Brava to the women behind the 86th Academy Awards.
Women are doing a great job running the show at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, from the CEO to the president to this year's Oscar host.
CEO Dawn Hudson, who took over the reins of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences from retiring Bruce Davis, and new president of the board of governors Cheryl Boone Isaacs, must be happy with the spotlight they shined on the movie industry.
Sure, host Ellen DeGeneres broke Twitter with her celebrity selfie stunt. And in this age of social media maybe that helped Sunday’s telecast hit a ten-year high in viewership.
According to Nielsen estimates, the Oscars rose by 10% in total viewers. That makes it the top Academy Awards in four years among adults 18-49 and in 14 years in total viewers.
According to Variety, in recent years only NFL playoff games have fared better in the ratings. The show hit 7-year highs in men 18-34 (up 6%) and adults 18-34 (up 3%), an 8-year high in kids 2-11, and a 9-year best in teens 12-17 (up 13%).
The whole family was watching. Could another reason be the growth in popularity of animated features?
The Friday night before the Oscars big bash I had the pleasure of attending a special night at the Academy honoring the five nominated animated feature films. The host for the evening was John C. Reilly, the voice of the title character of the 2012 Academy Award nominated animated feature Wreck-It Ralph.
Thirteen years ago the board of governors decided to honor animated features with its own categories. One reason: animated films are big box office.
How big? Frozen snagged two Oscars: One for best original song for “Let It Go,” and the other for best animated feature. This week it also became the seventh
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first given for films made in 2001. An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation figures in no less than 75% of the running time.
“With Frozen, we knew we had something truly special on our hands, and it has connected with fans and film goers around the world in a way we only dreamed was possible,” said Alan Horn, chairman at Walt Disney Studios, in a statement.
Here’s hoping animated films will get a special wing at the new museum the Academy is promising us for 2017.
