Welcome to our fifth annual Adoption at the Movies Awards!
Each year, readers of Adoption at the Movies nominate and vote for the films
that they’ve appreciated the most over the last twelve months. This year,
readers voted for nominees in four categories: Best Foster or Adoptive Family,
Best Adoptive Parent, Best Animated Feature, and Film of the Year.
In the category of Best
Foster or Adoptive Family, the nominees are:
Gru, Lucy, Margo,
Edith and Agnes (Despicable Me 3). After adopting three girls in the first
Despicable Me movie, former supervillain Gru married Lucy in the second movie.
By the third movie, the family has settled into a normal life – well… as normal
a life as crime-fighting parents can provide.
The Browns (Paddington 2). After taking in Paddington in the first film, the Browns demonstrate their
love and commitment for Paddington in this sequel. Even though at times
Paddington feels he has reason to doubt their commitment, their love is
steadfast.
The Stevens Family (The Storyteller). The Stevens family – Maggie and her husband adopted their
daughter Jen. Maggie’s husband has died, and she now struggles to build a
relationship with her teenager. Maggie’s grandmother Rosemary is visited in her
nursing home by Abby, a young girl who offers no information about her
whereabouts. At the request of Rosemary and social services, Maggie agrees to
take Abby home for a night. Over time, Jen and Abby become sisters while Maggie
and Jen explore and heal from the wounds of their past.
And the winners are….
Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith, and Agnes (Despicable Me 3)
In the category of Best
Foster or Adoptive Parent, the nominees are:
Gru and Lucy (Despicable Me 3). Although Gru initially pursued his adoption for selfish means, he has
come to love his daughters, and has shown himself to be a nurturing and caring
parent. Gru’s youngest daughter wished for a mother – and in time, Lucy and Gru
fell in love. Now, Edith, Margo and Agnes have loving, fun, caring, and dorkily-cool
people as parents.
Frank Adler
(Gifted). Seven-year-old prodigy Mary has lived with her uncle Frank as long as
she can remember. Frank stands up against family pressure to ensure that Mary’s
brilliance isn’t exploited. He encourages her to have a normal childhood, in
the face of family pressure to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of her.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown (Paddington 2). The Brown family has come to love Paddington as one of their own, and they go
to great lengths to bring him back into their home when he is taken away. They
also understand and respect his desire to share some of his life with his aunt.
The Browns make this a priority, and fly Paddington’s aunt a great distance in
order to see her nephew.
Maggie Stevens
(The Storyteller). Maggie shows an admirable willingness to provide a home to a
child in need. Over time, the child truly becomes part of her family.
And the winners are…… Gru and Lucy (Despicable Me 3)
In the category of Best
Animated Feature, the nominees are:
Coco, directed by
Lee Unkrich. Miguel loves music, but his family forbids it. Four generations
ago, Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left, when Miguel’s great-grandmother
Coco was only a small child. He left intending to play his music for the world,
but never returned. His wife, Miguel’s great-great-grandmother learned how to
make shoes, and in the generations since, her family has become famous and
successful as shoemakers. Music has been forbidden from the family because of
the pain caused when Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left. Miguel secretly
loves music and wants to be a musician. His family will not the speak the name
of his great-great-grandfather; they try to forget him. As a result, Miguel
does not know who his ancestor is, although he believes it is Ernesto de la
Cruz, who during his life had been the most famous singer in the land. On Dia
de los Muertos, Miguel, frustrated by his family’s lack of support for his love
of music, claims that he no longer wants to be part of his family. He is
transported into the land of the dead, where he attempts to find Ernesto de la
Cruz, but instead finds out some surprising truths about his family history.
Despicable Me 3,
directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. Former supervillain Gru and his
former enemy, Lucy, have settled into life as the married, adoptive parents of
Margo, Edith and Agnes, and as members of the Anti-Villain League. When he
fails to capture child star-turned-villain Balthazar Bratt, Gru is fired from
the League. Gru’s family is supportive – his youngest, Agnes, even sells some
of her toys to try to raise money to replace his salary – but his Minions
desert him. An unexpected visitor summons Gru to meet with his long-lost twin
brother, Dru. Dru admires Gru’s legendary works as a supervillain, and hopes to
learn the family trade from Gru; Gru has given up on villainy, but thinks he
can team up with Dru to defeat Balthazar Bratt and regain the favor of the
Anti-Villain League.
