Effects from Academy Award PoDs

[John Fredrick Parker]

I realize we've done threads on alternate Academy Award winners, but I thought we could do a thread looking at how any single different win (alternate Best Picture winner, Best Actor winner, etc) might have affected pop culture, and even larger history, down the road. An example:

PoD: Goodfellas wins Best Picture

Butterflies: This means Dances with Wolves doesn't get the big win; this could well mean Disney doesn't decide to do Pocahontas for their 33rd Animated Feature*; and whatever they chose in its place is a much better film (better received, reviewed, etc), thus, even if it is still followed by Hunchback of Notre Dame, still leads to a longer, and stronger, Disney Renaissance. And that's to say nothing, of course, of Avatar...

So that's the idea. Any thoughts or ideas?

*at the time, producers and/or executives thought Pocahontas was sure to do as well or better than Beauty and the Beast at the Academy Awards, so I think this is a reasonable butterfly to expect

 

[Glass Onion]

Speaking of Disney and Beauty and the Beast, what if that film had edged out a win for best picture? That could have all sorts of interesting consequences.

 

[unclepatrick]

The Two time I really disagree with the Awards were when Tom Hank for Forest Gump beat Nigel Hawthorn for Madness of King George.
The Reason, I had read the book Forest Gump and was looking forward to Hank doing the character. Only the movie forgot to do the Character from the book. Instead it just Special Effects. Hank in old film footage.

I had no interest in Madness of King George. I went because my Girlfriend wanted to see it. From the moment Hawthorn appear in the Film, I was fascinated. He catch my attention and held on till the film end. I found the character interesting, even though I did not like him. This is good acting.

I not sure what the effect would have been if Hawthorn had won. Beyond more Americans seeing the film.

The other was the award for Special effect, the year Terminator 2 won. It was competing with the Ron Howard Film Backdraft. Now I knew that T2 would win. The effect are the most important thing in the film. Everyone talk about the Computer effects.
This is why Backdraft should have won. There were almost as many effect in the film as in T2. but they don't call attention to themselves. The effect are not flashy, but they are there. Every part of the film with building on fire had a mix of miniature work, Matte paintings, and fire work. The effect were so good that you did not realize that you were watching effects.

I can't even think of a POD that would let Backdraft win. It ASB. But It should have.

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

Speaking of Disney and Beauty and the Beast, what if that film had edged out a win for best picture? That could have all sorts of interesting consequences.

This could actually be the start of an interesting TL, where Goodfellas wins in 1991, followed by Beauty and the Beast in 1992, and the TL focused on Disney Animation. To start with, either or both could well mean Pocahontas doesn't get an "oscar makeover", making it a much simpler (and probably better) film. And the Disney Renaissance, taking much less of a hit, goes on strong from there...