(Note: This is a fictional creative writing exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years.  This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64^th Academy Awards.  Each week I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)

There was a lot of excitement to see what 1996 would hold, given the huge success of the 68^th Academy Awards.  Toy Story had energized the industry, and while Pixar’s next film was still several years away people remained hopeful for a battle for the Best Voice Performance Oscar that matched the one between Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.  When no clear frontrunners emerged, talk about the award started to die down, and industry analysts marked the category as one to ignore this year.  They were wrong, because when the nominations were announced the category was one again at the forefront of conversation.  However, instead of excitement the overwhelming tone of the discussion was one of confusion. Continue reading →