Merry Christmas! It's bonus post time! I'm continuing my Saturn Awards series with the nominees for Superhero Film, Best Animated Film, and Best Animated Television Series or Special from Deadline.
Best Superhero FilmGuardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 leads this category with seven nominations, followed by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Blue Beetle, and The Flash with two each and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with just this one. Based on its lead in nominations and it having been the only nominee my wife and I have watched (and enjoyed!), I'm currently planning on voting for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. The only other nominees I could foresee voting for would be Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Flash, the former because it has an Oscar and the latter because I am more of a DC than Marvel fan who enjoyed the Batman scenes featured in the trailers, but I don't think it stands a chance at these awards. Besides, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 has a Golden Globe nomination for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, a Critics Choice Awards nomination for Best Visual Effects, and is on the Oscar shortlist for Visual Effects. That makes it enough of a professional choice for me.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Blue Beetle (DC/Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Flash (DC/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Best Animated FilmTwo of these nominees are also comic-book superhero films Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which is why I'm covering this category today. One of them also leads the field in nominations, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with two. All the rest have only this one nomination. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also leads the nominations at the Critics Choice awards and Golden Globes with three, while Elemental and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem are only nominated for Animated Film at the Critics Choice Awards and The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Suzume joining Elemental and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at the Golden Globes. That makes Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse the clear professional choice. Gold Derby's editors cement it as the leader, with seven of eight picking it to win the Critics Choice Award and eight of ten choosing it to win the Golden Globe. The dissenting editor in both groups is Gold Derby's animation expert, Charles Bright, who thinks The Boy and the Heron will win instead. Fortunately, The Boy and the Heron is not nominated at this year's Saturn Awards, so I don't have to worry about it now. Like Poor Things, I expect to see it among next year's nominees and I have it as my likely vote then. This year, I'm voting for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Elemental (Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Dreamworks/Universal)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures/Marvel)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal Pictures)
Suzume (Crunchyroll)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount Pictures)
Speaking of Bright, he led interviews of animators for Gold Derby. I'm embedding three of them, beginning with Kemp Powers ('Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' director): Movie was approached as a standalone.
Kemp Powers ('Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' director) on how the movie was approached as a standalone film. It is the follow-up to 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which won that year’s Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Gold Derby editor Charles Bright hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film animation contenders.Next, Aaron Horvath (The Super Mario Bros. Movie director): 'Cinematic expression of gameplay experience'.
Aaron Horvath ('The Super Mario Bros. Movie' director) on making 'a cinematic expression of a gameplay experience.' For this animated blockbuster film, Mario and Luigi are two Brooklyn-based plumbers/brothers who end up in the Mushroom Kingdom. Gold Derby editor Charles Bright hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film animation contenders.While I'm not doing it, I wouldn't be surprised if the Saturn Awards voters picked The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the popular choice.
I conclude with 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' director Joel Crawford on a sequel over a decade after the first one.
'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' director Joel Crawford on doing a sequel over a decade after the first one. For the DreamWorks film, Puss (Antonio Banderas) seeks out a mystical wish in order to restore his previous lives. This segment is part of the Gold Derby 'Meet the Experts' animation panel hosted by contributing editor Charles Bright.Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a holdover from 2022 and lost to my choice in the next category for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
Best Animated Television Series or SpecialSpeaking of animated features, last year's Oscar winner for Animated Feature, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, is among the nominees for Best Animated Television Series or Special. I think it's a ringer, but it's not any worse than Prey being nominated for Best Science Fiction Film. Given the competition, it's also the best choice, so I'm voting for it.
Chainsaw Man (Crunchyroll)
Gremlins: Secrets of Mogwai (HBO/Max)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)
Harley Quinn (HBO/Max)
My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon Network/Adult Swim)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Lucasfilm/Disney+)
Bright returns as the interviewer in 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' co-director Mark Gustafson on how the film persevered through COVID.
'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' co-director Mark Gustafson reveals how the film persevered through COVID. The film will be available December 9 on Netflix and is an adaptation of the classic tale of a father’s wish bringing a wooden boy to life. This segment is part of the Gold Derby 'Meet the Experts' animation panel hosted by contributing editor Charles Bright.I might return to this category when I examine this year's version of 'Star Trek' vs. 'Star Wars' in streaming science fiction at the 2022 Saturn Awards even though I won't change my mind.
