Should there be a Best Animated Film category in the Academy Awards? I've think I've read many blog posts about this subject. Does a separate category devoted to a different medium detract from the concept of "best film?" The expanded field of films for Best Picture works fine in bringing in a nomination for an animated film as Toy Story 3 received one last year. Plus, the Academy got rid of the Best Black & White Cinematography and collapsed this particular tradecraft into one category for all films so there is a precedent.

A look at this year's nominees highlight a weak bunch of films. Without Pixar, the category shows its weakness. After all, to be nominated for an Academy Award is to be recognized for some level of greatness that transcends time and place, and these nominees don't do that. It's like they are good relative to each other, but not great relative to the medium as a whole.

So, should the Academy give up on the animated films category hoping that a reward of a best picture nod in the expanded field is good enough. Are there instances of animated films that can win against live action?

http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/43506/oscarmetrics-the-case-for-eliminating-the-best-animated-feature-award

http://www.avclub.com/articles/soft-cels-how-the-academys-animation-rules-fight-t,69793/

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