Editing Academy Awards (section)

=== Remarks about animated films as children's genre ===
At the [[94th Academy Awards]] in 2022, the award for the Best Animated Feature was presented by three actresses who portrayed Disney princess characters in [[List of remakes and adaptations of Disney animated films|live-action remakes]] of their respective animated films: [[Lily James]] (''[[Cinderella (2015 American film)|Cinderella]]''), [[Naomi Scott]] (''[[Aladdin (2019 film)|Aladdin]]''), and [[Halle Bailey]] (''[[The Little Mermaid (2023 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''{{--)}}. While introducing the category, Bailey stated that animated films are "formative experiences as kids who watch them," as James put it, "So many kids watch these movies over and over, over and over again." Scott added: "I see some parents who know exactly what we're talking about."<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rmiq2PPQDg|title='Encanto' Wins Best Animated Feature Film &#124; 94th Oscars|date=April 28, 2022|publisher=Oscars|type=Award show|via=YouTube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509140640/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rmiq2PPQDg |archive-date=May 9, 2023}}</ref> The remarks were heavily criticized by [[animation]] enthusiasts and those working in the industry as infantilizing the medium and perpetuating the stigma that animated works are [[Children's film|strictly for children]], especially since the industry was credited with sustaining the flow of [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] content and revenue during the height of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. [[Phil Lord and Christopher Miller|Phil Lord]], co-producer of one of the nominated films, ''[[The Mitchells vs. the Machines]]'', tweeted that it was "super cool to position animation as something that kids watch and adults have to endure." The film's official social media accounts responded to the joke with an image reading: "Animation is cinema."<ref>{{cite web |last=Fuster |first=Jeremy |date=March 27, 2022 |title=Phil Lord and Hollywood's Animators Slam Oscars for 'Belittling' Animation Categories |url=https://www.thewrap.com/oscars-new-deal-for-animation/ |access-date=March 29, 2022 |work=[[TheWrap]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |number=1508481868479361026 |user=MitchellsMovie |title=*taps sign*}}</ref> A week later, Lord and his producing partner [[Phil Lord and Christopher Miller|Christopher Miller]] wrote a guest column in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' criticizing the Academy for the joke and how Hollywood has treated animation, writing that "no one set out to diminish animated films, but it's high time we set out to elevate them." They also suggested to the Academy that the category should be presented by a filmmaker who respects the art of animation as cinema.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lord |first1=Phil |last2=Miller |first2=Chris |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Phil Lord and Chris Miller: Hollywood Should Elevate, Not Diminish Animation (Guest Column) |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/phil-lord-christopher-miller-animation-oscars-1235225442/ |access-date=April 6, 2022 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Adding to the controversy was that the award for [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film|Best Animated Short Film]] (the nominees for which were mostly made up of shorts not aimed at children) was one of the [[94th Academy Awards#Effort to shorten the ceremony|eight categories]] that were not presented during the live broadcast.<ref name="Cartoon Brew">{{cite web |last=Amidi |first=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi |date=March 27, 2022 |title=During the Biggest Oscar Trainwreck in History, 'Encanto' and 'The Windshield Wiper' Won Oscars (Commentary) |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/during-the-biggest-oscar-trainwreck-in-history-encanto-and-the-windshield-wiper-won-oscars-commentary-214531.html |access-date=March 29, 2022 |publisher=[[Cartoon Brew]]}}</ref> The winner for the Best Animated Short award was ''[[The Windshield Wiper]]'', a multilingual Spanish-American film which is [[Adult animation|adult animated]], while another nominee in three categories: Best Animated Feature, [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film|Best Documentary Feature Film]], and [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best International Feature Film]], was ''[[Flee (film)|Flee]]'', a PG-13 rated animated documentary about an Afghan refugee. [[Alberto Mielgo]], director of ''The Windshield Wiper'', later gave an acceptance speech for the Oscar: "Animation is an art that includes every single art that you can imagine. Animation for adults is a fact. It's happening. Let's call it cinema. I'm very honored because this is just the beginning of what we can do with animation."<ref name="Cartoon Brew"/> Some speculations suggested that the speech played a role in the decision not to broadcast the award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Wake Up, Oscars: Animation isn't just for kids |url=https://mashable.com/article/animation-oscars-2022-joke-phil-lord |website=Mashable |language=en-US}}</ref>

Another factor is that numerous animated films have been made for mature audiences or with ranges of PG-13 or more, with a few of them—''[[The Triplets of Belleville]]'', ''[[Persepolis (film)|Persepolis]]'', ''[[Chico and Rita]]'', ''[[The Wind Rises]]'', ''[[Anomalisa]]'', ''[[My Life as a Courgette]]'', ''[[The Breadwinner (film)|The Breadwinner]]'', ''[[Loving Vincent]]'', ''[[Isle of Dogs (film)|Isle of Dogs]]'', ''[[I Lost My Body]]'', ''[[Flee (film)|Flee]]'', and ''[[Memoir of a Snail]]''—having been nominated in this category, with ''[[The Boy and the Heron]]'' being the first adult animated film (in this case, PG-13-rated) to win in the [[96th Academy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Belen |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Wake Up, Oscars: Animation isn't just for kids |url=https://mashable.com/article/animation-oscars-2022-joke-phil-lord |access-date=April 18, 2022 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amini |first=Amid |author-link=Amid Amidi |date=March 10, 2024 |title='Boy and the Heron' is the First Hand-Drawn Animated Feature to Win Oscar in 21 Years |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/boy-and-the-heron-is-the-first-hand-drawn-animated-feature-to-win-oscar-in-21-years-238916.html |access-date=March 11, 2024 |website=Cartoon Brew}}</ref>

These comments came as ''#NewDeal4Animation'', a movement of animation workers demanding equal pay, treatment and recognition alongside their contemporaries working in live-action, was picking up momentum during negotiations for a new contract between [[The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839]]/[[SAG-AFTRA]] and the [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Robb |first=David |date=March 29, 2022 |title=Contract Talks Coming Down to the Wire for SAG-AFTRA & the Animation Guild |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/contract-talks-sag-aftra-animation-guild-1234990317/ |access-date=March 30, 2022 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> and the presentation is being used to rally the movement.

During the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, host [[Jimmy Kimmel]] said: "Please raise your hand if you let your kid fill out this part of the ballot." These remarks would again prompt backlash, with [[Phil Lord and Christopher Miller|Christopher Miller]], producer of that year's nominated ''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'', tweeting out that the joke was "tired and lazy".<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Christopher Miller on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/chrizmillr/status/1767061360142331933 |publisher=[[Twitter]]}}</ref> The PG-13-rated ''The Boy and the Heron'' would subsequently win the award.