When presenting the award for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars, Jack Black joked that he makes great money every year in the animation business by lending his voice to Dreamworks Animation films, and then betting on them to lose awards to Pixar’s movies.

Black’s strategy is both cynical and wise. These two studios have been responsible for the best animated films of this generation. But somehow, the Pixar name carries more prestige. And despite the life lessons kids have learned from Shrek and Kung Fu Panda over the years, people have come to think of Pixar as the “good for you” studio, despite the fact that there is still a fair amount of moral and educational value in many of Dreamworks’ “for a good time” movies.

I’m not sure exactly where and when this distinction was formed. Maybe it has something to do with the big-name actors these studios often recruit to voice their animated characters. Perhaps people are more inclined to listen to life advice from Toy Story‘s Tom Hanks than Shrek‘s Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy. Critics and audiences tend to associate actors like Myers, Murphy, Black, and Seth Rogen (who lent his voice to both Kung Fu Panda and the current Dreamsworks hit Monsters vs. Aliens) with lowbrow-ish comedy. That prejudice may follow them into their animated work. Comedies always get the shaft when it comes to awards. And while many of Pixar’s films are also comedic, the givers of awards seem able to overlook their humor in favor of their prestigious voice talent, groundbreaking animation, imaginative storytelling, and, of course, life-affirming messages.

The frustrating thing is that the Dreamworks movies share many of these elements. But they also have fart jokes and pop culture references, and that seems to prevent them from getting the respect they deserve. Pixar also had the distinction of being the first studio to break into the computer animated genre. Until someone else comes up with something that changes the game the way Toy Story did, Pixar will always be known as the pioneer, and Dreamworks will always look like the copycat. But despite their inherent rivalry, there is another battle raging in Hollywood in which these two studios should be acting as allies.

Movies like Shrek, Finding Nemo, Kung-Fu Panda, and Wall-E have been massive critical and commercial successes that are destined to be looked on as classics of this generation. But when it comes to the Oscars, they are kept in the “Best Animated Feature” ghetto, despite many critics feeling they deserve a shot at the Best Picture race. All animated films are still looked down on by many as being of lesser quality just because they’re aimed at children. (Because surely, it’s not like living in the Harry Potter era has taught us that children’s entertainment can transcend its intended demographic or anything.) And until these studios can find a way to make the rest of the world judge them in the same way they judge their “adult” live-action counterparts, their rivalry is nothing more than a competition to see who can be the biggest fish in the little pond.

Tags: dreamworks, kung fu panda, pixar, wall-e