This morning was quite the media circus, as the Academy Award nominations were announced. Toy Story 3 was nominated for five awards, while Day & Night bagged one nomination. EW has compiled several statements that have been released by Lee Unkrich, Michael Arndt, and Teddy Newton, in which they thank the Academy and others. Read on to view their full statements.
Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich, whose film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Animated Feature Film, had the following to say:
“It’s an incredible honor to be nominated by the Academy. When we began making the first Toy Story, nearly 16 years ago, we never could have imagined the journey on which these films, and these characters, would take us. For Toy Story 3 to be recognized by the Academy as not only one of the best animated films of the year, but also as one of the ten best pictures of the year, is both humbling and overwhelming. I’m speechless; I feel like I’ve been blasted to infinity and beyond.”
Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Arndt is not new to the Oscars, as he previously won Best Original Screenplay for Little Miss Sunshine. He released the following:
“I’ve spent my whole life being inspired and moved by the work of the screenwriters of the Academy, so to be recognized by the Writers Branch this morning is deeply gratifying and profoundly humbling. While I wish I could hog all the credit for myself, I would have gone nowhere and done nothing without the collective brilliance of the entire creative community at Pixar, who have always maintained that ‘story comes first’ and who are crazy enough to actually believe it.”
Day & Night director Teddy Newton, whose film was nominated for Best Animated Short Film, was also extremely grateful:
“I thank the Academy for this extraordinary recognition. Creating Day & Night with the high quality team of artists and technicians within Pixar was truly a non-stop sensation of positive energy for me. I was constantly amazed by the crew’s fortitude to push through challenges and inspire each other with their ingenuity. On behalf of the team that helped bring Day & Night to life, it is an honor to be nominated.”
Visit EW to read reactions from individuals involved in many of the other films that received nominations.
UPDATE (9:10 PM): A few more Oscar nomination reactions have trickled in today. As the producer of Toy Story 3, Darla K. Anderson is cited as the recipient of the nomination for Best Picture. Among other things, she talks about her appreciation of the nomination for the biggest and most prestigious award handed out at the Academy Awards:
“We are ecstatic at the Academy’s generous and humbling recognition of Toy Story 3. For everyone that worked so passionately to bring these beloved toys back to life—from our artists to the actors—it’s incredibly gratifying to be recognized along side these other amazing films today in both the Best Picture and Best Animated Feature categories.”
Randy Newman also chimed in, as he received a nomination for Best Song (“We Belong Together”). This nomination is just one of a long line of nominations that he has received in the past. Variety posted his statement:
“It always is a nice thing to get nominated, since this is my 20th nomination I believe. And it cheers me up especially now, with this cold and a bottle of Nyquil in me … this nomination really does put a smile on my face. Pixar is always supportive; the more they give me, the better and the easier it is for me to write the song, so it’s always pretty easy to jump back into the thick of things.”
