With close to 30 victories from the critics group, the overwhelming favourite animated film during the pre-season has been Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Whether that translates into a win remains to be seen. With nods from BAFTA, Critics Choice, PGA, and the Annie Awards, the film is only missing a Golden Globe nomination to collect the clean sweep.
Encanto and Luca do have the clean sweep, so they’re safely secure in the top five. With Encanto becoming a genuine cultural phenomenon, it’s now looking like our leader in this race. Raya and the Last Dragon is missing a BAFTA nod, but they only had four nomination slots, so perhaps that explains its absence. It does give me pause to consider if the animation branch will reject the idea of Disney taking three of the five nomination slots. If that happens, expect to see Raya drop out.
On Tuesday, we’ll learn if Flee makes history as the first film to receive nominations in Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best International Feature Film. While the film missed an animated PGA nod (it was nominated in the documentary category), it did land on BAFTA’s final four animation nominees. And it hasn’t missed anywhere else this season, so I feel like it’s safe with Encanto, Luca, and The Mitchells.
That really leaves that fifth spot up for grabs. I’m playing it safe by sticking with Raya, but the one animated film that has truly risen in January is Sing 2. The film has grossed more than $135 million in the U.S. (the highest-grossing animated film of 2021) and scored a PGA nomination that no one was predicting. Could it steal that last nomination slot?
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. Encanto (Disney)
2. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Netflix)
3. Luca (Disney/Pixar)
4. Flee (Neon)
5. Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney)
IN CONTENTION
The Addams Family 2 (United Artists Releasing)
Belle (GKIDS)
The Boss Baby: Family Business (Universal Pictures)
Cryptozoo (Magnolia Pictures)
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (Bones)
Paw Patrol The Movie (Paramount Pictures)
Ron’s Gone Wrong (20th Century Studios)
Sing 2 (Universal Pictures)
Spirit Untamed (Dreamworks Animation)
The Summit of the Gods (Netflix)
Vivo (Netflix)
