The Golden Globe nominees – and why “Frankeweenie” will probably win

The Golden Globe nominees for Best Animated Film have been announced and Brave, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, Rise of the Guardians and Wreck-It Ralph are on the list. Congratulations to these films and their filmmakers.

My condolences to Laika, Blue Sky, Illumination, Aardman and our friends at GKids for not making the cut. Don’t take it personally – The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a phoney-baloney group of journalists, comprised of a small group of people nobody has ever heard of.

Unlike the Oscars, the Guilds, the various film critic groups or even the Annies – The people picking these Golden Globe nominees are not professional peers. The Globes is essentially a big show for the public and the studio publicists; a big show for the broadcast networks and their advertisers (Dick Clark Productions owns it). Actors love it for the national exposure.

I think it’s great that the Globes recognize animated features – it’s the only recognition this group throws our way. But it is well known that the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press are easily swayed by high-profile directors and famous movie stars. Getting the big shots to attend their event helps their ratings – and enhances their TV advertising rates.

And that’s why I’m going to go out on a limb to predict that Frankenweenie will win. It’s the Tim Burton film. Everyone knows Tim Burton – especially international journalists. It’s not about which film is better, it’s about the big names… and the general public unfortunately doesn’t know who Mark Andrews, Rich Moore, Peter Ramsey or Genndy are. Yet.

I’d love to see Wreck-It Ralph or Hotel Transylvania get the nod. I’ve got nothing against Frankenweenie. Recognition of any kind is a good thing. But the Golden Globes are a shining example of “playing the game” in Hollywood – and nobody plays it better than the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The Golden Globes will be awarded on Jan. 13th, 2013 on NBC.