Jun 26, 2014

Hayao Miyazaki will again refuse the invitation of the Academy-

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the stodgy group of film industry workers who hand out the Oscars, has revealed a list of the 271 people it has invited to become members of its organization this year. Among that group are 27 people in the short film and feature animation branch, and 19 artists in the visual effects branch. The new members were chosen from applications submitted by existing members, who can each sponsor one new candidate per year.

The most notable animation-related invitation of this year is Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki. He was invited on at least one prior occasion-in 2006-to become a member. To his great credit, Miyazaki rejected the invitation.

Miyazaki's stance makes sense when you think about it. He is indisputably the most revered animation filmmaker of the modern era. He's achieved that distinction by retaining a singular sense of self and rejecting the groupthink attitudes of industry filmmaking. At this point in his career, what would he have to gain by joining an old boys' network of commercial filmmakers whose general membership doesn't give a shit about feature animation and whose animation branch remains woefully clueless about new developments in contemporary short-form animation-

We'll have to wait until September to find out whether Miyazaki will join the organization that snubbed his final feature film, The Wind Rises, in favor of Frozen. Below is a list of all the invitees in the animation and visual effects branches:

SHORT FILMS AND FEATURE ANIMATION Didier Brunner – Ernest & Celestine, The Triplets of Belleville Scott Clark – Monsters University, Up Pierre Coffin – Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me Esteban Crespo – Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me), Lala Peter Del Vecho – Frozen, The Princess and the Frog Kirk DeMicco – The Croods, Space Chimps Doug Frankel – Brave, WALL-E Mark Gill – The Voorman Problem, Full Time David A. S. James – Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Megamind Fabrice Joubert – Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, French Roast Jean-Claude Kalache – Up, Cars Jason Katz – Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo Jennifer Lee – Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph Baldwin Li – The Voorman Problem, Full Time Nathan Loofbourrow – Puss in Boots, How to Train Your Dragon Lauren MacMullan – Get a Horse!, Wreck-It Ralph Tom McGrath – Megamind, Madagascar Dorothy McKim – Get a Horse!, Meet the Robinsons Hayao Miyazaki – The Wind Rises, Spirited Away Ricky Nierva – Monsters University, Up Chris Renaud – Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me Benjamin Renner – Ernest & Celestine, A Mouse's Tale (La Queue de la Souris) Michael Rose – Chico & Rita, The Gruffalo Toshio Suzuki – The Wind Rises, Howl's Moving Castle Selma Vilhunen – Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitta- (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything-), The Crossroads Anders Walter – Helium, 9 Meter Laurent Witz – Mr. Hublot, Renart the Fox

VISUAL EFFECTS Gary Brozenich – The Lone Ranger, Wrath of the Titans Everett Burrell – Grudge Match, Pan's Labyrinth Marc Chu – Noah, Marvel's The Avengers David Fletcher – Sabotage, Prisoners Swen Gillberg – Ender's Game, Jack the Giant Slayer Paul Graff – The Wolf of Wall Street, Identity Thief Alex Henning – Star Trek Into Darkness, Hugo Evan Jacobs – Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Olympus Has Fallen Chris Lawrence – Edge of Tomorrow, Gravity Eric Leven – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Steven Messing – Godzilla, Oz The Great and Powerful Ben Matthew Morris – Lincoln, The Golden Compass Jake Morrison – Thor: The Dark World, Marvel's The Avengers Eric Reynolds – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire David Shirk – Gravity, Elysium Patrick Tubach – Star Trek Into Darkness, Marvel's The Avengers Bruno Van Zeebroeck – Lone Survivor, Public Enemies Tim Webber – Gravity, The Dark Knight Harold Weed – G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Star Trek