Oscar Watch: 'How To Train Your Dragon' is first out of the gate for Best Picture
It's not a screener, but DreamWorks ain't conceding to 'Toy Story 3' yet
Hiccup and Toothless aren't giving up yet.
It's only the first of September, but coinciding with the beginning of the Venice Film Festival, one Hollywood studio has already taken the first shot in what will no doubt be a long and grueling awards season war. Happily, it's one contender this pundit is not-so secretly gunning for.
It's not a stretch to say that "How To Train Your Dragon" is hands down the best film DreamWorks Animation has ever released. That's not only evident by the critical reviews, but the film's amazing word of mouth performance after a not-so spectacular opening. Unfortunately, while "Dragon" was a huge success, this little film called "Toy Story 3" hit the scene a few months later and has stolen a lot of the heartwarming tale's thunder. While it's easy to see why "TS3" appeals to many, the increasingly predictable Pixar formula is at least losing its luster with this writer. "Dragon," on the other hand, was the more original and visually inventive of the two 3-D films. Unfortunately, Hiccup and Toothless are underdogs once again. Woody and Buzz Lightyear found $1 billion worldwide and are gunning for not only a best animated picture win, but an overall best picture nod. Thankfully, DreamWorks isn't standing pat.
Today, the studio sent out a mailer inviting industry professionals to see "Dragon" in 3-D again in screenings in key markets (we're keeping that private for all you gate crashers). The invite features beautiful art by Pierre-Oliver Vincent and reminds potential voters about this "thrilling," "magical" and "heartwarming" adventure." Oh, and while listing all the possible nominees in different categories, the studio has no qualms about trying to fill one of the ten best picture slots themselves. Who can argue with that?
Next up? Who throws down the bucks for the first screener. We're guessing "Winter's Bone," "I Am Love" or "The Kids Are All Right." Place your bets…
[And apologies for the iPhone quality photos of the pamphlet below.]
News From Our Partners
-
'Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2': Edward, Bella And Jacob Character Posters (PHOTOS)
Russell Crowe, Elvis Costello, Sing Elvis Presley And Johnny Cash In London
'Men In Black 3' Unscripted: Josh Brolin Doesn't Know Will Smith's Song 'Summertime'
-
Critics Consensus: Men in Black III Is Solid Fun
Five Favorite Films with Director-Producer Oren Peli
Cannes 2012: Critics Scorecard
-
'Dark Knight Rises' TV Spots: A Lighter Side Of Batman
Emma Stone Nabs First 'MTV Trailblazer Award'
One Direction Hit 'MIB 3' Premiere Armed With Toy Guns
-
Gateways To Geekery: There’s more to Russ Meyer’s films than breasts, though those are pretty important
Interview: Men In Black 3 director Barry Sonnenfeld on creating character and managing 3-D
The Walkthrough: 30 Rock showrunner Robert Carlock walks us through some recent series highlights
-
The Dandy Warhols Celebrate 18 Years Together
Lady Gaga Turns Yellow For The Simpsons
Dance Music Vocalist Susana Releasing New Album
-
The Telefile - Today's TWoP News: Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Telefile - Modern Family: Best Lines of the Season 3 Finale
The Telefile - Today's TWoP News: Wednesday, May 23, 2012
-
Brandi Glanville Claims She Hooked Up With Gerard Butler
Charlie Sheen Talks Ladies – Onscreen & Off
Jonah Hill ‘Overwhelmed’ By ‘Moneyball’ Supporting Actor Nomination
-
Catherine McKenzie: The Bachelorette Games
'Idol' Continues Downward Ratings Spiral
'Idol' Winner Inspires Nation After Enduring 8 Surgeries During Season
About This Blog
With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios, launched the Hollywood Hitlist on MSN Movies and revamped The Envelope for the 07-08 season. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing on the basketball court. And even at his advanced age, can still hit a clutch 3 and keep up with those youngin's on the defensive end.
Get Instant Alerts on Awards Campaign
Latest Posts
-
What secrets lie in the city of three rivers?Thursday, May 24, 2012
-
Breakout Quvenzhané Wallis ventures out of the bathtubWednesday, May 23, 2012
-
Gallery: The most luxuriously opulent images from trailerWednesday, May 23, 2012
-
If there was one movie to see at Cannes...Monday, May 21, 2012
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupJefL713
September 1, 2010 at 10:10PM EST Reply to Commentthanks for the analysis armond white... but the only "increasingly predictable" thing about pixar films is you know it's going to be great no matter what...
nerd17
September 1, 2010 at 10:28PM EST Reply to CommentI agree that "Dragon" was a great film and deserves some recognition, but it's only as fresh as an imitation of Pixar's films can be. Indeed, the main reason "Dragon" has been regarded as superior to Dreamworks Animation's other efforts is because "Dragon" is more like a Pixar film than its Dreamworks predecessors.
DP In what way is "Dragon" an "imitation" of Pixar? Last I checked, Pixar doesn't have an eternal monopoly on quality storytelling.
September 1, 2010 at 11:16PM ESTAngie Yes, and furthermore, the magic of "Dragon" is in it's film making, which tops that of any Pixar film I've seen. During "Toy Story 3" it was clear to see the cartoony atmosphere in the movie, with the lighting and bright coloring, while in "Dragon" I had to stop at times and remind myself that the movie was animated. The creators even consulted film makers for camera angles and lighting so that it made it seem even more real. And the sheer storytelling of "Dragon" is fantastic, with wonderful foil characters and great parallelism in different scenes of the movie. Like the article said, the unfortunate side is that Dragon wasn't as popular. I walked into the theater thinking it was going to be an okay movie, but I left marveling at how amazing it was.
November 28, 2010 at 2:29PM ESTImitation of Pixar? Ha! I was very pleased with the fact that Dream Works dodged the use of talking animals or mundane objects like cars and toys to create this film.
September 1, 2010 at 11:16PM EST Reply to CommentI know how you much you love this film, and that's why I am gonna see it soon.
Unfortunately, it didn't hit theaters where I live, so I'll have to make do with the Blu-Ray. So just tell me this, did 3D make a lot of difference to the film-viewing experience? Will 2D be just as good?
September 2, 2010 at 12:36AM ESTKim
September 2, 2010 at 8:57AM EST Reply to CommentI am gunning for John Powell's amazing score... Jig brilliance.
Josh
September 2, 2010 at 10:17AM EST Reply to CommentI know it's how you were taught (I learned to write the same way), but every time I read "this pundit" or "this writer," it's distracting enough to take me completely out of the article. You're writing for the web now - that means it's okay to use "I," "me" and "my."
I've heard tons of great things about "Dragon," but I missed it while it was in theaters. That being said, the article comes across like you're just dying to be the guy who gets credit for starting the inevitable Pixar backlash.