Dec 12, 2022

Masaaki Yuasa's "The Dog King" Surprises with Golden Globe Nomination

The nominees for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards in the animation category were what many had expected.

The inclusion of "The Dog King" among the nominees is certainly a surprise, but a welcome one. Since its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2021, Masaaki Yuasa's film has been dazzling audiences and juries at festivals around the world, earning it a notable honor for an animated film. (It is also the first time an animated film has been nominated since "Mirai Mirai" in 2019, and only the second time since the Globes added this award in 2007.)

Disney, which was the only U.S. studio to be nominated in the animated feature category at the Golden Globes last year, is nominated again this year for Turning Red. While other Disney and Pixar films that have been released theatrically have flopped at the box office and with critics and audiences alike, this film, despite its limited release, is the most well-received Disney film of 2022. It is hardly a surprise that "Turning Red" is nominated today, and it seems certain that it will be recognized at the Academy Awards, where Disney films are often disproportionately appreciated. [Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" seems inevitable to be nominated here and at any other awards ceremony. The film was also recognized for its music, with nominations for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Ciao Papa"). Del Toro added a hyphen to his title for "Pinocchio" by writing the lyrics to "Ciao Papa." He discussed the songwriting process and much more in a video interview with Cartoon Brew's exclusive online event partner, INBTWN Animation.

"Crustacean Marcel Wise Shoes On" is a strong contender for the award and is getting stronger as the season progresses. Last week, the stop-motion/live-action hybrid won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature, a barometer for later awards success. It was also named best animated feature of the year by the National Board of Review and won the Saturn Award for best animated feature. For distributor A24, this was its first Golden Globe nomination in the animated feature category.

"Puss in Boots": "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," which scored big with critics as well as U.S. audiences at special screenings, won the award before it was released in U.S. theaters. Universal is on track to become the highest grossing animation distributor in 2022, and always felt that at least one of its films deserved to be loved during awards season. Bad Guys and Minions: also, Puss in Boots is sure to follow suit with an impressive opening weekend of $8.9 million in just 24 international territories.

This year's Golden Globe Awards, the 80th, will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock. The scandal-plagued awards were not broadcast last year. Traditionally, the awards have been held on a Sunday, but this year the date has been changed to Tuesday, January 10, 2023.