Pixar's classic animated film about a lonely robot left with the monumental task of cleaning up Earth after being completely trashed and abandoned, WALL-E was released into US theaters June 27, 2008. It's science fiction, action, and romance all rolled into one.
It is widely considered one of the best animated movies of all time. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, Boston Society of Film Critics Best Animated Film, BAFTA's Best Animated Film, a Saturn for Best Animated Film, two Grammys, and one Scream Award.
In 2021, WALL-E became the second Pixar film to be selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Walt Disney Studios and Pixar Animation released their classic feature Finding Nemo May 30, 2003. Albert Brooks (Marlin) and Ellen DeGeneres (Dory) provided the voices of the main characters as they go in search of Marlin's son Nemo.
It is one of the top rated movies ranked on imdb.com. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning Best Animated Feature, the first for Pixar. It was nominated for five Saturn Awards, winning Best Animated Film and Best Supporting Actress for Ellen DeGeneres.
Finding Nemo was the second highest-grossing film of 2003, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. But it beat The Matrix Reloaded to become the highest-grossing film of the 2003 summer season. It received overwhelming positive reviews.
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, a song from Disney's Song of the South, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 20th annual ceremony, held March 20, 1948. The song was written by Allie Wrubel (music) and Ray Gilbert (lyrics). James Baskett, who performed the song on screen, won an Honorary Academy Award for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus. That makes him the first African American man to win an Academy Award for acting.
Song of the South was also nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, but lost to Mother Wore Tights.
Bill Melendez, born November 15, 1918 in Sonora, Mexico, was a character animator, director, and producer. He worked for Walt Disney Productions, Warner Brothers, and UPA before working on the Peanuts animated series.
Although being born in Mexico, Melendez attended school in Douglas, Arizona and Chouinard Art Institute (now California Institute of the Arts). He started at Disney in 1938 where he worked on some of the classic movies: Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi.
In 1941, he went to Leon Schlesinger Productions (now Warner Bros Cartoons) where he worked on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. He was hired to do animated TV commercials in 1959, featuring characters from the comic strip Peanuts.
Charles Schulz trusted Melendez to turn the Peanuts into televisions specials. He worked on every single TV special for the Peanuts and directed most of them. He also provided the voices for Snoopy and Woodstock. The last special he worked on was He's a Bully, Charlie Brown in 2006.
He passed away in 2008 at the age of 91.
He won 7 Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Children's Program in 1966 for A Charlie Brown Christmas; Outstanding Children's Special in 1975 for Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus; Outstanding Children's Special in 1976 for You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown; Outstanding Individual Achievement - Animation Program in 1979 for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; Outstanding Animated Program in 1981 for Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown; Outstanding Animated Program in 1984 for Garfield on the Town; Outstanding Animated Program in 1987 for Cathy. He was nominated for 19 more Primetime Emmys. He was nominated for an Oscar and five Grammy Awards.
Walt Disney released its second full-length animated film Pinocchio February 23, 1940, after premieres in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Baltimore, and Washington DC in the weeks before. It was based on a children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is a story about a woodcarver Gepetto who cares a wooden puppet and hope that it might become a real boy.
I understand the novel is a bit darker than the movie. One example is Pinocchio killing Jiminy Cricket in the book, but not the movie.
It received critical acclaim, garnering a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it won two Academy Awards: Best Music, Original Score; and Best Music, Original Song for When You Wish Upon a Star. However, it was a box office bomb when it was released mainly due to the outbreak of WWII (which didn't start for the US until another year and a half?)
Eventually, it made a profit when it was re-released in 1945. It is considered on of the greatest animated films ever and in 1994, it was added to the National Film Registry.
Disney's animated take on Aladdin garnered two Golden Globes at the 50th celebration held January 23, 1993. Alan Menken won for Best Original Score and A Whole New World won Best Original Song, as performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle.
Aladdin was nominated for three more awards. It was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Two other songs from the soundtrack, Friend Like Me and Prince Ali, both sung by Robin Williams were nominated for Best Original Song.
I like those two songs much better than Whole New World, but I wasn't asked.
Uber-sexy actor Diego Luna, born December 29, 1979 in Mexico City, Mexico, has set the universe alive with his portrayal of Cassian Andor in Star Wars: Rogue One and then on Disney's Andor. He has won numerous awards from the Latin and Spanish communities, and has received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in Andor!
