iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 6h

Reviewed a horror movie for Halloween. #Musk

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 13h

#Wildwood debuts on Rotten Tomatoes with 100% so far. Screw the box office projections!

020

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 17h

And now the scores for #Wildwood are in. Screw the early box office projections!

030

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 18h

Cartoon Contender spoke with director/producer/animator Luke Stone and producer/story artist Blake Larson about their #Oscar-eligible animated short, Retrieving Roadie. Watch our chat here: youtu.be/WVQYAXf605c?...

youtu.be

Behind the Scenes of Retrieving Roadie with Luke Stone & Blake Larson | Oscar-Eligible Short

YouTube video by Cartoon Contender

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

And the first reviews are in! It’s a contender, but a winner? Let’s wait and see the score for Wildwood…

130

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The first reviews for #RayGunn are out! #Wildwood also premieres at BFI tomorrow!

011

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Ellison is a producer, so he COULD share in the win with Bird. Since there are five producers, one might get left out per Academy rules.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Jim Cummings feels like a natural fit.

020

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

I also currently have Wildwood predicted for the win, although we really won’t know which film has a better shot until they premiere. With Ray Gunn making its debut at BFI tonight and Wildwood debuting tomorrow, we’ll know sooner than later. - and yes, it would be a coattail win for Ellison.

240

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

#AvatarSevenHavens gets off to a promising start with its initial episodes, telling a gripping story of sisterhood shrouded in mystery. Much has changed since Korra’s time, as reflected through the art style. This is still very much #Avatar, though, balancing familiarity with a breath of fresh air.

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

#Digger may lose $250 million. It’s something of a poetic “f*** you” that Mike and Pam exited with much a massive flop about a global disaster, leaving their successors to clean up the mess. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Digger Review | Nick’s Flick-Reel

You gotta dig a little deeper!

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Disney and Pixar may be pushing #ToyStory5 for more than just Best Animated Feature consideration.

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

For years, I've wanted a "Social Network" sequel that brought back Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, David Fincher as a director, and Aaron Sorkin as a writer. Well, we just got the latter for #TheSocialReckoning. My review: cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

The Social Reckoning Review | More The Newsroom Than The Social Network

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It may seem like Martin McDonagh is retreading familiar territory with #WildHorseNine, focusing on two sight-seeing hit men. He by no means beats a dead horse, though, turning in one of his quieter yet still impactful outings about friendship, regret, and being at the end of one’s road.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Should I have watched “Wild Horse One” through “Eight” before seeing this? #WildHorseNine.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

With Warner Bros. and Paramount under the #Skydance umbrella as of today, David Ellison is possibly the most powerful man in Hollywood. In a few months, he may also be an Oscar winner… cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Ray Gunn Looks Great… But Can David Ellison Win an Oscar?

If Ray Gunn gets a Best Animated Feature nomination, could David Ellison win an Oscar?

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

#TheSocialReckoning feels more like a spiritual successor to “The Social Network” than a direct sequel. It might not be another generation-defining masterpiece, but it is slickly written, well-acted investigative journalism picture about Facebook’s dire side effects.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Time to find out what happened to that Zuckerberg fellow, and if The Facebook destroyed society. #TheSocialReckoning.

110

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

If you missed #TheDoomies this past June, Halloween is the ideal time to binge this assorted candy bag of "Gravity Falls" and "Evil Dead." cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

The Doomies Season 1 Review | Binge With a Bag of Halloween Candy

The Doomies is more than good enough.

011

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

During Hollywood’s Golden Age, there were the Big Five studios: 20th Century Fox, MGM, RKO, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Universal was a Little Three studio along with Columbia and United Artists. With the Skydance merger, what remained of the Big Five has been demoted to brands.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Despite everything that has gone down today, I know this much is true. In another 100 years, #Paramount and #WarnerBros. are still going to be names that everyone knows. Nobody outside of the film community is going to have any idea what #Skydance is.