And the winner is…… Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich
In the category of Adoption
at the Movies Film of the Year, the nominees are:
Beauty and the Beast,
directed by Bill Condon. Belle and her father live in a simple, French
provincial town. While the town lives its normal, everyday life, Belle and her
father Maurice are noted for their peculiarity. Belle always has her nose stuck
in a book, and most of the townspeople seem to think she’s strange. Belle is
also particularly beautiful, and has attracted the unwanted attention of
Gaston, a boorish and narcissistic military Captain who has the admiration of
many of the local ladies. Gaston swears that he will marry Belle. She’s not
interested, and so he will try to find a way to make the marriage happen.
Meanwhile, Maurice is captured by the Beast, a prince who has been cursed to
take a horrific form on account of his unkindness; the curse will only be
broken if the prince can learn to love, and earn love in return, and his time
is running out. The Beast agrees to free Maurice if Belle stays with him, and
Belle chooses to make that sacrifice. As Belle and the Best start to develop
feelings for each other, Gaston decides that his next course of action is to
storm the castle and kill the Beast.
Coco, directed by
Lee Unkrich. Young Miguel explores his family history in a very unique way.
Despicable Me 3,
directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. Supervillain-turned-agent Gru and his
new wife, Lucy, try to bring down a former child star who has turned evil.
Gifted, directed
by Marc Webb. Mary is a seven-year-old prodigy. She’s lived with her uncle
Frank since as long as she can remember; her mother left her with Frank shortly
before committing suicide, and she’s never known her father. Mary’s mother was
also a prodigy; pushed by her mother, she devoted her life to mathematics, but
committed suicide rather than publishing her most significant findings. Now,
Frank’s estranged mother, Mary’s grandmother, learns of Mary’s brilliance and
tries to take Mary from Frank. She files a lawsuit, and now Mary’s future will
be decided by the judicial system.
Mully, directed
by Scott Haze. Charles Mulli was born into poverty in Kenya. After being
abandoned by his family, he survived by begging and stealing. In a period of
despair, Mulli accepted an invitation to church. There, he was inspired by a
preacher’s message that anything is possible with enough hard work. Through hard
work, perseverance and inspiration, Charles became a leading businessman in
Kenya. He married and had a large family. And then he realized the extent of
the needs of the children in his country, and he grasped his responsibility as
a prosperous person to do something about it.
Paddington 2,
directed by Paul King. Paddington has become comfortable living with the Brown
family, and he still thinks fondly of his Aunt Lucy, who sent him to London
from Peru. He hopes to get a special present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th
birthday. He tries to save up money to buy the expensive gift, but it is stolen
from the store. Paddington is seen at the scene of the crime, and is wrongfully
believed to be the thief. He is imprisoned, and the Browns must work to clear
his name, while he must maintain his hope that they won’t forget him.
Wonder, directed
by Stephen Chbosky. August “Auggie” Pullman has been home schooled all his
life, but he surprises his parents by saying that he is ready to go to a
charter middle school. Auggie has Treacher Collins Syndrome; it has taken many
surgeries to help him breathe and hear, but some facial abnormalities suggest
the medical difficulties he has had in his life. His parents and his sister are
worried; will the kids at school see past his physical appearance and embrace
him? One fellow student, Jack Will, becomes a friend to Auggie, but when Auggie
overhears Jack speaking very unkindly, their relationship seems threatened.
Auggie’s older sister, Via, has not resented the fact that her parents’ lives
have revolved around her younger brother; she has joined them in their care of
him, and she loves him deeply, but as a high school student, she feels
neglected by them, and the effect of their relative inattention to her is
amplified when her longtime best friend Miranda stops returning her calls.
Wonder takes turns following Auggie, Jack, Via and Miranda as it explores the
social and emotional experience of life for each of these young people, who
each struggle in their own way. It’s a compassionate and heartwarming film
which captures the kindness and cruelty of kids and adults.
And the winner is….. Wonder, directed by Stephen Chbosky
Congratulations to the winning films and the nominees!
No comments:
Post a Comment