There have been some big snubs in Oscar history but this wasn't one of them. It was modestly entertaining and better than most people expected it to be but... come on..
The LEGO movie was great. That said, The Oscars is NOT (I repeat) NOT a public popularity contest (otherwise Twilight would have won everything and a more advanced alien race would have put our civilization out of its misery). It is also NOT a contest for the best critically reviewed films.
An Oscar is an honor, bestowed upon a (usually) worthy recipient by his or her peers WITHIN the film industry. The voting members of the Academy must be nominated by two existing Academy members (in their respective field of expertise) to even be considered for admission into the Academy, unless they have been nominated for an Oscar themselves.
Once the nominations for each category have been decided (again, by their respective peer group of EXPERTS) they are voted on by Academy members from all disciplines to determine the winner, based on technical and artistic merit.
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
@kal, everyone on this site knows you're not stupid enough to misinterpret my comment. I'm not trying to start a flame war or troll (pun intended) anybody. And I'm sorry if you, or someone you know, worked on the show and feel(s)snubbed. I happen to work in this industry, and I can tell you that most people involved understand how the game is played. Most of the over-reacting comes from those on the outside looking in.
Just working in the industry doesn't give you sense or good taste. I mean, for crying out loud, Michael Bay works in the film industry. Uwe Boll works in the film industry. And these are two of the most successful directors working today. Yet neither of them would be able to identify what makes a good movie if their life depended on it.
Never once did I mention anything about sense or good taste coming into play where the Oscars are concerned. As for Michael and Uwe, I don't believe (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) that either of them has ever been nominated for an Academy Award, much less won one. And neither of them have ever been members of the academy. In fact, I know that Uwe has been "honored" with at least one Razzie, which is essentially the opposite of an Oscar. I've never worked with Boll, but I can tell you that Bay is an atrocity of a human being. None of this, however, stops people from buying tickets to his movies. I thank you for your assistance in making my point.
The animated film award is nominated differently. The academy president chooses a chairperson to form a screening committee. Each committee member views at least 2/3 of the animated films which have been submitted to them - there are hoops to jump through just for submission, too, and all the producers and directors of each film must sign a paper agreeing to which one or two people will be nominated for their film, if chosen. All materials must be submitted to the committee by the end of October. The committee members view each film and give it a rating. Any film which scores above a certain number can be considered for nomination and up to five films can be nominated by the committee for all the Academy members to vote on. The number nominated each year is tied to the number of animated films released theatrically in Los Angeles County each year. With this process it's a wonder to me that any animated films are ever nominated. http://www.oscars.org/sites/default/files/87aa_rules.pdf
Boyhood was the most over-rated movie that I've ever seen. Patricia Arquette's performance was absolutely wooden. She was reciting her lines in some scenes before the scene actually started. If not for the 12 year time lapse twist, no one would have heard of this film. They introduced and exited characters with no follow up. It was like a poorly cut college film. I understand that the time lapse concept had never really been done before, but I'd argue that it still hasn't been done...well.
Characters come and go with no follow-up... much like real life in that way. I thought it was very good, if not best picture material. I tend to think all of that director's work has been overrated, though.
Agreed, wolf441. I was very underwhelmed with "Boyhood." It felt gimmicky, and there was no plot. It seems to be gathering steam, but I will be surpremely disappointed if it wins Best Picture.
Could not disagree with you guys any more. It wasn't just a film, it was a monumental achievement. And the experience of watching someone literally grow up right before my eyes left me in absolute wonder. Maybe it's the father in me (I have a son that's just a bit younger than the main character at the start of the film) that caused me to connect with it so much, but I've never thought a film so deserving of its hype than I do about this one.
An Oscar is an honor, bestowed upon a (usually) worthy recipient by his or her peers WITHIN the film industry. The voting members of the Academy must be nominated by two existing Academy members (in their respective field of expertise) to even be considered for admission into the Academy, unless they have been nominated for an Oscar themselves.
Once the nominations for each category have been decided (again, by their respective peer group of EXPERTS) they are voted on by Academy members from all disciplines to determine the winner, based on technical and artistic merit.
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.