We now know there are 33 animated films in official contention for Best Animated Feature. That’s six more than last year, for those playing at home. There’s a whole stack of films on here you’ve likely never heard or and quite a few that are still yet to complete their required qualifying release to be eligible once nomination voting commences in January.
Over in the critics groups, it’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse leading the way with over 15 wins including the National Board of Review and featuring on AFI’s Top 10 Films of the Year. But it’s The Boy and the Heron that’s picked up wins with more illustrious critics groups like Los Angeles and New York and featured on the National Board of Review’s Top Ten Films. It’s still anyone’s guess which way the Academy will go.
The Golden Globe nominations honoured both films and gave a good boost to Pixar’s Elemental. Staggeringly, they still nominated Disney’s critically reviled/box office bomb Wish, as did the Critics Choice Awards, which was even more laughable. But its failure to land a spot on the shortlist for either Best Original Song or Best Original Score (categories once dominated by Disney) should really be the death knell of its chances of an Oscar nomination here.
With Spider-Verse, The Boy and the Heron, and Elemental standing as the three films with noms from both the Golden Globes and Critics Choice, that leaves the door open for any number of possibilities for the final two spots. Maybe Wish still makes it in, but there’s a lot of love out there for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and I think its wonderfully original animation style is enough to win over Academy votes. Netflix will likely throw its weight behind Nimona and that might be enough to sneak the final spot.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures) – CCA, GG
2. The Boy and the Heron (GKIDS) – CCA, GG
3. Elemental (Pixar) – CCA, GG
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount Pictures) – CCA
5. Nimona (Netflix) – CCA
IN CONTENTION
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Netflix)
Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibbertia (GKIDS)
Migration (Universal Pictures)
The Monkey King (Netflix)
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (Paramount Pictures)
Robot Dreams (NEON)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal Pictures) – GG
Suzume (Crunchyroll)
They Shot the Piano Player (Sony Pictures Classics)
Trolls Band Together (DreamWorks)
Wish (Walt Disney Pictures) – CCA, GG
