'WALL-E' deserves recognition

By Vinod Kamath

The announcement of this year's Oscar nominations last month generated heavy debate among film fans, largely because many favorites were clearly snubbed. Although many fans would argue that the biggest disappointment of the year was "The Dark Knight" not receiving a best picture nomination, I think it was Pixar's "WALL-E" that was most overlooked.

Many critics have agreed that "WALL-E" is Pixar's best film to date and a landmark in animated filmmaking. Yet it still was not considered as one of the best pictures of the year by the academy. This can most likely be attributed to the recent creation of the best animated feature category, which has served as a double-edged sword for many animated films.

In the 80-year history of the Academy Awards, only one animated film -- Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" -- has ever been nominated for the best picture award. In 2001, the academy created the best animated feature category, which finally gave animated films a solid chance of winning an Oscar.

Unfortunately, the creation of this category complicated matters by making it increasingly difficult for animated films to be recognized in any of the other major categories. Although a film can be nominated for both awards, this would most likely result in a splitting of the votes among academy members, which could result in a loss in both categories.

All animated films are essentially forced into this category. This includes Pixar's films, which consistently challenge people's notions of animated films as entertainment for children. This year, "WALL-E" gathered a record six nominations, including best original screenplay, but was still overlooked for the more prestigious best picture award.

For a film that lacks any major dialogue for the first hour and only has seven voice actors credited, "WALL-E" still manages to evoke a wide array of emotions. Watching the robot as he longs for someone to hold his hand after over 700 years of being virtually alone, the audience cannot help but feel heartbroken for WALL-E. The fact that Pixar is able to evoke such strong emotions proves that this is much more than just a children's cartoon.

While I do not necessarily believe "WALL-E" should definitely win best picture, I do think that it should have at least been recognized as one of 2008's best films. It easily stands up against best picture nominees like "Slumdog Millionaire," "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk" in terms of cinematic achievements.

Unfortunately, it seems that the best animated feature category will force "WALL-E" to be judged against the mediocrity of "Kung-Fu Panda" and "Bolt."

Vinod Kamath is a senior marketing major.