I know, I know, this is my third consecutive post on movies, and the next one is likely to be about movies, too. Little obsessed with them lately. We’ll get back to exciting media corporate mergers soon, I promise!
Why representation matters – You can’t cover a culture with one movie.
Really interesting thread on diversity and inclusion in the movies – in this case – Asian American/Canadian… One movie can’t carry the load of a whole culture. We need little movies like The Farewell and big movies like Ten Rings.
I love Crazy Rich Asians by the way. But there was so much pressure riding on that movie to be successful, because it felt like it was *the only one* to represent the Asian American voice, when the truth is we need MANY of them. We also need The Farewell. We also need Shang-Chi.
— kevin l. lee (@Klee_FilmReview) April 11, 2022
Films with "diversity" and "representation" cannot just be a one time thing. We can't put that responsibility on ONE movie, it's impossible. It's not about making that one movie and banking on it to succeed. You need to actually create a SPACE for OUR stories to grow and thrive!
— kevin l. lee (@Klee_FilmReview) April 11, 2022
Before Crazy Rich Asians, the last time a large production featured a mostly Asian cast was in 1993. That's 25 years, guys.
Now, we have an Asian MCU movie, a Chinese woman winning the Oscar, an Asian Pixar movie, and bold films like EEAAO. That is progress, guys. I'm thankful.
— kevin l. lee (@Klee_FilmReview) April 11, 2022
Disney turns Nimona loose to Netflix for completion.
Nimona has been rescued from Disney’s shutdown of Blue Sky Studios and has found a new home at Netflix. (Blue Sky was an edgier animation studio that belonged to Fox before Disney bought the studio out.) I know nothing about it other than everyone on Animation Twitter has been going nuts about it. As for me – I’m excited based on this one frame that is circulating.
Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop. She’s a fighter…but she’s also got some really awesome people fighting for her. I am excited out of my mind to announce that THE NIMONA MOVIE IS ALIVE…coming at you in 2023 from Annapurna and Netflix 🤘 pic.twitter.com/wEZuM2sXTt
— ND Stevenson (@Gingerhazing) April 11, 2022
One last commentary on how Oscar mistreated animation (again) this year.
I’m not complaining about the winners. While Encanto might not have been my first choice, it was a worthy winner for best feature animation. And The Windshield Wiper’s mediation on love was a great choice for short animation.
What bothered me was how the animation presenters mocked the genre they were supposed to be honoring. Here’s a great post about Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Mitchells vs. the Machines) on how Hollywood could treat animation right.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller: Hollywood Should Elevate, Not Diminish Animation (Guest Column) https://t.co/adYtGbbwXs
— Variety (@Variety) April 6, 2022
And finally… here’s Oscar-winning animated short The Windshield Wiper
