audiences have taken home handfuls of Academy Awards.
The first upset was the sheer number of nominations Emilia Pérez received. Despite sitting comfortably at 16% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, it had the most Oscar nominations. Thankfully, it only won two, but that was two too many, according to public opinion.
But, the award that's really got people talking was for the Best Animated Film. With movies like The Wild Robot, Wallace and Gromit, and Memoir of A Snail on the list, nobody saw the winner coming. The prize was taken by Flow, a little-known movie about animals in a post-human world.
It ticks all the boxes with talking animals, an overdone message about global warming, and a discovery of friendship. But, people are calling the Oscars rigged, feeling the other movies were robbed of their awards.
Rigged Oscars Has Film Fans In Uproar
Understandably, people aren't exactly overjoyed at the result. But that's no surprise. I feel like there are other movies out there with less claim to an Oscar. At least Flow received great reviews from both audiences and critics. It is a genuinely good movie, but it had some serious competition.
"I can only imagine what Feathers McGraw is planning after Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was robbed at the Oscars," one user comments.
But, I think once people gave Flow a watch, they realised that it was quite an important achievement. This win marks the first time an independent movie has taken home the Best Animated Film award. Even for the other nominees, they will be happy to see a studio at the beginning of its game make such an impact.
The Oscars may be rigged, but sometimes it's good to let the little guy win.
