My Posts (1)
‘Wild Robot Was Robbed’ Fans Sad After Animated Film Loses To Flow At 2025 Oscars
"...this time, many felt that one particular film ["The Wild Robot"] was robbed." I beg to differ,
Clearly this subset of viewers was bummed that "Flow" took home the hardware over the monster-budget heavyweights from Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar. Perhaps the disgruntled fans just prefer machines to cats. At any rate, I get the distinct impression from the tone here that the writer agrees with this sentiment as accolades for TWR are listed in exhaustive detail and the clear merits of "Flow" are completely ignored. Much as I liked the lavishly-produced and beautifully animated "Wild Robot," it still relied heavily on trite and treadworn animated feature tropes...the smartass sidekick, bratty precocious youngsters, silly sight-gags, endless snarky chatter, celebrity voices, and over-the-top anthropomorphism.
"Flow" by contrast sparkled with refreshing originality, animals that behaved like animals rather than humans, developing strong and distinct personalities without ever speaking a word. These are characters we can care about and remember long after the closing credits. The use of open-source software may be dismissed by some but many viewers appreciate the beauty of the animated water and landscapes which in themselves became characters in the film. Yes, "Flow" richly deserved the Oscar for Best Animated Feature of 2025 for it broke new ground in this medium and opened the way for more independent filmmakers to compete with the corporate giants. Bravo, "Flow" and warmest congratulations!