Nick Spake
@cartooncontender.bsky.social
Author of “Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows.” Available here: https://a.co/d/1Jm5ipo Entertainment Writer at WatchMojo, Flickreel, and Story Monsters Magazine. Member of Phoenix Film Critics Society and HCA. Visit CartoonContender.com
Pinned
Nick Spake
@cartooncontender.bsky.social
· Aug 16
Excited to announce that I've written a trilogy, "Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows,” exploring the medium across the #Oscars, #Emmys, #Annies, & more. Vol 1 and 2 are available now. Vol 3 is coming soon. Animation is ready for the next step. Learn more at CartoonContender.com.
The third volume of "Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows" is out now! Collect the whole trilogy! cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... #Animation #Awards
Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volume 3 Available Now
Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volume 3 is now available to purchase!
cartooncontender.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The third volume of "Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows" is out now! Collect the whole trilogy! cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... #Animation #Awards
“Bright and Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Vol. 3” is here! In this volume, animation makes its long-overdue return to the Best Picture Oscar race, the Annies enter a new era under changing leadership, and a new Golden Age of television animation arrives at the Emmys. amzn.to/4bDkQ3J
Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volume 3
Amazon.com: Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volume 3: 9798887719412: Spake, Nick: Books
amzn.to
February 5, 2026 at 2:33 PM
“Bright and Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Vol. 3” is here! In this volume, animation makes its long-overdue return to the Best Picture Oscar race, the Annies enter a new era under changing leadership, and a new Golden Age of television animation arrives at the Emmys. amzn.to/4bDkQ3J
As uncomfortable as moments of #Pillion can be, the film’s humor, performances, and fascinating central relationship had me submitting to its charms.
February 5, 2026 at 3:59 AM
As uncomfortable as moments of #Pillion can be, the film’s humor, performances, and fascinating central relationship had me submitting to its charms.
I still don't entirely understand what Brat means, but #TheMoment gave me a better idea of how Charli XCX is an artist. My review: www.flickreel.com/the-moment-r...
The Moment Review | Flickreel
The Moment is more honest about its subject than some concert documentaries, despite being a mockumentary.
www.flickreel.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:16 AM
I still don't entirely understand what Brat means, but #TheMoment gave me a better idea of how Charli XCX is an artist. My review: www.flickreel.com/the-moment-r...
My interview with Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski about their Oscar-nominated animated short, #TheGirlWhoCriedPearls. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
Oscar-Nominated Animated Short The Girl Who Cried Pearls Directors Interview
Cartoon Contender speaks with directors Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski about their Oscar-nominated animated short, The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
cartooncontender.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:30 AM
My interview with Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski about their Oscar-nominated animated short, #TheGirlWhoCriedPearls. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
There’s been a lot of discourse about the critic and audience divide with #Melania on Rotten Tomatoes, but at least the Metacritic scores are on the same page.
February 2, 2026 at 5:23 AM
There’s been a lot of discourse about the critic and audience divide with #Melania on Rotten Tomatoes, but at least the Metacritic scores are on the same page.
#Golden from #KPopDemonHunters wins the #Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. It thus became the first k-pop song to win a Grammy in any category. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
Golden From KPop Demon Hunters Wins Grammy (But Not Song of the Year)
Golden from KPop Demon Hunters has won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
cartooncontender.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:29 AM
#Golden from #KPopDemonHunters wins the #Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. It thus became the first k-pop song to win a Grammy in any category. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
Presenting, #EGOT winner Steven Spielberg.
a man holding a trophy next to a woman with the name steven on the back of his chair
ALT: a man holding a trophy next to a woman with the name steven on the back of his chair
media.tenor.com
February 1, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Presenting, #EGOT winner Steven Spielberg.
February 1, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Mercy was a film about AI that AI could’ve written. #GoodLuckHaveFunDontDie also tackles AI, although it could only come from the mind of Gore Verbinski. My review of the latter: www.flickreel.com/good-luck-ha... #GLHFDD
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die Review | Flickreel
Whether or not Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a success out of the gate, the future will surely be kind to Verbinski’s film.
www.flickreel.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Mercy was a film about AI that AI could’ve written. #GoodLuckHaveFunDontDie also tackles AI, although it could only come from the mind of Gore Verbinski. My review of the latter: www.flickreel.com/good-luck-ha... #GLHFDD
My interview with Florence Miailhe, the director of the #Oscar-nominated animated short, #Butterfly. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Butterfly Director Florence Miailhe Interview
Cartoon Contender interviews Florence Miailhe, director of the Oscar-nominated animated short Butterfly.
cartooncontender.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:47 AM
My interview with Florence Miailhe, the director of the #Oscar-nominated animated short, #Butterfly. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
Almost twenty years after “Red Eye,” Rachel McAdams gets back on a plane, although #SendHelp has a very different destination. The film mixes elements of “Misery,” “Triangle of Sadness,” and “9 to 5.” Yet, Sam Raimi’s blood-soaked fingerprints are all over this coat throat castaway story.
