I can’t believe I’m actually writing this, but I’m not rooting for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars this year – as much as another film, anyway. That's not to say I’ll be throwing anything at my TV if the Sony Animation film does in fact take home the prize come the 2024 Academy Awards. However, I do believe another movie needs to win instead: Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron. Let me explain why, and I should note that this is all coming from someone who's not only a huge fan of Spider-Man (especially the Spider-Verse franchise) but also has much respect for all the work that was done on both projects.
When I watched Across The Spider-Verse in June, I was absolutely awe-struck by the accomplishment that is the superhero sequel, which is by all measures an animated masterpiece. And I’m certainly not the only one, considering our CinemaBlend staff collectively voted it the best movie of 2023. The well-reviewed Across the Spider-Verse is undoubtedly a great cinematic achievement for both the medium of animation and the comic book genre, but I cannot shake how much of a missed opportunity it would be if the Academy chose not to recognize The Boy and the Heron with Best Animated Feature during the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.
