Having re-read this, and some of the comments, I see a lot of people second guessing my Should Have Wons (well, okay, three), but first of all, I'd point out that this article is not only two years old itself, it also started life as a Excel spreadsheet that was itself nearly half a decade old back then. I really don't remember some of my reasoning here. That being said, I don't think I'd want to change my views (and even if I did, I wouldn't, that's not the point of lists like this). But notes on a few:
2014/2019: My pick are the two HTTYD sequels, and though I'm in agreeance that sequels winning isn't always the greatest, I felt like one of the three HTTYD movies should have won at some point (see also, the Kung Fu Panda movies), perhaps similar to how The Return of the King winning Best Picture is thought to more or less be for the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. So, if the first HTTYD had won, I probably wouldn't have picked 2 (though certainly not Big Hero 6, either) and if either the original or 2 had won, I might not have picked The Hidden World, but I definitely wouldn't have gone with Toy Story 4, either. However, looking over the alternatives, I'm still not sure that I would pick anything else, as I'm not really passionate about anything in either year (maybe Song of the Sea). It should be noted I only picked from nominees; I would have put The Lego Movie in over 2 no problem if it had been nominated.
2007: Look, I just really hate Ratatouille, you guys. I had to pick something. Surf's Up would have been a bad choice, probably, but whatever. I guess I wasn't feeling Persepolis when I picked it, and, truth be told, still am not. I did like Surf's Up, though.
2001: I don't really remember my reasoning, here. This could easily have been "OK". Either/or, even. Both Shrek and Monsters, Inc. are fine. Even if you don't have a weird grudge against Pixar (and I think it's possible past me picked Monsters just to smokescreen that weird grudge), looking at the list, it's kind of weird to root for the studio that would dominate so overwhelmingly to grab yet another trophy one of the few times it didn't, so that might actually be my worst pick, in hindsight.
2002: Lilo & Stitch is kind of another either/or pick, though as it was basically the only universally agreed upon "good" movie Disney Animation Studios put out that entire decade, and it still feels weird that it took until 2013 for the studio to win the category. And, as it turned out, Miyazaki would gain other Oscars (Honorary and for the Boy and the Heron), but Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders are still empty-handed, and that's just wrong. So, in the two years since, that pick seems have aged a little better, but it's still really a toss up.
2006: Another toss up, but in this case, both movies are equally "meh". Like, I picked Monster House just to have something to pick, I think, though I probably am punishing Happy Feet for its absolutely atrocious sequel a bit. I sure as fuck wasn't picking Cars, though. That's for goddamn sure.
The rest are pretty simple "I liked this movie the best" picks, some more passionate then others.
Having re-read this, and some of the comments, I see a lot of people second guessing my Should Have Wons (well, okay, three), but first of all, I'd point out that this article is not only two years old itself, it also started life as a Excel spreadsheet that was itself nearly half a decade old back then. I really don't remember some of my reasoning here. That being said, I don't think I'd want to change my views (and even if I did, I wouldn't, that's not the point of lists like this). But notes on a few:
2014/2019: My pick are the two HTTYD sequels, and though I'm in agreeance that sequels winning isn't always the greatest, I felt like one of the three HTTYD movies should have won at some point (see also, the Kung Fu Panda movies), perhaps similar to how The Return of the King winning Best Picture is thought to more or less be for the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. So, if the first HTTYD had won, I probably wouldn't have picked 2 (though certainly not Big Hero 6, either) and if either the original or 2 had won, I might not have picked The Hidden World, but I definitely wouldn't have gone with Toy Story 4, either. However, looking over the alternatives, I'm still not sure that I would pick anything else, as I'm not really passionate about anything in either year (maybe Song of the Sea). It should be noted I only picked from nominees; I would have put The Lego Movie in over 2 no problem if it had been nominated.
2007: Look, I just really hate Ratatouille, you guys. I had to pick something. Surf's Up would have been a bad choice, probably, but whatever. I guess I wasn't feeling Persepolis when I picked it, and, truth be told, still am not. I did like Surf's Up, though.
2001: I don't really remember my reasoning, here. This could easily have been "OK". Either/or, even. Both Shrek and Monsters, Inc. are fine. Even if you don't have a weird grudge against Pixar (and I think it's possible past me picked Monsters just to smokescreen that weird grudge), looking at the list, it's kind of weird to root for the studio that would dominate so overwhelmingly to grab yet another trophy one of the few times it didn't, so that might actually be my worst pick, in hindsight.
2002: Lilo & Stitch is kind of another either/or pick, though as it was basically the only universally agreed upon "good" movie Disney Animation Studios put out that entire decade, and it still feels weird that it took until 2013 for the studio to win the category. And, as it turned out, Miyazaki would gain other Oscars (Honorary and for the Boy and the Heron), but Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders are still empty-handed, and that's just wrong. So, in the two years since, that pick seems have aged a little better, but it's still really a toss up.
2006: Another toss up, but in this case, both movies are equally "meh". Like, I picked Monster House just to have something to pick, I think, though I probably am punishing Happy Feet for its absolutely atrocious sequel a bit. I sure as fuck wasn't picking Cars, though. That's for goddamn sure.
The rest are pretty simple "I liked this movie the best" picks, some more passionate then others.