Pixar Aims Big For Wall•E

First Warner Bros. announced their intention to have "The Dark Knight" taken seriously at the Oscars. Now it appears that Pixar is gunning for a Best Picture nomination for their critically acclaimed animated film "Wall•E." And before anyone says anything I want to say this: Yes, I know this is a long shot. No animated film has been nominated for Best Picture since "Beauty & The Beast" in 1991 (which lost to silence of the lambs), and by now people are feeling it won't happen again. Not only does the Best Animated Feature award exist, but how many Best Picture worthy animated films have to pass by before there's another nomination. If the Academy hasn't nominated "The Lion King," "Toy Story," "Chicken Run," "Shrek," "The Iron Giant," "Finding Nemo," "Spirited Away," "Ratatouille," and many others, then why would they vote for this film? Well, it's a long shot, but I think this has a better chance at a nomination for a few reasons:

1. "Wall•E" is topical. Not only is it funny and charming, but it speaks about the dangers of our environment. Not only that, unlike the well intentioned (but flawed) "An Inconvieniant Truth," people actually took "Wall•E" to heart. That's huge.
2. This movie made a lot of money over time. It wasn't a one weekend success either, this movie stayed in the top ten for months, and it's still making money in theaters. Once the DVD and BluRay hits stands it's only going to make more money. And with the recent choice to have Bill Condon (of "Dreamgirls" fame) directing the show, and a revamped advertising stradegy to make the Oscars more like the Super Bowl, having a second powerfhouse nominated for Best Picture would insure more eyeballs come Oscar night.
3. Aside from Best Animated Feature this film is likely to get nominated for several other awards. I'd say sound, music, song, and screenplay nominations are in the cards. Once a film racks up multiple nominations a Best Picture nomination seems more in the cards.
4. More and more of the Best Picture potentials have been falling flat or getting delayed to next year. "Changelling" and "Appaloosa" are likely to get some nods here and there, but reviews are too conflicted for them to go all the way. Then we have movies like "The Road," "The Soloist," and "The Reader" being pushed back to 2009 or in fear of being so. This leaves the Best Picture slots more and more open, and it will work in "Wall•E's" favor.
5. It's simply that good.

Like I said, it's ultimately a longshot, and even I'm in the group that says a Best Picture nomination won't happen. That said...it can't hurt Pixar to try. Stars seem to be very much in line this to happen.