OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Anomalisa (Directed by Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson)

Inside Out (Directed by Pete Docter & Ronnie del Carmen)

Minions (Directed by Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda )

Shaun the Sheep the Movie (Directed by Mark Burton & Richard Starzak)

When Marnie Was There (Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi)

AND THE WINNER IS:

ANOMALISA (DIRECTED BY CHARLIE KAUFMAN & DUKE JOHNSON)

This is the first win for co-director Duke Johnson and fifth win for co-director Charlie Kaufman for their animated feature Anomalisa. This is Johnson’s first nomination. Kaufman previously won for producing Synecdoche, New York (2008) and writing Being John Malkovich (1999), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) & Synecdoche, New York (2008). Kaufman was also nominated for directing Synecdoche and writing Adaptation. (2002).

There is so much to like about Anomalisa from how carefully and realistically it takes the relationship of a man bored with life and with a young women who inspires him to act out even if in the end this act out doesn’t amount to much. Kaufman brings his unique style to the animation world and it fits perfectly with Johnson’s realistic puppet animation to the point where the fact they are puppets is something you choose to look over and instead you embrace the entire picture almost as live action. Really in a year of some just ok animated features Anomalisa stands high above all the animation product I saw in 2015.