In The Mind Of Mr.Bee Episode The 97th Oscars Recap

Best Animated Feature 2025 Oscar Race

Hello and welcome,

The Oscars are tonight 

I know my awards season coverage has been… well, nonexistent on all of my platforms this year because, quite frankly, there are things in my life just a little bit more important than talking about Hollywood patting themselves on the back (I know I wish it weren't so)

 Nonetheless, I, of course, can't let the Oscars happen without giving you my thoughts on what will win this Sunday (or, more accurately, who I think will win). 

As what has become a tradition, this blog is dedicated to only one category: Best Animated Feature. However, if you want to know my predictions for all 23 categories, check out my new episode of “In The Mind of Mr. Bee”. 

 This year, the Best Animated Feature category for most of the season looked like it was between 2 movies, but late in the season, a 3rd is now in play. With the other two, the only hope of winning is a few highly unlikely scenarios that are worth going into.

As I have done before, I will talk about the movies from least likely to win to the most probable winner. With that out of the way, let’s begin: 

Memoir of a Snail  

To be honest, if this was the only Independent film in the race, it would have had a real hope of winning, but because you also have “Flow” in the race, it's being overshadowed. Unfortunately, it is doomed to “always be the bridesmaid never the bride”. 

Inside Out 2

One thing I have learned in all my years following and covering the Oscars is that it’s not wise to bet against Pixar. Out of the 23 years that this award has been presented, they have won 11, but I don't think Pixar will add a 12th Oscar to their shelf (at least not this year).  The movie seems to be nominated everywhere but without a lot of wins. At the Annies, it received 7 nominations however, it won nothing. The Disney+ spin-off show “Dream Productions” somehow did better by winning 2 (which got to make for some awkward conversations at the Pixar water cooler). Another problem for “Inside Out 2”  is that unless your name is “Toy Story”, the Academy does not like sequels,

The odds are just not in Inside Out 2's favor. 

Flow 

“Flow” is the little movie that could. It was a big upset at the Golden Globes, and it won 2 Annie’s, 2 for Writing (which is amazing for a movie with no dialogue) and Best Feature-Independent at the Annies. The Best Feature-Independent at the Annies has only been around for about 10  years and has yet to be a predictor for this Oscar, but there is a first time for everything. It also won a lot of critics' awards, but critics and whoever votes for the Golden Globes do not vote for the Oscars. It also failed to win any industry awards (except for Annies), like the PGA and BAFTA. However, to be fair, “Flow” is also nominated for Best International Film, and because of that, “Flow” still has a very good chance at taking the “little gold man”.  

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 

 

1st off, the Academy seems to really like Wallace & Gromit. Back in the 90s, 2 out of the 1st 3 Wallace & Gromit shorts won Best Animated Short, and oh, by the way, the other one was nominated. On a side note, the short that won instead was “Creature Comforts”, which was also by Nick Park. In the 2000’s the 1st Wallace & Gromit movie “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” won in this category, and the last short “A Matter of Loaf and Death” was nominated. However, with of all that said, there are 2 problems with this line of thinking: #1 the Academy now is lot different from the Academy in the 90’s and 2000’s; and #2 as I said before unless your name is “Toy Story”, the Academy does not like sequels. So you may be asking, why do you have it at #2?  Well, it won 2 BAFTAs, Many people are writing it off as just a British movie winning at a British awards show, but I am not because it’s the only movie here other than “The Wild Robot” to win any industry awards 

The Wild Robot 

I am 75%  sure that this will win first off because it completely stole the Annies by winning every category that it was nominated in. For the 23 years that the academy has had a Best Animated Feature category, the Oscars and the Annies have only split 7 times, but splits have become a lot more common with 3 in the last 5 years. However, it has also won Critics' Choice and PGA. That's why I think it will win. But of course, there is still room for an upset, so we need to wait and see.

I have seen 3 out of 5 of the nominated movies, and if I were voting, honestly, I'm tied between “The Wild Robot” and “ Inside Out 2”. I am not sure who I would vote for; both are amazing movies that you should watch. However, the academy still has not invited me to join (how rude of them)!

Enjoy the Oscars tonight!

Goodnight and Bee Happy!™

Mr. Bee