The lobbying is done. The votes have been counted. The bruises are already beginning to heal. And, if you listened to The Plugged In Show episode that we released yesterday, you know that we—and you—have selected the winners of this year’s Plugged In Movie Awards.
But we know that not everyone has opportunity to listen to every show (though, of course, you really, really should). And some of you just might like to have it all in writing. This blog, my friends, is for you.
Best Movie for Kids
The Nominees: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget; The Little Mermaid; Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie; Spy Kids: Armageddon; The Super Mario Bros. Movie
And the Pluggy Goes to … Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Why weren’t more people talking about this movie? With the animation studios at Disney and Pixar both struggling a bit, great animated films for kids were a bit lacking this year. And while both The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie found some support on our staff, we ultimately gave the nod to this funny, heartening Claymation film on Netflix.
Your vote: The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
No real surprise here. Plenty of people loved Mario et al., making it the second-highest grossing film of 2023. But Wonka garnered loads of support, too, logging several write-in votes. Some said if that film had been nominated, it would’ve gotten their nod of approval.
Best Movie for Teens
The Nominees: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves; The First Slam Dunk; A Million Miles Away; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
And the Pluggy Goes to … A Million Miles Away
Across the Spider-Verse was a fantastic and resonant thrill ride. Are You There God? proved to be a winsome coming-of-age story with plenty of spiritual musings. But Prime Video’s A Million Miles Away, a true story about a kid from a migrant farm family who becomes an astronaut, was just too powerful for us to pass up.
Your vote: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Though the film earned just a wee bit of controversy for some very under-the-radar LGBT nods, that didn’t stop you from celebrating this latest animated superhero story.
Best Movie for Adults
The Nominees: The Boys in the Boat; Godzilla Minus One; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; M3GAN; The Zone of Interest
And the Pluggy Goes to … The Boys in the Boat
There was a pretty robust discussion on all these contenders. But ultimately, we passed on The Zone of Interest’s difficult story and Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s resonant-but-difficult storyline. Instead, we embraced instead this crowd-pleasing, smile-worthy, inspirational true story. And as good as the movie is, our book expert Bob Hoose tells us the book might be even better.
Your vote: You agreed with us by about a wide margin on this one. This is a sweet, old-fashioned story that delivers.
Best Christian Movie
Nominees: The Hiding Place; Jesus Revolution; Journey to Bethlehem; Nefarious; Surprised by Oxford
And the Pluggy Goes to … Jesus Revolution
Focusing on a massive hippie religious revival of the early 1970s, Jesus Revolution topped a field of strong, and startlingly diverse, contenders in the Christian category.
Your vote: Nefarious
When I first started working at Plugged In, I never thought I’d see the day when an R-rated horror flick would land in the PIMAs for Best Christian Movie. It again speaks to the growing diversity we find in faith-based films—and the fact that it was a runaway winner in your vote says something, too. A few readers also would’ve loved to have seen The Blind on our list of nominees.
Now that the votes have been counted, it’s your turn to tell us your opinion. Log your thoughts below. Tell us on Facebook and Instagram. And, of course, thanks as always for hanging out with us.
One Response
I’m still surprised Sound of Freedom got no love, and in my opinion at least Elemental was Pixar’s best film since at least Incredibles 2 and maybe even since Inside Out. Both films should have gotten mentioned.