Feb 19, 2019

Disney's Twitter Oscar campaign for "Incredibles 2" did not go as planned

The people who hang out on Twitter are not the same people who vote for the Academy Awards. If that wasn't clear to the Walt Disney Company before, it's certainly something they know after trying to use the social media platform last weekend to promote The Incredibles 2 for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

That Oscar category has belonged to the Disney Company for the last six years in a row, and 10 out of the last 11 years, so it's no surprise that they'd want to continue that streak with a win for Incredibles 2. Why they're using Twitter is another question though. No doubt the studio has already spent a significant chunk of change on “for your consideration” advertising in the form of trade publication ads, film website banners, and events for Academy voters. Still, Twitter is free so why not do a couple of FYC Incredibles 2 tweets with positive quotes from film critics- Here's why you don't do it:

Within hours of posting these messsages from Pixar's official Twitter account, the tweets were overrun by fans of Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, many of whom simply chose to post this animated GIF of a dazed and confused Spidey:

It's hard to know just how many people posted the GIF, but with 18,000-plus responses to the first Disney tweet, it's safe to assume that thousands of people participated in the Disney trolling. A handy term exists for what happened: in the Twitterverse, a tweet that receives far more comments than retweets is considered “ratioed,” and Disney achieved that ignominious metric with these campaigning efforts.

What's interesting here is that the genuine passion and enthusiasm for Spider-Verse seems to be coupled with a lingering dread about the film's chances with Academy voters. Even though the film is the clear frontrunner and has already been honored dozens of times this award season, including with a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and numerous Annies and VES awards, its Oscar chances remain questionable.

That's because many Academy voters (i.e. the live-action film industry) have a strong disdain for animated films and refuse to treat animation with the same dignity and respect as they do live-action filmmaking. Some Academy voters have even admitted in the past that they don't bother to watch the animated nominees, simply checking off whatever Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar film happens to be nominated that year.

While that explains why Disney Company films win year in and year out, it doesn't alleviate the concerns of animation fans who want to see a good-faith attempt by Academy members to honor animation filmmaking.

Whatever happens this year, it's not in the hands of Twitter users. It's up to Academy voters, and Oscar voting closes Tuesday at 5pm PST. We'll find out what the voters chose this Sunday during the presentation of the 91st Academy Awards.