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Megan Ellison, please deliver us.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Between #RayGunn and #Wildwood premiering at BFI ahead of AFI Fest, Animation Is Film Festival, Pixels and Pencils at SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and the first ASIFA-Showcase, the Best Animated Feature race is about to heat up. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Five Fall Film Festivals That Can Influence the Best Animated Feature Race

Fall film festival season is in full swing, and some of the most exciting titles are animated features.

110

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Whether or not #ForgottenIsland can pull a 180 at the box office during its second weekend, I believe it's still a major Best Animated Feature contender. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Can Forgotten Island Make an Oscar Comeback Amid Box Office Disappointment?

The Academy should remember Forgotten Island even if audiences forget to see it.

051

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I wasn’t the biggest fan of #VerityMovie several months ago when it was called "The Housemaid." At least Anne Hathaway understood the assignment here! My review: cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Verity Review | Fifty Shades of Hathaway

So far this year, Anne Hathaway has survived dinosaurs, suitors, and the devil. Can she survive Colleen Hoover, too?

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So far this year, Anne Hathaway has survived dinosaurs, suitors, and the devil. Can she survive Colleen Hoover, too? #VerityFilm

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm not sure if #DiggerMovie needed to dig a little deeper or stop digging halfway through. Either way, there's a lot to admire in a film that somehow feels kind of empty. My review: cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Digger Review | Nick’s Flick-Reel

You gotta dig a little deeper!

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Everyone in #DiggerMovie is working overtime, from the cast, to the production designers, to the makeup artists who transformed Tom Cruise. Other elements work too hard, with dialogue that’s often difficult to make out, an intrusive score, and distracting sound design. It’s… a lot.

010

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#ForgottenIsland is an original film, but its inspirations came from a personal place for the filmmakers. Here’s how DreamWorks’ latest film adapts Philippine myth: youtu.be/-VZyFenKsAE?...

youtu.be

How Forgotten Island Adapts Philippine Myth

YouTube video by MsMojo

040

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The race for Best Animated Short is heating up. Here are 25 contenders we could potentially see at the 99th Academy Awards. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... #Oscars

cartooncontender.com

99th Academy Awards | 25 Potential Best Animated Short Contenders

Cartoon Contender looks at 25 Best Animated Short contenders for the 99th Academy Awards.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#ForgottenIsland directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado became friends while working on “Kung Fu Panda 2,” which came out the same day as “The Hangover Part II.” I’m curious if Crawford and Mercado saw “Hangover II” and said, “We can do it better.”

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The trailer for Brad Bird's #RayGunn suggests that we have a Best Animated Feature Oscar contender on our hands... but does that mean David Ellison is gonna win an Oscar? cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Ray Gunn Looks Great… But Can David Ellison Win an Oscar?

If Ray Gunn gets a Best Animated Feature nomination, could David Ellison win an Oscar?

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Every movie that #Netflix is campaigning for Best Animated Feature: “I Am Frankelda” “In Waves” “Ray Gunn” “Steps” “Swapped”

020

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

While #ForgottenIsland is constantly in motion, it’s rooted in a meaningful friendship that gives the astounding and often hilarious imagery onscreen life. My review: cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Forgotten Island Review | The Hangover Sequel We Deserve!

Memories can easily slip away, but Forgotten Island is a film that’s going to stick with people.

021

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#ForgottenIsland isn’t just one of DreamWorks’ funniest, most heartfelt, and visually arresting films. It’s perhaps the closest that the studio had come to “Spirited Away” territory in terms of word building. It’s also the “Hangover” sequel we deserve!

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Lance Oppenheim brings a “Nightcrawler” eye to #Primetime. As Chris Hansen, Robert Pattinson balances overconfidence and desperation, playing an opportunist who feels the walls closing in on the cage he’s created. My review: cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...

cartooncontender.com

Primetime Review | Nick’s Flick-Reel

Primetime presents Chris Hansen for what he was above all else: an opportunist.

000

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I guess this means they’re going to churn out Police Academy 8-37 all in one year.

110

Nick Spake @cartooncontender.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Yes, but let’s wait two years for another president to give it to them.

010