Last year there were only three nominees for Best Animated Feature. This year, due to the large amount of animated films hitting screens, the number of slots has expanded to five. A total of eighteen films qualify for the award. Here’s the list:
- Rango
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- Puss in Boots
- Rio
- Cars 2
- Hoodwinked Two! Hood Vs. Evil
- Gnomeo & Juliet
- Mars Needs Moms
- Winnie the Pooh
- The Adventures of Tintin
- Arthur Christmas
- Happy Feet Two
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
- The Smurfs
- Alois Nebel
- A Cat in Paris
- Chico & Rita
- Wrinkles
Out of those films, I’m betting on Rango, Tin Tin, and Cars 2 making the cut. The major talent behind each film can’t be ignored. The remaining two slots are wild cards, my money’s on A Cat In Paris fulfilling the near obligatory Foreign Animation slot and Happy Feet Two getting in there just so there’s a repeat of the 2006 ceremony where both originals were pitted against each other. Rio might get in there instead, but I doubt it.
And out of those five? It’s gonna be Tin Tin. It’s getting enormous critical praise and many are citing it as Spielberg’s return to his Raiders, Jaws, and Jurassic Park sensibilities. The film is going to be a major hit, too big for the Academy to ignore.
As the award season heats up I will surely be commenting more and more on the madness, so look for the “Oscar Talk” tag if you, like me, love following the awards season and placing down odds.
