Luke Stevenson is one of the hosts of The Popcorn Muncher Podcast. He is only serious about Bee Movie.
I think it’s safe to say, when people’s major criticism of the Oscar nominations is reserved for the animation category, the Academy has done a good job. This year’s social media ire has mainly been reserved for the inclusion of The Boss Baby and Ferdinand over [enter name of banal anime seen by eight people here].
However, in this piece I will argue that not only does The Boss Baby deserve its place, but it should leave with the main prize. I should say that I have not seen Ferdinand but you should be comforted by the fact that, if I had, I’d probably be arguing for that to win as well.
Tobey Maguire is heard and not seen
Casting Tobey Maguire to deliver a voiceover is a stroke of genius because it serves the dual purpose of keeping a man in work and preventing audiences from having to watch a Tobey Maguire performance.
It will avenge the cruel snub for Bee Movie
Eleven years ago (welp), the most challenging, forward-thinking and important animation for a generation came out, Bee Movie. So important is this film’s legacy that it is considered the inspiration for modern Veganism – more commonly referred to as Beeganism by more passionate activists. DreamWorks was unfairly snubbed at the Oscars for that film, where the Academy were rightly scared of the scale of the movie they had on their hands and chose not to deal with it. They can rectify that here by acknowledging a movie likely to be the Bee Movie of its generation, what with it prompting the UN to declare war on dogs.
Perfect casting
Alec Baldwin voices a baby wearing a suit. He talks. He orders sushi. The Oscars have long awarded movies based on the calibre of the actor in the leading role above the quality of the movie. For examples, see any film starring Daniel Day-Lewis or Meryl Streep. Is there a better example of casting than this? If we don’t have an Oscar for Best Casting Director, at least award the movie with an Animated Feature prize for its casting.
People are calling it a rebuke to Trump like every other Oscar nominee this year
Hey, did you know Donald Trump is president? Hey, did you know every movie nominated this year is a rebuke to him? Blade Runner 2049 is a rebuke of his android building policy. Dunkirk is a rebuke of his policy towards Kenneth Branagh.
The Boss Baby somehow fits into that category because people are saying a baby in management is like Trump somehow. Despite the fact it started production in 2014, this is the Trump parody everyone wants everything to be nowadays, so that should give it some level of sophistication.
This line about hippies really makes me laugh
While walking through Baby Corp, this exchange happens:
Tim: [regarding Baby Corp] So this whole place is run by babies?
Boss Baby: Yep.
Tim: My dad says “Those who can, do. And those who can’t, supervise.”
Boss Baby: Your father is a hippie.
I just laughed at that a lot. I would like to see that line win an Oscar.
Do you agree with this take on The Boss Baby? Should the film be rewarded for its success with the Oscar for Best Animated Feature? Let me know in the comments section.