Not everyone was laughing atthe Oscars‘Catsbit on Sunday night.
But the Visual Effects Society didn’t think the bit was funny, saying they felt it diminished their art form and turned visual effects into a joke during the ceremony.
“In presenting the Academy Award for outstanding visual effects, the producers chose to make visual effects the punchline, and suggested that bad VFX were to blame for the poor performance of the movieCats,” a statement from the Visual Effects Society read,according toThe Guardian.“The best visual effects in the world will not compensate for a story told badly. The Visual Effects Society is focused on recognizing, advancing and honoring visual effects as an art form — and ensuring that the men and women working in VFX are properly valued.”
“On a night that is all about honoring the work of talented artists, it is immensely disappointing that The Academy made visual effects the butt of a joke,” the statement continued. “It demeaned the global community of expert VFX practitioners doing outstanding, challenging and visually stunning work to achieve the filmmakers’ vision…Moving forward, we hope that The Academy will properly honor the craft of visual effects — and all of the crafts, including cinematography and film editing — because we all deserve it.”
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To present the category, Wilson and Corden walked out in full bodysuits of theirCatscharacters, complete with feline-inspired makeup on their faces, which was met with laughter from the audience.
“As cast members of the motion pictureCats,” Wilson started off, “nobody more than us understands the importance,” Corden continued, before they both finished, “of good visual effects.”
Catswas released in theaters Christmas week and earned a dismal $6.6 million in its opening weekend against a $95 million budget. The film earned a 17 percent score from critics onRotten Tomatoesand a 58 percent audience score.
source: people.com
