Sausage Party Launches Oscar Campaign, But Can It Win?

We are at that point in the year where the Oscar race is going to really heat up and studios will start campaigning for the movies they think are deserving of a statue. Sony is very seriously about to start one of those campaigns for theR-rated, animated comedySausage Party. Yes, theSeth Rogenanimated comedy that featured a spoilers food orgy. ThatSausage Party.

The Hollywood Reporterhas revealed that the campaign forSausage Partywill officially begin with a special screening of the movie on November 1 at the iPic theater, which will also include a cocktail party.Seth Rogenand one of the movie’s co-directorsConrad Vernonwill be in attendance. Here is whatSeth Rogenhad to say about the fact that the movie is getting an Oscar push.

“We’ve never been this passionate about a film and we’re thrilled to enter uncharted territory. It’s rare you really get tobreak new ground, and we hope that people view it as a good thing for the medium.”

Sausage Partydoes have a lot going for it in terms of making it a potentially award-worthy movie, asstrangeas that sounds. Not the least of which is that Oscar winnerAlan Menkencomposed the original music for the movie, including the original song “The Great Beyond.” Not only that, but it was very well received by critics as it currently boasts an 83 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

The studio will be sending out screeners ofSausage Partyto Academy members and they will be running ads to further their case. At the moment, Sony is pushing for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, which seem to be the awards that the movie would have the best shot at earning nominations for, even if they are still long shots at this point. But Sony Pictures chiefTom Rothmanseems to think it isn’t all that crazy. Here is what he had to say to THR.

“Academy members are way smarter and more forward-thinking than people realize. They want to recognize bold, original, risky breakthroughs, and that’s what Sausage Party is, however subversive. Plus, it’s just plain cool.”

Sausage Partyearned $135 million at the box office from a $19 million budget, making it a big hit in addition to acritically acclaimed movie. Yet another reason that an Academy Award nomination may not be totally out of the question. Only one other R-rated movie has ever been nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, which was 2015’sAnomalisa, which was a very different kind of movie when compared toSausage Party. Outside of an uphill battle just in terms of the movie working against itself, there is some stiff competition in the form of Pixar’sFinding Dory, Disney’sZootopiaand the upcomingMoana, as well as the stop-motionKubo and the Two Strings. It may be an outside shot, but the words “And the Oscar goes toSausage Party” are not totally out of the question this year.