Family friendly options: Happy Feet, Ratatouille and The Horse with the Flying Tail by Disney

5/25/18 Happy Feet, Best Animated Feature, 2006

In the early days of the Best Animated Feature Oscar, it was first awarded in 2001, there wasn't a lot of great competition, often the category only had three films. Happy Feet is a cute movie, with an ecological message that resonates even more today, but I didn't think it was the best animated film. Flushed Away, Open Season and Over the Hedge weren't even nominated. George Miller (Mad Max movies) directed Nicole Kidman (Norma Jean), Hugh Jackman (Memphis), Brittany Murphy (Gloria), Elijah Wood (Mumble) and Robin Williams in a variety of roles in this look at emperor penguins and their fellow inhabitants in Antarctica. Mumble is the offspring of Norma Jean and Memphis, and unlike his parents and fellow penguins, he can't sing, however, he can dance (actually, Savion Glover can dance as he provided the motion capture for Mumble). Unfortunately, his dancing makes him a bit of an outcast and takes him on a journey to meet leopard seals, skuas and other types of penguins, and also to discover that there were big machines out there destroying their home. Mumble is captured by humans and put in an aquarium when scientists think he is trying to tell them something, and they release him back to his family, but with a tracking device attached. And, unlike in the real world, the humans listened and stopped their drilling and digging and started to care about the environment.

5/26/18 The Horse with the Flying Tail, Best Documentary, 1960

Documentaries have come a long way since Disney's The Horse with the Flying Tail won in 1960, going up against only one other film, Rebel in Paradise about Paul Gaugin. Nautical, a Palomino, was a spirited horse who was a great jumper, when he wasn't being obstinate. The documentary traces his life as a ranch horse, then to various owners until he finally found an owner and trainer who could motivate him to be successful. He was part of the equestrian team that won the gold at the 1959 Pan Am Games. He had a habit of raising his tail when he would make a good jump. I don't know for sure, but I seriously doubt, that the film was shot in real time. How would they know that he would become a gold medal winner. I'm not sure it would hold up to today's documentaries but if you like horses, it was okay.

5/27/18 Ratatouille, Best Animated Feature, 2007

The first time around I wasn't really interested, I'm not even sure why I watched it, except it was pretty popular. This second time, over ten years later, I was interested and actually enjoyed it. Maybe I was thinking of my trip last year to Paris (no cooking rats, I'm afraid), or maybe I got over whatever was bugging me at the time. Brad Bird (The Incredibles) directed and Patton Oswalt voices Remy, a French rat who loves to cook and has a taste for the finer things, much to the dismay of his father (Brian Dennehy). Remy winds up in Paris, with the ghost of his inspiration, Chef August Gusteau (Brad Garrett), a welcome, if unexpected, presence. Garbage boy Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano) and Remy team up, with Alfredo the hands and Remy the brains behind delicious and innovative cuisine. Linguini's success is more than a nuisance to Gusteau's right hand, Skinner (Ian Holm) who has plans for a line of frozen foods and other ways to capitalize on Gusteau's legacy. Linguini and Remy unintentionally foil Skinner's plans. There are several other actors who make appearances, Janeane Garofolo as Colette, one of the cooks and Linguini's love interest; Will Arnett as Horst the sous chef; and Peter O'Toole as the deliciously evil-intentioned food critic, Anton Ego. Sometimes movies do get better the second time around.