While award season in Hollywood tends to focus more on what the stars are wearing on the red carpet or who will win Best Picture, a different category is getting a bigger spotlight this year. There are 19 animated films in the running for the category of Best Animated Film at the 86th annual Academy Awards, which take place on March 2, 2014.
From the current list of 19, at least two and at most five, will be nominated for Best Animated Film at the Oscars this year. Among the unofficial list of titles are crowd-pleasers that boomed at the box office or are likely to be successful upon release, such as “The Croods,” “Despicable Me 2,” “Frozen,” “Monster’s University” and “Planes.” These Disney and Pixar feature flicks are the kinds of movies that people of all ages thoroughly enjoy, and most will probably learn a life lesson by the time the ending credits roll.
Pixar has swept the animated categories in the award seasons for the past several years; however, with this year's list of contenders, it will be a close call. Disney’s “Planes” and “Frozen” will likely be in big competition with Pixar’s “Monster’s University.” Both production companies are notorious for creating movies that people typically praise during award season.
As with every other Oscar category, there are a whole host of films that many movie-goers have never heard of before. Although the more obscure films aren't necessarily fan favorites, they sometimes end up winning on account of the high quality of the movie. Dark horses, such as 2009's “The Secret of Kells” have earned nominations that displaced more high-profile titles.
This year's list of lesser known animated films include: “Ernest and Celestine,” “Khumba,” “A Letter to Momo," “Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion” and “The Wind Rises.” Of all of these contenders, “Khumba” has the biggest star-studded cast, with voiceovers from Liam Neeson and Steve Buscemi, while “Ernest and Celestine” explores the friendship of two mismatched animals in what appears to be a truly heart-warming film. The other titles are foreign, mostly Japanese, and don’t carry the same fanbase in the U.S.; however, that shouldn’t take them out of the running just yet.
Oscar nominations will be officially announced on Jan. 16, 2014. These 19 animated films have been submitted for the honorable award, but keep in mind, only five at most will receive nominations. This year, it is looking like the nominations will stay close to home with many exceptional Disney and Pixar films in the running.
Reach the reporter at alexa.dangelo@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @alexa_dangelo
