The list of nominees for the 90th Academy Awards was announced to the world just this Tuesday, January 23. And in what has been becoming annoyingly routine for the prestigious film awards ceremony, the list of movies in the running for an Oscar leaves quite a few things to be desired.
Or so it would seem if you happen to be a fan of LEGO. The AMPAS is being targeted by builders who love all LEGO media this year, because it’s starting to echo like the nominee list back in 2014. Back then, the critically beloved The LEGO Movie got passed over for a Best Animated Feature nomination.
It’s 2018 and the Academy has messed again for LEGO fans. Last year saw no less than two LEGO films premiere for the community: The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie. Ask anybody, ANYBODY, and they’ll say LEGO Batman is the best movie ever, and critics agree too.
But no, according to AMPAS. For an animated movie to be listed as a Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee, it must be screened by a panel of Academy members in the animation corner, and usually it boils down to what the panel members personally like in common, and not what they know to be popular.
On that note, it’s inevitable that the nominations would go to the likes of Disney-Pixar’s Coco, Cartoon Saloon’s The Breadwinner and the artistically-visualized Loving Vincent from BrealThru Productions, but after seeing Fox-Blue Sky’s Ferdinand and DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby make the cut, the LEGO fan community have had enough.
BOSS BABY over THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE? GTFO. pic.twitter.com/elgYhrFq5K
— Adam Frazier (@AdamFrazier) January 23, 2018
The Lego Movie, a.k.a. the decade's greatest cinematic accomplishment, also got overlooked by the Academy, so it makes unfortunate sense that The Lego Batman Movie would as well pic.twitter.com/eo7I8sioHI
— Chris Lisinski (@ChrisLisinski) January 23, 2018
I can't believe LEGO Batman isn't nominated for Best Picture. It's hands-down the best LEGO Batman movie I've seen in the past year, maybe in the past decade. Disappointed #Oscars2018
— King K. Rab (@StormCrabs) January 24, 2018
@TheAcademy I dare you to watch The Boss Baby, Ferdinand, and The Lego Batman Movie in a row, and tell me you’re still feeling good about this choice. #AnotherLegoBitesTheDust #OscarNoms
— KennaClare (@KennadeClares) January 24, 2018
At least The LEGO Movie had a nomination for Best Original Song back in the 87th Oscars; it still lost though. Now we can expect the furor for robbing LEGO Batman of a shot at glory all the way to Oscar night on March 4. Will the Academy learn how much they ruined things? Let’s wait and see.