Follow over the jump for the individual nominations, both in front of and behind the camera, from 'Avatar: The Way of Water' leads Saturn Awards with 12 nominations and 'Oppenheimer' leads thriller films at the Saturn Awards with 11 nominations.
Like voting for Harrison Ford would be recognizing entertainment over art, not being fans of subtlety, and sticking it to the experts, so would voting for Chris Pratt. Unlike Ford, it would surprise me if the Saturn Awards electorate does.Best Actor in a FilmSam Worthington is the science fiction film nominee in this category. I also think he's the weakest. Ben Kingsley has an Oscar and a Saturn Award along with three Oscar nominations, two Saturn Award nominations, a BAFTA Award, a Critics Choice Award, and a Grammy Award. Ralph Fiennes has two Oscar nominations and three Saturn Award nominations. Harrison Ford has a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe, four Saturn Award nominations, and an Oscar nomination. Cillian Murphy has a Critics Choice Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for Oppenheimer in addition to this Saturn Award nomination, his second. He's almost certainly getting an Oscar nomination for his acting in Oppenheimer as well. That's enough to have me pencil him in as my vote, although I expect the plurality of Saturn Award voters will cast their ballots for Harrison Ford. Both Chris Pratt and Keanu Reeves have three Saturn Award nominations, along with a bunch of People's Choice Award nominations. Sam Worthington has a Saturn Award for the first Avatar movie along with this nomination. His next biggest award is a Teen Choice Award. I'm not convinced that he will repeat in this company.
Ralph Fiennes, The Menu (Searchlight Pictures)
Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Ben Kingsley, Jules (Bleecker Street)
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3 (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Keanu Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate Films)
Sam Worthington, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
While I'm a big Batman fan and think voting for Keaton would be a vote for "entertainment over art, not into subtle, and sticking it to the experts," I'm not seeing it.Best Supporting Actor in a FilmStephen Lang is the nominee from a science fiction film and, like his co-stars from Avatar: The Way of Water, I think he's among the weakest in the field. Also like his co-stars, he's a previous Saturn Award winner for the same role in the original Avatar movie. The strongest on paper are Oscar and Golden Globe winner Nicholas Cage, Three-time Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Emmy winner Michael Keaton, Golden Globe winner Ryan Gosling, and Golden Globe and three-time Saturn Award winner Robert Downey, Jr. Mads Mikkelsen looks much weaker on paper, but he is a previous Saturn Award winner and BAFTA nominee. I think he's better than his IMDB page suggests.
Nicolas Cage, Renfield (Universal Pictures)
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Ryan Gosling, Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Michael Keaton, The Flash (DC/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Stephen Lang, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Mads Mikkelsen, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
That written, this award is about these nominated performances, not the actors' entire careers. On that basis, I think it's between Downey and Gosling. "Barbenheimer" lives! The Gold Derby editors think Downey is going to win this category at Critics Choice and Golden Globes, but this is not the same electorate and electorates matter. Right now, I'm voting for Gosling, who I thought did a terrific job in Barbie. I might change my mind if I watch Oppenheimer by the 30th, but don't count on it. I'm also not counting on a plurality of Saturn Awards voters agreeing with me.
I've been looking forward to voting for her since last March.Best Supporting Actress in a FilmEmily Blunt has nominations for Supporting Actress in a film at both the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, which the other actresses in this year's nominated films didn't earn. However, the Gold Derby editors don't think she'll win either award. On the other hand, Angela Bassett won both awards last year, but lost to Jamie Curtis as Everything Everywhere All at Once earned seven Academy Awards, while Curtis didn't even earn a nomination at last year's Saturn Awards. Hmph. At least Bassett's getting an honorary Oscar at next year's ceremony. Based on that record, I'm voting for Bassett.
Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Jane Curtain, Jules (Bleecker Street)
Melissa McCarthy, The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Studios)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Sophie Wilde, Talk to Me (A24)
Time to add some commentary from 'Barbie' vs. 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' for Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards for the next category.
