"Princess And The Frog" Score Still Oscar Eligible

This news article from Variety describes the final list of eligible movie scores that may get nominated for the Oscar for Best Score. It includes the score for "Princess and the Frog", which actually might raise an eyebrow due to the rules.

"The Princess and the Frog" is on the "reminder list" sent out to the 234 members of the Academy's music branch, implying the Disney animated musical somehow passed muster with the traditionally restrictive branch's executive committee. Randy Newman's score includes seven original songs, and an eighth, by Ne-Yo, is played over the end titles.

Acad rules prohibit "scores diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs" from competing in the original score category.

But what I didn't know about till now was what came next in the article.

The rule was instituted in the mid-1990s, after wins by four Disney animated musicals in the category designed to reward "dramatic underscoring," not multiple songs. So a possible win for "original score" by a Disney animated musical this year would be ironic considering the origins of the rule.

Yeah, I can see why that would look rather ironic.

Still, I'm not sure of the chances of "Princess" even getting the nomination, much less, a win, in this category. I think I noticed more of the musical number, rather than the score. Still, we shall see soon enough how the nomination will turn out.

Zz.