Apple TV Given Its First Academy Award Nominations
The list of nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards was released yesterday, and it marks a weird moment for the Oscars, which is now celebrating twelve months of what was largely a dead zone for the industry. Theaters were shut down for most of 2020 and a lot of of them remain closed. Somehow, a full list of nominees was produced, but due to the consequence of nothing playing, it’s the most unfamiliar-to-non-critics list in a long time. The ceremony is destined to receive record low ratings…there just ain’t much buzz for something called “Mank.”
The pandemic DID open the door wider for a trend that had been building in previous years…streaming services moving in on traditional territory. Apple’s streaming service, for example, gained its first two nominations ever…one for Best Animated Feature, and one for Best Sound. They sent us a press release bragging about it.
We would say with one, they actually have a chance of winning (and it’s not Best Sound for Greyhound, though we’ve admittedly never heard it). Wolfwalkers, from the makers of Secret of Kells, has been praised by critics as one of the best new animated films this year. It’s too bad it’s, y’know, on Apple TV instead of a service everyone gets. Just saying.
In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the “Wolfwalkers” and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. “Wolfwalkers” is produced by Paul Young, Nora Twomey, Tomm Moore, and Stéphan Roelants. GKIDS serves as the theatrical distribution partner in North America. WildCard serves as the theatrical distributor for the film in the UK.
You probably didn’t see Wolfwalkers during its limited theatrical run — but there will be a second limited run in the near future. The movie will play once more at the Angelika Film Center in New York starting Friday, March 19, and additional theaters in other big cities will be added throughout March and April.