Audiences have spent $128 million at the box office in WALL-E's first 10 days of release, placing the film seventh so far in 2008, and it is likely to climb closer to the heroes of May -- Indiana Jones and Iron Man -- as glowing word-of-mouth continues to drive ticket sales. Even though most of Hollywood's Oscar contenders have yet to hit theaters, all that critical and commercial affection is leading awards watchers to ponder: Could WALL-E finally be The One?
No animated film has ever won Best Picture. Only one -- Beauty and the Beast, in 1991 -- has even earned a nomination. Since the creation of a Best Animated Feature category seven years ago, animated film has been trapped in Oscar's cartoon ghetto, even though reviewers consistently place Pixar's movies on their best-of-the-year lists.
Cries that WALL-E should be considered for a Best Picture nod began as soon as the film hit theaters on June 27. Writers at New York magazine and sites like The Movie Blog and Obsessed With Film declared WALL-E worthy of a Best Picture, and high-profile movie critics are discussing the little robot's odds for that award among themselves.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
