The Best Animated Feature Oscar has been around for over twenty years. Since its inception in 2002, the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature has given animated movies from all over the world a chance to shine. This year, the race for Best Animated Feature might be more exciting than ever, with a large variety of styles racing for the Oscar.
The Top Contenders for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.
Of course, Disney’s “Zootopia 2” will be among the frontrunners for Best Animated Feature, especially after its record-breaking opening weekend. The original “Zootopia” won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2017, and Disney hasn’t won the award since 2021’s “Encanto,” so audiences will be looking to see if Disney can take their crown back.
However, there will be strong competition in the form of Netflix’s surprise megahit “KPop Demon Hunters,” which took the world by storm earlier this year. In addition, two R-rated anime movies – “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” and “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” – both delivered significant box-office returns, signaling that audiences have a thirst for different kinds of stories told in animation. The success of these films also shows that audiences have an interest in animated films about different cultures.
Other Strong Contenders
The Best Animated Feature Oscar often shines a spotlight on smaller, non-American animated films. While many American animation studios have abandoned hand-drawn animation, it can still be seen in other countries. Case in point, the French film “Arco” fully immerses itself in its hand-drawn style by Ugo Bienvenu.
Other hand-drawn films in contention for the Oscar include “Little Amelie or the Character of Rain,” which goes for an impressionistic style in its art, and “A Magnificent Life,” directed by Sylvain Chomet, who directed previous Best Animated Feature nominees “The Triplets of Belleville” and “The Illusionist.” All of these stories show that traditional animation is still alive, and it would be nice if American studios realized that.
What About Pixar?
During the 2000s and 2010s, Pixar won the Best Animated Feature Oscar most years. However, their latest film, “Elio,” delivered disappointing box-office returns, and the public seems to have largely forgotten about it. While “Elio” will definitely be in the running, an Oscar win or even a nomination is a long shot. Perhaps next year’s “Hoppers” will be Pixar’s chance to shine with a new Best Animated Feature Oscar, or perhaps some smaller films will shine instead.
