The award for Best Animated Feature has been one of my favorites to follow over the past few years. Every year, some of the best films have been awarded in this category, and we even saw a battle that came down to the very end this past season, with The Boy and the Heron besting the favorite, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This year is no different, with some big-name sequels being released from the giants of animated film studios; however, as we’ve seen over the past few years, maybe those giants aren’t as big anymore. While there are bound to be some under-the-radar films that are released and gain momentum—who saw Robot Dreams coming last year—this is my early look at how the Oscar race for Best Animated Feature could play out.
- The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (Warner Bros. Animation)
Director: Pete Browngardt
Cast: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol
Synopsis: Daffy Duck and Porky Pig try to save the Earth from an alien invasion.
Release: Fall 2024
The Looney Tunes series has never done well in terms of the Academy Awards, making this film a massive wildcard. So, while this movie might be good, will it be enough to tear down that barrier? The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie could follow a path similar to that of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles last year; while Mutant Mayhem was one of the best animated films of 2023, it missed an Oscar nomination.
- Despicable Me 4 (Illumination)
Director: Chris Renaud
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristin Wiig, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove
Synopsis: Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison to enact revenge on Gru, who is now living peacefully with his new son, Gru Jr.
Release: July 3, 2024
I do not think a nomination for Despicable Me 4 is a real possibility; however, the minion craze shows no signs of slowing down at the box office. Notably, no film from this franchise has made it into the final Oscar 5 since Despicable Me 2 in 2014. So, will the fourth installment of this series bring them back to the Dolby Theater? There’s at least a chance.
- Fixed (Sony Pictures Animation)
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Cast: Adam DeVine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen
Synopsis: A blue bloodhound finds out he will be neutered in the morning.
Release: 2024
An argument could be made that, had there been a Best Animated Feature category back in 2000, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut would have been nominated, given that it still came away with a nomination for the song “Blame Canada.” However, since the introduction of the category, there has never been an adult R-rated comedy in the Oscar 5. Fixed has a stacked cast, but will it be monumental enough as a film to change the “kid” narrative that has plagued this category for years?
- The Garfield Movie (Sony)
Director: Mark Dindal
Cast: Chris Pratt, Hannah Waddingham, Samuel L. Jackson
Synopsis: Garfield reunites with his long-lost father, who draws him into a high-stakes heist.
Release: May 24, 2024
While I highly doubt a nomination for The Garfield Movie is likely, it would be ignorant not to include it on this list. Over the past few years, films similar to The Garfield Movie have garnered awards buzz, like Minion: The Rise of Gru and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While neither film performed exceptionally well critically, both had massive box office earnings, keeping them in the conversation, and with the film already making $50 million, there’s a chance for a massive turnout. Time will tell with The Garfield Movie, but if the money is there, so is the possibility.
- Inside Out 2 (Pixar)
Director: Kelsey Mann
Cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Tony Hale
Synopsis: Riley is now a teenager and is experiencing all-new emotions.
Release: June 14, 2024
Pixar is in a lull regarding the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The 11-time winning studio has gone without a win since 2020’s Soul. Inside Out was a massive hit; however, no sequel has won this award since Toy Story 3 and 4— and technically Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. While Inside Out 2 has a clear advantage, it’s still an uphill battle. But, if we have learned anything, it’s not to count out Pixar.
- Kung Fu Panda 4 (DreamWorks)
Director: Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine
Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis
Synopsis: Po is positioned to be the next Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, which means he must find a new Dragon Warrior.
Release: March 8, 2024
There is precedent here, as both Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 were nominated for an Oscar; however, it seems unlikely, given the tepid response to the film and the early release date. It is still important to mention it as a possibility, but as you will see with a movie later on this list, DreamWorks might have more on its mind.
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (Warner Bros. Animation)
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Cast: Brian Cox, Miranda Otto, Shaun Dooley
Synopsis: The untold story of Helm’s Deep and its founder, Helm Hammerhand.
Release: December 13, 2024
There has been a resurgence in Lord of the Rings properties over the past few years. First, the Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power broke records for being the most expensive TV show ever made. It was also just announced that Andy Serkis will direct a new live-action film, The Hunt for Gollum, releasing in 2026 with Peter Jackson set to produce.
