For 96 years, the Oscars have undergone changes to improve how films and their respective areas of production are awarded each year. Some categories appear, others disappear, but there is no shortage of candidates (and even those snubbed, who do not make the final list).
This is not the case for one of the event’s categories created in 2000: “Best Original Musical” has been around for 24 years, but has never had a group of nominees, much less a winner.
“Best Original Musical”
It’s not uncommon for Oscar categories to change to accommodate the filmmaking process – or even to condense filmmaking methods. For example, in 2021, “Best Audio Mixing” and “Best Audio Editing” became simply “Best Sound.”
Categories also arise and disappear. In 2000, the awards introduced “Best Animation” as a way to highlight films that traditionally didn’t have as much space in categories, such as “Best Film.” Since then, “Shrek,” “Spirited Away” and “Toy Story 3” have won the trophy. The most recent winner, in 2023, is “Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro.”
The same thing happened with “Best Original Musical”: a specific mode for musicals, to give visibility to these productions compared to other more traditional names in the sector. However, unlike animation, the category was not as successful as hoped.
Oscar music categories
The emergence of “Best Original Musical” came after other changes in the Oscars’ music categories:
Other divisions…
In 1980, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences seems to have grown tired of so many divisions and established only one musical category: “Best Original Score,” excluding adaptations once and for all. Some of the winners were “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Schindler’s List” and “Dances with Wolves.”
If you’re wondering why such different films were nominated in the same category, Alan Bergman, then president of the Academy’s music branch, The New York Timeshe explained that the intention was not to reward the quality of the soundtrack, but how it fits in and corroborates the rest of the film.
The Academy later went back and divided them into “Best Original Dramatic Score” and “Best Original Musical or Comedy Score.” According to Colliderthis did not please the composers, as the organization did not seem to understand how the film music department worked.
What are the Oscars like now?
It wasn’t until the 2000s that the category once again erased the distinctions between comedy and drama and relocated them to “Best Original Score” (which still exists today). Currently there is also the “Best Original Song” option, exclusive to a recording that stands out from the work as a whole.
In the same year the “Best Original Musical” category was also inaugurated. Second The Oscar rulesthe rules are simple:
From the beginning there was controversy: some films, as happened with “Tarzan”, were excluded because their 45 minutes were not enough to be considered an original soundtrack. Plus, the only other option that year was “South Park: Bigger, Better and Uncut,” which had the same problem.
Another rule of the Oscars is that each category must have at least ten films eligible to be submitted. Therefore, the mode was neither presented nor had any winners that year – nor in subsequent years.
The contradictions continue
If the initial idea was to enhance musicals, today this has not happened. Mark Mancina, the composer of “Tarzan”, told it. The New York Times at the time that the new category would discourage new musicals, as they could not be nominated for an Oscar due to lack of competition.
This only partially happened: although until now the “Best Original Musical” award had not been announced due to the lack of ten eligible films, names like “Moulin Rouge” and “La La Land” – famous musicals – succeeded the nomination for “Best Film” carved out a place in the ranking.
The post There is a category at the Oscars that has never been awarded; understand appeared first on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
