Makoto Shinkai’s hit anime film Your Name has failed to secure an Oscar nomination despite breaking a number of records.
As well overtaking Hayao Miyazaki’s classic Spirited Away to be the highest grossing anime film of all time, Your Name was also the first anime film not directed by Miyazaki to earn $100 million at the Japanese box office, sitting at the top spot for over nine weeks.
However, the Academy was not so impressed by the record-breaking anime film, denying it any Oscar nominations. The Academy has previously recognised anime films as Oscar-worthy, awarding Spirited Away with one for the Best Animated Feature in 2002.
This year, the five nominations for the Best Animated Feature category are as follows: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, The Red Turtle, and Zootopia.
Leaving out Your Name from the roster is disappointing to say the least, especially as Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There and The Tale of Princess Kaguya were nominated in 2016 and 2015 respectively.
Perhaps Your Name didn’t offer the technical razmataz that came with Moana’s and Zootopia‘s lavish CGI, but the Shinkai’s animation is effortlessly beautiful and certainly deserves a place in the final five. Having said that, the ‘cartoony’ effect that anime prides itself on may not be quite what the Academy is looking for in their quest for live-action cinema.
It’s hard to determine exactly why Your Name wasn’t deemed good enough for an Oscar nomination, despite its achievements in breaking records, but all that can be known is that the decision will upset many anime fans around the world.
If it’s any consolation, Studio Ghibli did lend its hand to the production of The Red Turtle, so at least Japanese cinema will be represented in some sort of fashion at this year’s Oscars.
