There’s never been a contender quite like Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee. Not only is the film Denmark’s official submission for Best International Feature Film, but it’s also a strong chance for nominations in both Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature. And it could make history as the first documentary nominated for Best Picture. Its best chance likely lies with the animated prize where it could be the film to break Pixar’s stranglehold on this category.
But, of course, we can never truly rule out the power of Pixar and Disney. Both studios have strong competitors this year with Luca and the as-yet-unseen Encanto, respectively. The former debut on Disney+ way back in June to strong reviews, while the latter comes from the directors of the Oscar-winning Zootopia (the last Disney film to win this category) and features new music from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Then there’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines, aka Netflix’s great hope this season. The streaming giant came achingly close to a victory in 2019 with Klaus, which fell to the might of Toy Story 4. The film has received staggeringly positive reviews (98% on Rotten Tomatoes), but will that be enough with such a strong field of contenders?
That fifth slot is really open to any number of possibilities. The Academy does occasionally look to honour smaller, independent animated films in this category, which bodes well for films like Where is Anne Frank, Charlotte, and Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. All three are still searching for distribution in time to be in contention, so only time will tell if they’ll even be eligible.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. Flee (Neon)
2. Encanto (Disney)
3. Luca (Disney/Pixar)
4. The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Netflix)
5. Belle (GKIDS)
IN CONTENTION
The Boss Baby: Family Business (Universal Pictures)
Charlotte (TBC)
Cryptozoo (Magnolia Pictures)
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (TBC)
Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney)
Ron’s Gone Wrong (20th Century Studios)
Sing 2 (Universal Pictures)
The Summit of the Gods (Netflix)
Vivo (Netflix)
Where is Anne Frank (TBC)