Chicago Film Critics Love WALL-E
Disney/Pixar Film Gets Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay
Dec 19, 2008
The critical plaudits keep pouring in for WALL-E.
After scoring Best Animated Film awards from the National Board of Review, the Boston, Toronto (see below), and New York critics associations – plus a mention on the American Film Institute's Top 10 list – the CGI animated movie received a surprising Best Film award from the L.A. Critics Association.
WALL-E Adds Another Best Film Award
Now the Disney/Pixar flick has pulled another Best Picture award, this time from the Chicago Film Critics Association.
The Andrew Stanton movie snagged an unprecedented 4 awards from the Chicago critics, including Best Film, Best Original Screenplay (by Stanton and Jim Reardon), Best Original Score (by Thomas Newman) and Best Animated Film.
WALL-E topped both its main competitors: Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. However, neither of those movies left the awards empty-handed. Boyle won the Best Director prize, Simon Beaufoy got Best Adapted Screenplay and lead actor Dev Patel took Most Promising Newcomer honours.
The Dark Knight tied with Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In with 2 awards each: TDK took Best Cinematography and Heath Ledger got yet another Best Supporting Actor award for his turn as The Joker, while the latter flick snagged Best Foreign-Language Film and the Most Promising Director award for Tomas Alfredson.
Mickey Rourke took Best Actor for his turn in The Wrestler (review coming on December 24th) and Anne Hathaway nabbed Best Actress for her work in Rachel Getting Married. Rourke had previously won a Best Supporting Actor award in 2005 for his role as Marv, the doomed thug in Sin City.
Kate Winslet earned a Best Supporting Actress nod for her turn as a mysterious older woman who seduces a teenager in The Reader. Man on Wire, a documentary about French daredevil Philippe Petit's 1974 attempt to traverse a high cable between New York City's Twin Towers, won top honours in that category.
The Chicago Film Critics Association includes 55 members, which cover print, radio, television and the Internet. Its better-known members include celebrity critics such as The Chicago Sun Times' Roger Ebert and his At the Movies cohort Richard Roeper.
Toronto Film Critics Give WALL-E Best Animated Film
While the Toronto critics weren't ready to give the Disney/Pixar flick Best Picture plaudits (that went to Wendy and Lucy, starring Michelle Williams), it still took 3rd place behind Rachel Getting Married.
WALL-E contented itself with the Best Animated Film award, beating out Kung Fu Panda, Persepolis and Waltz With Bashir. Director Andrew Stanton was a runner-up for Best Director award
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