Kobe Bryant, the former American basketball player, surprised everyone with his Renaissance-man talents this year when he won an Oscar for his work on a short animated film called Dear Basketball. In an exclusive first reported by Cartoon Brew, Kobe Bryant was denied access to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences despite co-winning an Oscar with Glen Keane for the project.
Bryant was contacted about the decision on June 19th via a letter from Bill Kroyer, one of the governors of the Short Films and Animation branch. In the 2017 animated short Dear Basketball, Kobe Bryant pens an open letter to basketball, describing his love and passion for the sport that began when he was a child and persisted until his retirement from the National Basketball Association. Kobe Bryant completed the writing and narration for the project while Glen Keane was responsible for the animation and direction.
Once someone is nominated or wins an Oscar, they are usually given an opportunity to join the Academy branch associated with their win or nomination. However, not everyone who wins an Oscar is automatically accepted into the Academy. When Adele won for Best Original Song with her ballad "Skyfall" back in 2012, she was not invited to join the Academy, and neither was Marc Sondheimer, the producer of Pixar’s animated short Piper back in 2016.
After Bryant won Best Animated Short for Dear Basketball, the Short Films and Feature Animation branch voted that Bryant be permitted entry into their branch. In a rare occurrence, the Governors Committee of the Academy revoked the Short Films and Feature Animation branch's choice, and decided to deny Bryant an invitation. Bryant was reportedly denied admission by the Academy because it was necessary he show “some evidence of a larger career” in animation before he joined their branch.
Bryant’s rejection from the Academy may receive mixed reactions from the film community. Bryant’s Dear Basketball was a heartfelt and diverse tale, and if he were to continue making more films like it, he may serve as the diverse voice that the Academy has been openly searching for to join their ranks. While Bryant's rejection from the Academy may be viewed as a loss since he serves as a much needed pioneer for cultural and diversity representation in films, there was controversy surrounding Bryant’s nomination for Best Animated Short even before his Oscar win, since the basketball player was facing rape charges at the time of his nomination, right at the start of the #metoo movement. While the Academy didn't offically suggest that the rape charges were an influence in their decision, it's reassuring to think this may have had a part in Bryant's rejection, signaling that Hollywood is set on removing the Boy's Club mindset that has always surrounded the film industry.