Oscar Buzz: Studio Ghibli’s ‘The Tale Of Princess Kaguya’ Directed By Isao Takahata Wins Audience Award At Fantastic Fest, Chances Increased For Best Animated Feature Oscar Nomination?

When one enters a movie theater screening for an animated film these days, almost every adult is accompanied by children and maybe young teens on the verge of adulthood. This isn't the case however for the recent debut of Studio Ghibli's "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," since Fantastic Fest, which has a boxing match between industry professionals as a main event, is not the best place for children.

Animated film has proved over the year to be enjoyable for people of all ages, and the latest from director Isao Takahata is no exception. "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," recently won the Audience Award at genre film festival, Fantastic Fest. This win, which is over plenty of other live-action films that pleased the film festival crowd, is perhaps a premonition for Takahata to follow in the footsteps of his colleague Hayao Miyazaki and go on to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

"It certainly was the story. In the original story, it's very hard to understand the motivations of the main female character [Princess Kaguya]. So that makes the story mysterious and interesting. But I thought if I could inject why she had to return to the moon, then it would be able to be told as a [cinematic] story," said director Isao Takahata in a recent interview with First Showing when asked about why he chose the unique animation style.

In fact, "The Tale of Princess Kaguya" will be the only 2D animated film in the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars if it does indeed become nominated. Both Indiewire and Awards Circuit predict the film will land a slot, but they also predict that "The LEGO Movie" will ultimately take the award.

Isao Takahata's film may change these predictions however since the recent Audience Award win from Fantastic Fest suggests that it will be a crowd pleaser when it finally gets its limited theatrical release in October. The fact that the film will be screened at IFC perhaps adds the possibility that any academy voters still trying to catch IFC's other Oscar buzz worthy film "Boyhood" may become interested in the already critically acclaimed film from Studio Ghibli.

Here's hoping Isao Takahata will at least get a nomination if not an Oscar win for "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," which will get a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on October 17th.