The Empire Strikes Back's Yoda: Why Did He Get Snubbed for an Oscar?

In 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back continued the iconic Skywalker Saga.

Empire Strikes Back Oscar Snub

This is considered a movie classic in cinema history but there was one thing that George Lucas really didn't agree with. The movie got lots of attention, but Lucas' attempts to gain the Oscar spotlight for Yoda did not pan out! He was convinced that the acting skills of Frank Oz should be acknowledged, but sadly the award ceremony didn't make that a reality!

Even though Empire Strikes Back took the entire Star Wars franchise to an incredible new level, raising the stakes of this well loved franchise.

The Power of Yoda:

While we know Yoda is iconic! He had the role as the trainer to Luke Skywalker as his former Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi died. It gave a new understanding of the Force as it impacted those around him! What makes Yoda truly special is he was a character who has been around for a few "Star Wars" films. We get a whole new sense of this Jedi Master!

In the earlier days of "Star Wars," Yoda, was brought to life through a brilliant, memorable performance by Frank Oz, and brought those puppeteering skills to life, making a unique and entertaining performance as "Yoda."

Oscar Snubbed:

The director of this masterpiece, George Lucas felt that Oz's acting in the Star Wars series should be acknowledged! Lucas wanted him to get an Oscar, but as history proved, it did not happen! What might surprise some "Star Wars" fans, that puppetry back in the early days wasn't viewed as real artistry. Lucas went on to say, it really is art, but that was not the general sentiment!

You see, even as CGI characters made a bigger, and larger impact. This didn't mean those who gave these performers life would be celebrated!

Fans of "Star Wars" knew that Yoda was so real. What was really happening is that Oz was showing the highest caliber of puppet artistry!

The real challenge that so many filmmakers take on is creating a character that comes to life in the real world but also to take that audience, that viewer and make them suspend their disbelief.

Oscar's Inconsistent Perspective on Art

It looks like The Academy has been known for giving some amazing recognition to the films it considers worth their spotlight but has also overlooked films like the fantasy and science fiction movies. For those in "The Lord of the Rings" film franchise, that seems like a bit of an unfair exception, but it's a great testament for that series and those who helped create it.

Lucas' effort was truly to honor what they brought to the film because it was Oz who gave us the best "Yoda." And in that era when they didn't have CGI, it would have been very difficult to see how that story would come together. The character might have ended up a source of comedy rather than an essential component of this incredible story.

It's true, though, that even now. We see that The Academy has struggled to understand what it truly takes to make a movie. What Lucas really wanted was a true sense of recognition for a powerful character that was portrayed so amazingly. Even more, it is a constant struggle to figure out the value of movie arts, with more recognition given to actors playing characters with humans instead of fantasy or science fiction roles.

The iconic actor, Andy Serkis. It appears he has always struggled for Oscar recognition despite playing iconic roles like Gollum in the "The Lord of the Rings" movies as well as "Caesar" in the latest adaptations of "Planet of the Apes."

It's not so easy, however. To get some perspective on all the artistry that's put into creating those memorable characters but it's all a reflection that The Academy needs to give these figures more respect and look at them as true actors!

It appears that many fans might not agree, but the academy needs to look at how the arts are celebrated and the definition that they might be lacking, in a big way, of what it means to create "art."

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• The Empire Strikes Back's Yoda: Why Did He Get Snubbed for an Oscar?