Academy Award Predictions: Animated Feature Film

One of the most clear cut categories at the most recent Academy Awards was Animated Feature Film. usually there are only one or two contenders to take home the Oscar by the time the ceremony rolls around, and the remaining three nominees are usually fairly predictable. The same seems to be the case this year, with both “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “The Boy and the Heron” having shots to win without any real competition from anything else.

Walt Disney will be hoping at least one of their two productions this year make the cut, with both the releases of the underperforming “Elemental” and the yet to be seen “Wish”. Disney or Pixar have dominated this category since its inauguration in 2002, but recent years has seen the Academy begin to move away from favouring the animation juggernaut.

Wish remains one of only two major animated films yet to be seen, the other being Netflix’s sequel to the classic stop motion animation, “Chicken Run”. With Netflix’s other major animated feature, “Nimona”, losing momentum in recent weeks, the streaming giant may have to put all their eggs in one basket to get Chicken Run a nomination.

Strong Contenders

1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
2. The Boy and the Heron (GKIDS)
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount)
4. Wish (Walt Disney)
5. Elemental (Walt Disney) (↑4)

Possible Contenders

1. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Netflix)
2. Nimona (Netflix) (↓2)
3. Suzume (Crunchyroll) (↓1)
4. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Warner Bros.) (↑1)
5. The Inventor (Blue Fox) (NEW)

Outsiders

1. Robot Dreams (Neon)
2. Trolls Band Together (Universal) (↑3)
3. The First Slam Dunk (GKIDS) (↓5)
4. The Monkey King (Netflix) (↓2)
5. Leo (Netflix) (↓1)