Walt Disney Studios released its fourth animated feature, Dumbo, across America October 31, 1941. It became a major hit with audiences, and gave the studio its first success after the failures of Pinocchio and Fantasia. It has come under fire for its racist stereotyping of African-Americans in recent years.
Despite that, Dumbo won an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. The song Baby Mine was nominated for Best Original Song. It also won Best Animation Design at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2017, Dumbo was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Disney's science-fiction masterpiece 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea won two Academy Awards at the 27th ceremony March 30, 1955. It won Best Art Direction, Color for John Meehan (Art Direction) and Emile Kuri (Set Decoration). It also won Best Special Effects.
It was nominated for Best Film Editing for Elmo Williams.
I think it is great that a horror favorite of mine Them! was also nominated for Best Special Effects.
Up, the heartwarming masterpiece from Disney Studios and Pixar an directed by Peter Docter, won two Academy Awards at the 92nd ceremony, held March 7, 2010. It won Best Animated Feature Film, and it also won Best Original Score for Michael Giacchino. Up was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Sound Editing.
The reboot of Star Trek won Best Makeup. It was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.
District 9 was nominated for four awards.
Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep were both nominated for Best Actress.
Disney's and Pixar's computer-animated masterpiece Up won the Grammy for the Best Original Score at the 52nd annual ceremony January 31, 2010. Composer Michael Giacchino was also nominated for his score for Star Trek.
His song from UpMarried Life won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition. His Up with End Credits was nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
The Lion King, another Disney animated masterpiece, won three Golden Globes at the 52nd ceremony January 21, 1995. It won for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. Hans Zimmer won for Best Original Score and Elton John won Best Original Song for Can you Feel the Love Tonight.
Disney's break-out animated masterpiece, The Little Mermaid, won two Golden Globe Awards at the 47th ceremony on January 20, 1990. Alan Menken won for Best Original Score. Under the Sea, written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman won Best Original Song.
It was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical but lost to Driving Miss Daisy.
Disney's blockbuster animated film Beauty and the Beast won three Golden Globe Awards at the 49th ceremony held January 18, 1992.
The movie won Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Best Original Score for Alan Menken, and Best Original Song for Beauty and the Beast performed by Peabo Byson and Celine Dion.
Be Our Guest was also nominated for Best Original Song for Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach.
Disney's and Pixar's culinary computer-animated comedy, Ratatouille, won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th annual awards ceremony, January 13, 2008. It has been voted one of the greatest motion pictures of the 21st century.
It was the second Golden Globe for director/producer/screenplay writer Brad Bird.
Wall-E, the animated feature film from Disney and Pixar, won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film at the 66th Awards January 11, 2009. It was also nominated for Best Original Song for Down to Earth by Peter Gabriel, but that award went to Bruce Springsteen.
Wall-E won numerous other awards for animation and is considered the best film of 2008.
Coco, the animated feature from Disney and Pixar, won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film at the 75th ceremony January 7, 2018. It was nominated for Best Original song. It won two Academy Awards. For me, it is one of the best movies ever, in the same company as Wall-E and Up.
The long-awaited sequel to Tron, TRON: Legacy, was released December 17, 2010. I enjoyed Tron and I was not disappointed by its sequel. Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles as Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley, respectively.
Although it opened to mixed reviews, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. It won two Saturn Awards: Best Production Design and Jeff Bridges won for Best Actor.
Daft Punk, the French duo who composed the score, won an Austin Film Critics Association award for Best Original Score.
The Incredibles, released November 5, 2004, is an award-winning animated film from Pixar and Disney. It follows a family of superheroes, trying to live incognito in suburbia, but are called back in action to save the world. It starred Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson and Holly Hunter.
It won two Academy Awards: Best Achievement in Sound Editing and Best Animated Feature Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.
Cinematic powerhouse Jon Favreau, born October 19, 1966 in Queens, New York, is a producer, director and actor. He is the executive producer for all three Iron Man movies, and three of the Avengers movies, Age of Ultron, Infinity War and Endgame.
He directed the first two Iron Man movies.
He has appeared in six movies as Tony Stark's chauffeur Happy Hogan.
Favreau won a Saturn Award (Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films) for Best Director for Iron Man. He has also been recognized for his work on the Disney Star Wars production of The Mandalorian.
