Why do you think Happy Feet beat out Cars for best animated picture at the Oscars?

Question

I thought Happy Feet was not very good. Cars was boring in spots, but I've had to watch it over and over again with my son, and I find something new to enjoy about it each time. Is it because Happy Feet was a "message" move? I thought Cars taught some good lessons, too, but Happy Feet might sympathize with the views of Academy voters better. What do you think?

Hmmmm, I don't see what was so groundbreaking about the animation in Happy Feet. People in motion capture suits has NEVER been done before? The creepy looking kids at the aquarium looked worse than the ones in the Polar Express! Penguins don't look that hard to animate compared to some things. Now, I'm not saying Cars was cutting edge animation, but I don't see how Happy Feet was better in this department.

Answer 1

Now that I'm over the initial shock, I can attempt to look at what might have motivated the Academy to choose "Happy Feet" over almost anything else (not to mention "Cars").

Getting past a razor thin story line and utterly unsympathetic characters is no easy task, but the quality of animation in "Happy Feet" at least makes a go of it. Seamless and technologically impressive without seeming technical, the film's landscapes and palate are groundbreaking. The animators deftly walked the line between virtual reality and art. That being said, the Academy might have presented a separate award for those noteworthy individual accomplishments, rather than robbing a more deserving project of the ultimate prize.

The Academy (and most humans, I might add) are commonly moved by the politics-of-the-moment when it comes to picking a winner, and "Feet" surely fits the bill. True enough, the film uses a sledgehammer touch to get it done, but the raising of public consciousness is a noble and very necessary task that cinema can carry out with unequaled speed and power. It's just that...hey, doesn't a story of such global magnitude deserve scriptwriting that matches it?

We could go on; the---what was it?---ten minutes of screen time the top-billed Robin Williams' character actually appears on-screen, about the wildly-annoying dancing scenes. But at the end of the day, the folks at PIXAR (who have regardless won their share of Oscars, etc.) already know the real score; they are arguably the best crew of writers, technicians, animators, producers, and filmmaking imaginations on the planet, who have hit a home run every time they stepped in the box. A box that they practically invented---and continue to perfect.

Answer 2

The Academy hates Pixar/Disney. They dont want the Animation catergory to become the what did Disney Mass Market this year. They for the most part look down on them... that they only make movies to make Cash at the Box Office.
Happy Feet was alright but Cars was much better. However Happy Feet was a bit more orginial as the Academy voters most likely thought of cars as nothing more than the Michael J. Fox movie Doc Hollywood done as a Animation.

Answer 3

The animation for Happy feet was beyond ground breaking. It also kept in theme with the conservation of planet earth. Many also believe that happy feet was about "free thinking". These are a few qualities that may have won its affection from the mainstream media.

Audiences just seem to like the high "Cute factor" involved with dancing penguins. Plus after the success of March of the Penguins, we were open to another penguin film. Which is why there were three more that followed ( Happy feet, surfs up and farce of the penguins.)

Answer 4

I liked Happy feet better than Cars, I dont know, maybe the fact that I'm a woman and I dont feel so good watching cars all over and over again???even in movies??
anyway, happy feet had this charisma, maybe because of the music and Mumble's dance. I personally enjoyed the little penguins, the ones Mumble finds when he walks away from home, they were hilarious..

Answer 5

I have no idea why Happy Feet won. Cars is by far one of the best animated movies I have seen in a long time. Happy Feet wasn't even remotely funny or entertaining.

Answer 6

Sign of the times....
One movie is celebrating and glorifying the automobile...another is connecting us to arctic life, which is threatened in a large part by years of use and abuse of the combustion engine!
Both were great movies, but it is the very real and no longer threat of Global Climate Change that will have an influence on even the Oscars! While Gore's movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' may mot make for the very best in entertainment, is a "must see" movie for every individual on the planet!
Times are indeed changing!
And on a side note...'The Departed'....best movie! Are you kidding me! Lots of cussin' and shootin'....yeah...ok?
How bout' 'Scorsese needs to win something!'

Answer 7

I believe that happy feet had alot more important lessons to teach kids because when you think about it cars was just based upon selfleshness and the value of friends. then happy feet was more of family values and accepting for who you are and the characters were a little more serious and warm to watch. So family beats friends. Plus it was a penguin movie and had robin williams in it.

Answer 8

I agree that the story in "Happy Feet" was not as strong. But I think it won for two reasons:

1. The animation was groundbreaking
2. They've given it to Pixar several times before and wanted to give it to someone else this time.

Answer 9

Yes, because the "message" in Happy Feet was about tolerance, which reflects the feeling of a lot of Academy members...
pro gay, pro illegal aliens, etc....

Answer 10

I didn't see either movie but I did hear that Happy Feet was not nearly as good as they expected it to be.