Now for the people behind the camera, including those in post-production.One of those Black Reel Award nominations for The Little Mermaid is Outstanding Breakthrough Performance for Bailey, so that works in her favor. On the other hand, Xolo Maridueña has a surprising number of nominations for Cobra Kai, a show my younger daughter did publicity art for when it was on YouTube, and a Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television Rising Star Award for Blue Beetle. Bailey still has my vote, but it's also still in pencil.Best Younger Performer in a FilmJack Champion from Avatar: The Way of Water and Violet McGraw from M3GAN are the nominees from science fiction films. Since everyone here is relatively new to movies, I'm not going to use IMDB to handicap their chances. Instead, I feel like the nominees who are the title characters of their films have the best shot at winning and getting my vote. That means I'm deciding between Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid herself, and Xolo Maridueña, Blue Beetle himself. Sight unseen, I've penciled in my vote for Bailey, but I plan on watching both movies before I vote, so I'm prepared to change my choice. The upset choice would be Vivien Lyra Blair, who played young Leia Organa in Obi-Wan, earning a nomination for Performance by a Younger Actor (Streaming) at the 2022 Saturn Awards. Having a track record with this electorate might make a difference.
Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Studios)
Vivien Lyra Blair, The Boogeyman (20th Century Studios)
Jack Champion, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Xolo Maridueña, Blue Beetle (DC/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Violet McGraw, M3GAN (Universal Pictures/Blumhouse)
Noah Schnapp, The Tutor (Vertical Entertainment)
The same would be true of Gunn, except the Directors Branch of the Motion Picture Academy hasn't snubbed him — yet. The Golden Globes and Critics Choice already have, though. Still, Gunn isn't one of the directors on the Saturn Awards home page; Cameron is.Best Film DirectionJames Cameron, Greta Gerwig, James Gunn, and Christopher Nolan make this an all-star field, one that James Mangold, Mark Mylod, and the Philippou brothers should be thrilled to be part of. As the Twitter image above shows, Cameron earned a nomination for Best Director at last year's Golden Globes and also a nomination at the Critics' Choice Awards, but won neither and was snubbed at the Oscars for Best Director. It's too early to know if the same thing will happen to Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, who both have directing nominations both awards (I think both will earn Oscar nominations), but the Gold Derby editors think that Nolan will win the directing award at both shows. That doesn't mean that I'm following suit. Right now, I'm voting for Gerwig. I'm not confident the rest of the Saturn Awards electorate will agree with me. I wouldn't put it past them to vote for Cameron because the Oscars snubbed him. As I've written about the Saturn Awards for years, "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." Voting for Cameron would do all three.
James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Greta Gerwig, Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
James Gunn, Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3 (Marvel/Walt Disney Pictures)
James Mangold, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Mark Mylod, The Menu (Searchlight Films)
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou, Talk to Me (A24)
That written, I've been a fan of Pemberton's since he was nominated for his work on Black Mirror five years ago. He's also made the short list for the Oscars, and I hope he's nominated. Gold Derby seems optimistic about that, as they interviewed him in Daniel Pemberton ('Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' composer): Film 'super connects with people'.Best Film Music (Composer)Daniel Pemberton has nominations for original score at both the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, while Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt have a joint original score nomination for Barbie at the Critics Choice. Barbie also has the same three songs nominated for original song at both awards, which are also nominated at the Grammy Awards, where it's also nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. So is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Williams' only major award nomination for his score so far. The rest have no major movie award nominations for music, although a couple come close, as Avatar: The Way of Water had some music nominations and wins from the Hollywood Music In Media Awards and local critics groups, and The Little Mermaid has nominations for music from the Hollywood Music In Media Awards and the Black Reel Awards. This is the only music nomination for Renfield. While I fully expect the plurality of the Saturn Awards electorate will vote for John Williams, I'm not joining them. I plan on voting for Barbie on the strength of the songs, which Mark Ronson also composed.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Simon Franglen (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Barbie, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Williams (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
The Little Mermaid, Alan Menken (Walt Disney Pictures)
Renfield, Marco Beltrami (Universal Pictures)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures/Marvel)
Daniel Pemberton ('Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' composer) on how the sequel 'super connects with people.' Sony Pictures' sequel is a box office behemoth, making $380 million in the U.S. and $690 million worldwide. Gold Derby editor Marcus Dixon hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film composers.I'll embed his music at the end of the post.
Not only did the image above trumpet the record-breaking number of prosthetics, so did the both the interviewer and interviewees in Gold Derby's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' makeup and hair team on Humanimals: 'It was like Christmas Day'.Best Film Make-UpPrey earned a nomination here, not Avatar: The Way of Water, the one category where that happened. Since Oppenheimer is the only nominee also nominated for Hair and Makeup at the Critics Choice Awards — the Golden Globes doesn't have a comparable category — I guess it's the professional choice, but I'm not enthused about it. I'm more likely to vote for Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3. The rest of the Saturn Award electorate will probably vote for a horror film. I'll revisit my provisional vote after I examine the superhero and horror nominees.
