Last night the visual effects team of Masaki Takahashi, Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, and Tatsuji Nojima made cinematic history when their work for Godzilla Minus One won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Despite the fact that the Godzilla movie series is currently the longest running franchise in the history of cinema not a single entry had ever been nominated for an Oscar prior to Minus One. The film was the surprise hit of 2023 and gained acclaim with critics and fans alike. Despite a meager budget of less than $15 million the film beat out the Hollywood juggernauts The Creator, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, and Napoleon.
Many fans wondered why Godzilla Minus One didn't receive a nomination for Best Picture or Best International Film, which I believe it would have won. Last night Japanese film historian and author August Ragone noted, "... it was not eligible for Best Picture. As for Best International Film, the official Japanese entry was selected by a Japanese film industry committee months before MINUS ONE was released. Each country participating can only submit one film to represent them at the Oscars. That's how it works. The Japanese selected PERFECT DAYS, which received rave notices at the Cannes Film Festival back in May of last year."
Variety published a great article about how Godzilla Minus Ones took on Hollywood and Won:
“Godzilla Minus One” collected the Oscar in visual effects on Sunday, following a remarkable awards season run.
The recipients included writer, director and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki, who became the first helmer to receive a VFX trophy since Stanley Kubrick for 1968’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Kiyoko Shibuya, VFX supervisor and producer, became only the third woman to win an Oscar in the category (previous recipients were Sara Bennett for 2014’s “Ex Machina” and Suzanne M. Benson for 1986’s “Aliens.).” Recipients included Masaki Takahashi, a veteran CG director; and Tatsuji Nojima, an effects artist and compositor who is just 25 years old.
In late 2023, many still didn’t have the Kaiju movie, released by Japan’s Toho Studios, on their awards radar. But it was incredibly well received when it opened Dec. 1 in the United States, and in the weeks that followed, a VFX branch committee included the movie in the category shortlist.
Then came the Jan. 13 VFX category “bake off,” an event held at the Academy Museum during which the potential nominees representing the 10 shortlisted movies presented clips and spoke about their work before branch members entered their ballots for the final five. The “Godzilla Minus One” team made a charming presentation, talking about their creative problem solving and challenges. The movie was made for under $15 million and the VFX were pulled off by a team of just 35 people.
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