Tag: Howl’s Moving Castle

Oscar Predictions – Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl

Inventor Wallace and his canine pal Gromit are no strangers to the Academy Awards. Two of their tales (1994’s Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and 1996’s A Close Shave) won the Oscar for Best Animated Film while 2010’s A Matter of Loaf and Death was nominated. 2005’s feature-length The Curse of the Were-Rabbit took home gold for Animated Feature, beating out Corpse Bride and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Nearly 20 years after the previous long form Wallace pic, Vengeance Most Fowl premiered at AFI Fest and will stream on Netflix beginning January 3rd. A limited December theatrical bow makes it Academy eligible. Early reviews are strong with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and 82 on Metacritic. Nick Park (the legendary animator who created the W + G flicks in addition to Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep) and Merlin Crossingham co-direct. Voiceover work comes from Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Reece Shearsmith, and Lauren Patel.

I’ve had this ranked fourth or fifth in my Animated Feature rankings for months and don’t see that changing after the initial reaction. I would put it behind The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, and Memoir of a Snail in terms of victory possibility. While it’s no guarantee it makes the final cut, the past history indicates its chances are quite strong. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

The Boy and the Heron Box Office Prediction

Blogger’s Update (12/06): It appears The Boy and the Heron is opening on approximately 2100 screens. That is more than I assumed and my estimate rises from $3.8 million to $8 million

Legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle acclaim) came out of retirement to make The Boy and the Heron. It flies into North American venues on December 8th after robust business overseas. Unsurprisingly, critics are lauding it (97% RT score) as it might battle Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at the Oscars. The fantasy arrives with a dubbed version for stateside crowds featuring the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.

After debuting in Japan over the summer and expanding to other nations, it has made $83 million thus far. GKIDS is handling North American distribution and it is said to have the widest release in the studio’s history. That said, I’ve yet to see a theater count and that could alter my projection.

Miyazaki is a bigger draw elsewhere, but he certainly has his ardent fans here. Again, depending on the count, I can’t see this getting below $3 million. Earning over $5 million could be a chore.

The Boy and the Heron opening weekend prediction: $8 million

Oscar Predictions: The Boy and the Heron

Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki is a legendary figure in his field and the 82-year-old announced his retirement a decade ago with The Wind Rises. He even picked up an honorary Academy Award in 2014 based on his body of work which includes classics like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke.

The Best Animated Feature race at the Oscars didn’t begin until 2001 so those aforementioned titles weren’t in the mix. In 2002, Miyazaki’s Spirited Away won the category’s second prize. Howl’s Moving Castle was nominated in 2005 and The Wind Rises contended in 2013 (the planned career capper losing to Frozen).

Retirement was interrupted by the filmmaker with The Boy and the Heron (titled How Do You Live? in Japan) and it is the premiere title at the Toronto Film Festival. The Studio Ghibli production came out in its native country in July and will be out domestically on December 8th.

Early stateside reviews, unsurprisingly, have resulted in a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Heron should absolutely nab a spot in the five hopefuls in the animated competition. However, don’t expect it to ever fly past the #2 position. That’s because box office behemoth and critical darling Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse remains firmly perched in first. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…