OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (Directed by Richard Linklater)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Directed by Guillermo del Toro)

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp)

Turning Red (Directed by Domee Shi)

Wendell & Wild (Directed by Henry Selick)

AND THE WINNER:

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (DIRECTED BY DEAN FLEISCHER CAMP)

This is the first win and nomination for Dean Fleischer Camp.

2022 was a banner year for animated when it comes to individual animation. All five of my nominees this year only share in common that they are animated which made choosing a winner amongst the five a difficult choice. What made me decide on Marcel the Shell as my winning pick is the emotional connection I have with the film. Even months past when I watched the film I still think about the incredible emotional journey the titular character brings you the audience on. The film is truly spectacularly special and perhaps unlike any film ever made. I instantly connected to this film finding it the cutest animated picture in some time but also one that caused me to emotionally break based on parts of the narrative told in the film.

Camp and voice lead star Jenny Slate have collaborated to create a film for all time and I look forward to myself returning to it but also to many audiences discovering it's brilliance as the years go by. Both adult and child because this is for sure a film for anyone at any age.