Disney's Bolt, DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda & Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and Disney/Pixar's WALL-E are among the 14 animated films that have been submitted for the 81st Academy Awards.
According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this means that only 3 animated films will be eventually nominated on Oscar night. AMPAS requires 16 submitted films to ensure a full slate of 5 nominees.
Which Are the 14 Submitted Films?
Here's the list, with the production and distribution companies - plus directors - in parentheses.
- Bolt (Walt Disney; Chris Williams)
- Delgo (Fathom/Key Creatives; Marc F. Adler, Jason Maurer)
- Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (Blue Sky/20th Century Fox; Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino)
- Dragon Hunters (Dragon Hunter/KOAN; Steve Shimek)
- Fly Me to the Moon (Illuminata/Seville; Ben Stassen)
- Igor (Exodus/MGM; Anthony Leondis)
- Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation; Mark Osborne, John Stevenson)
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (DreamWorks Animation; Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath)
- $9.99 (AFFC/Maximum Films; Tatia Rosenthal)
- The Sky Crawlers (NTV/Sony Pictures Classics; Mamoru Oshii)
- Sword of the Stranger (Bones/Shochiku; Masahiro Andô)
- The Tale of Despereaux (Universal Pictures; Robert Stevenhagen)
- WALL-E (Disney/Pixar; Andrew Stanton)
- Waltz with Bashir (Sony Pictures Classics; Ari Folman)
Bolt, Delgo, Dragon Hunters, $9.99, The Sky Crawlers, The Tale of Despereaux and Waltz with Bashir have yet to screen in Los Angeles, an important detail if their distributors want their films to go on to the final nomination round.
Who Has the Best Shot?
Three films are obvious front-runners in this category, and will probably elbow out any of the other movies.
WALL-E is virtually guaranteed a nomination, given its critical and box office success. Pixar's reputation is golden, given that the studio's won 3 times previously for Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, and WALL-E is clearly the heavyweight in this category.
The only question is whether the fact that Disney is also pushing for a Best Picture nomination for WALL-E will hurt its chances in the Best Animated Feature Film category. Even though Disney is allowed to present WALL-E for contentions in both Best Picture and Best Animated Film, some voters may decide to give it their vote in one category and not the other, dissipating the film's support.
However, that's an unlikely situation. AMPAS may decide to deny WALL-E the Best Picture nomination and give it Best Animated Film as a consolation prize.
Kung Fu Panda may secure a nomination due to its generally positive reviews and stellar box office, but it's unlikely to unseat WALL-E as the clear frontrunner. However, Kung Fu Panda might benefit from Disney's attempt to get Andrew Stanton's film in the Best Picture race.
Waltz With Bashir is likely to be this year's Persepolis: an honoured foreign animated film that won't pose a real threat to the other two movies. While Waltz With Bashir's subject matter will make animation professionals root for it, AMPAS is still of the opinion that animated films are kids' films. Besides, Waltz With Bashir didn't make as much of a critical splash as Persepolis did, winning the Jury Prize at Cannes.
Suite 101's pick?
It's WALL-E award to lose. From a critical perspective, no other animated film has really given it a challenge this year.
The 2008 Oscars will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised by ABC.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