The Covenant, Donald Mowat (United Artists Releasing)
Evil Dead Rise, Luke Polti (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Alexei Dmitriew (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Oppenheimer, Luisa Abel, Jason Hamer (Universal Pictures)
Prey, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr. (20th Century Studios/Hulu)
Renfield, Christien Tinsley (Universal Pictures)
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' makeup and hair team on crafting the Humanimals: 'It was like Christmas Day.' Alexei Dmitriew, Cassie Russek and Lindsay McGowan discuss their world record-breaking designs. Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng hosts this webchat.This interview counteracted my response in 'Oppenheimer' leads thriller films at the Saturn Awards with 11 nominations.
I might be more inclined to vote for Oppenheimer, based on the hair and makeup making the aging of the actors looking realistic, but I don't think the rest of the Saturn Awards electorate will go along. The other nominees are more showy and the Saturn Awards are not into subtle.This is the kind of showy I was thinking about, which supports my intuition to vote for Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3.
Still am, but all the different alien worlds and ships in Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3 made for fun and interesting settings that added to the ambience, craft, and ambience.Best Film Production DesignAt least Avatar: The Way of Water earned a nomination for Best Achievement in Production Design at the Academy Awards, so it's a professional choice. However, Barbie and Oppenheimer have current nominations for Production Design at the Critics Choice Awards, so they're also professional choices. Gold Derby's editors prefer Barbie to Oppenheimer with five picking Barbie, three choosing Poor Things, but none ranking Oppenheimer first. I agree — best doll houses in the movies — so I'm planning on voting for Barbie.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Dylan Cole, Ben Proctor (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Barbie, Sarah Greenwood (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Beth Mickle (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
John Wick: Chapter 4, Kevin Kavanaugh (Lionsgate Films)
Oppenheimer, Ruth De Jong (Universal Pictures)
Renfield, Alec Hammond (Universal Pictures)
Best Film CostumeThere are two professional choices in this field, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which won Ruth E. Carter a second Oscar, and Barbie, which co-leads the Gold Derby editors' picks along with Poor Things at the Critics Choice Awards. Right now, I'm planning on voting for the Oscar winner.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Bob Buck, Deborah Scott (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
Barbie, Jacqueline Durran (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ruth E. Carter (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Judianna Makovsky (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Joanna Johnston (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Oppenheimer, Ellen Mirojnick (Universal Pictures)
Watch Gold Derby interview ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ costume designer Ruth E. Carter on her latest Oscar nomination.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ costume designer Ruth E. Carter on her Oscar nomination and collaborating with Angela Bassett. The Academy Award winner is a nominee again at the 2023 ceremony for the Marvel sequel. Gold Derby editor Christopher Rosen hosts this webchat.Good luck on what may be one of the final awards for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever!
While that's still my vote, as I wrote above, Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3 made the shortlist for visual effects at the Oscars, so I'm embedding How the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' visual effects team designed Rocket's evolution as the final Gold Derby interview of this entry.Best Film Visual / Special EffectsAvatar: The Way of Water won the Oscar in this category earlier this year. Meanwhile, the Gold Derby editors' favorite to win this category at the Critics Choice Awards, Oppenheimer, didn't even make the Oscars shortlist for Special Visual Effects. Some professional choice. I'm voting for Avatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar: The Way of Water, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
The Creator, Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, Neil Corbould (20th Century Studios)
Guardians of the Galaxy-Vol. 3, Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick (Marvel/Walt Disney Studios)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Andrew Whitehurst, Kathy Siegel, Robert Weaver, Alistair Williams (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, Neil Corbould (Paramount Pictures)
Oppenheimer, Andrew Jackson, Giacomo Mineo, Scott Fisher, Dave Drzewiecki (Universal Pictures)
How the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' visual effects team designed Rocket's evolution. Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek discuss bringing the final "Guardians" chapter to life. Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng hosts this webchat.Thanks to WETAFX for campaigning for this award and good luck on getting nominated for the Oscar!
As I promised, I'm closing with Across the Spider-Verse (Intro) | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Original Score).
“Across the Spider-Verse (Intro)” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Original Score) | Music by Daniel PembertonWow, cool! I can hear why this score is on the Oscar shortlist!
...
ABOUT SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Stay tuned for this year's version of the top science story followed by the final movie installment of this series tomorrow.
Previous posts about the 51st Saturn Awards
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