January 31, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Almost twenty years after “Red Eye,” Rachel McAdams gets back on a plane, although #SendHelp has a very different destination. The film mixes elements of “Misery,” “Triangle of Sadness,” and “9 to 5.” Yet, Sam Raimi’s blood-soaked fingerprints are all over this coat throat castaway story.
Oscar-nominated vampires.
January 31, 2026 at 4:23 AM
Oscar-nominated vampires.
With the way several #Oscar races are shaping up, #KPopDemonHunters might be this year's most awarded film not in Best Picture. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
Will KPop Demon Hunters Be This Year’s Most Awarded Oscar Nominee Not in Best Picture?
KPop Demon Hunters could be the most awarded film at the 98th Oscars that isn't up for Best Picture.
cartooncontender.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:48 PM
With the way several #Oscar races are shaping up, #KPopDemonHunters might be this year's most awarded film not in Best Picture. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev...
From her early work on “SCTV” with fellow then-up-and-comers like Eugene Levy and John Candy to her film roles in blockbusters like “Home Alone,” not to mention her various collaborations with directors like Tim Burton and Christipher Guest, Catherine O’Hara cemented herself as one of the greats.
January 30, 2026 at 6:41 PM
From her early work on “SCTV” with fellow then-up-and-comers like Eugene Levy and John Candy to her film roles in blockbusters like “Home Alone,” not to mention her various collaborations with directors like Tim Burton and Christipher Guest, Catherine O’Hara cemented herself as one of the greats.
#GLHFDD is like a season of “Black Mirror” if the episodes all merged into one. Gore Verbinski is a director who throws everything at the screen. Some of it’s funny, some of it’s thought-provoking, some of it’s weird for the sake of weirdness, and all of it’s highly entertaining.
January 30, 2026 at 4:28 AM
#GLHFDD is like a season of “Black Mirror” if the episodes all merged into one. Gore Verbinski is a director who throws everything at the screen. Some of it’s funny, some of it’s thought-provoking, some of it’s weird for the sake of weirdness, and all of it’s highly entertaining.
Want to watch this year's #Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short, Live-Action Short, and Documentary Short in theaters? Roadside Attractions has ya covered. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... #Oscars
How to Watch 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts in Theaters
Roadside Attractions and Taika Waititi are collaborating to present this year's fifteen Oscar-nominated shorts theatrically.
cartooncontender.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Want to watch this year's #Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short, Live-Action Short, and Documentary Short in theaters? Roadside Attractions has ya covered. cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... #Oscars
Really? Bret Ratner made a Melania documentary? That’s like if Joseph Goebbels made a documentary about Eva Braun. Even the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda would be like, “Guys, what are we doing here?”
January 29, 2026 at 6:33 AM
Really? Bret Ratner made a Melania documentary? That’s like if Joseph Goebbels made a documentary about Eva Braun. Even the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda would be like, “Guys, what are we doing here?”
Am I the only one who watched #AKnightoftheSevenKingdoms and started thinking about “Freak the Mighty?” The film version of that book is also underrated.
January 29, 2026 at 5:54 AM
Am I the only one who watched #AKnightoftheSevenKingdoms and started thinking about “Freak the Mighty?” The film version of that book is also underrated.
If #KPopDemonHunters wins Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, it'll be the first non-Disney/Pixar animated film to take home multiple #Oscars.
a group of cartoon girls are standing next to each other with their arms in the air .
ALT: a group of cartoon girls are standing next to each other with their arms in the air .
media.tenor.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:37 PM
If #KPopDemonHunters wins Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, it'll be the first non-Disney/Pixar animated film to take home multiple #Oscars.
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, and more animated projects nominated at the 2026 #SaturnAwards! cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... @saturnawards.bsky.social
2026 Saturn Awards | Animation Nominees
The Day the Earth Blew Up, Demon Slayer, Ne Zha 2, and more animation among the 2026 Saturn Award nominees.
cartooncontender.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:16 PM
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, and more animated projects nominated at the 2026 #SaturnAwards! cartooncontender.com/news-and-rev... @saturnawards.bsky.social
Should you seek shelter from #Shelter? Find out in my review: www.flickreel.com/shelter-revi...
Shelter Review | Flickreel
There isn’t much fun to be had in Shelter.
www.flickreel.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Should you seek shelter from #Shelter? Find out in my review: www.flickreel.com/shelter-revi...