This could be a perfect time for one of the most awarded franchises, including a film that went 11/11 at the Oscars, to return to the Oscar stage. While no anime outside of Miyazaki has ever won the animated feature Oscar, name recognition for the Lord of the Rings could be a big selling point.
- Moana 2 (Disney)
Director: David G. Derrick Jr.
Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk
Synopsis: An older Moana ventures deep into Oceania after receiving a mysterious call from her ancestors.
Release: November 27, 2024
The announcement of Moana 2 shocked most people, given that a live-action remake of the original was announced in early 2023, and this sequel was only announced at the beginning of this year. Still, the original Moana was a remarkable film that maybe should have won the Oscar back in 2017. Will this be the time to fix that? Or will this be another close call? No matter what, I’m looking forward to seeing how far they’ll go.
- Orion and the Dark (Netflix)
Director: Sean Charmatz
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Colin Hanks
Synopsis: A boy with an active imagination faces his fears alongside a new friend: Dark.
Release: February 2, 2024
Netflix released Orion and the Dark in February, and it opened to generally positive reviews (91% on Rotten Tomatoes). Even though the release seems a bit early, Netflix has proven to be a force when it comes to the Best Animated Feature category. They have garnered five nominations (I Lost My Body, Klaus, Over the Moon, The Sea Beast, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) and one win (Pinocchio). Along with those five nominations, two additional nominees were distributed by the streaming service (Mitchells vs the Machines and Nimona) I don’t think Orion and the Dark will break into the Oscar five, but you can’t count Netflix or screenwriter Charlie Kaufman out yet.
- Spellbound (Netflix)
Director: Vicky Jenson
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem
Synopsis: Princess Ellian must go on a daring quest to save her parents and kingdom after her parents are transformed into monsters.
Release: 2024
Vicky Jenson is directing Spellbound, and if that name isn’t familiar to you, then let me just say she also directed a movie by the name of Shrek. Yes, the director of the first-ever Best Animated Feature winner is now taking her talents to Netflix in a brand new animated musical with a stacked cast of Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, and one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood, Rachel Zegler. This film has been tossed around for years, bouncing from studio to studio, but it looks like Netflix will ultimately reap the rewards that come from it—if it manages to be a good film.
- Thelma the Unicorn (Netflix)
Director: Jared Hess, Lynn Wang
Cast: Brittany Howard, Will Forte, Jon Heder
Synopsis: After Thelma the Pony is covered with glitter and stuck with a carrot, she becomes pop sensation Thelma the Unicorn.
Release: May 17, 2024
The trailer for Thelma the Unicorn didn’t wow me in any way, but the movie looks cute enough to be a possibility, and the Netflix name doesn’t hurt. There is also a massive cast attached to it. Will Thelma be unique enough to break into the Oscar 5?
- Transformers One (Paramount Animation)
Director: Josh Cooley
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson
Synopsis: The untold origin of Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Release: September 20, 2024
Something intriguing about Transformers One is that it has been quite some time since this franchise has returned to its animated roots. However, the big question is, is it too little too late? Transformers as a brand has been all over the place in the years post-Michael Bay, with films like Bumblebee resetting the timeline once again. It is unclear where this franchise is going, and while Transformers One could be a hit and follow a similar path to that of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles last year. Doing yet another origin story is a considerable risk that might not pan out as well awards-wise as it might at the box office.
- Ultraman Rising (Netflix)
Director: Shannon Tindle, John Aoshima
Cast: Christopher Sean. Rob Fukuzaki, Hiro Nakamura
Synopsis: A superstar baseball player returns to Japan to carry the mantle of Ultraman.
Release: June 14, 2024
Once again, I am including this because of the Netflix factor, but Ultraman: Rising at least has a level of wonder because it is based on a long-running Japanese character. This film could gain enough worldwide attention to make it into the Oscar lineup, or it could be an interesting Netflix release made for fans.
- The Wild Robot (DreamWorks)
Director: Chris Sanders
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara
Synopsis: An intelligent robot named Roz is stranded on an abandoned island after a shipwreck.
Release: September 27, 2024
DreamWorks has not released an awards contender in quite some time, with its last win coming in 2006 for Wallace and Gromit: the Cure of the Were-Rabbit. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was a major surprise in 2022, but Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was just too strong a contender. That being said, the trailer for The Wild Robot looks breathtaking and genuinely feels like something new to DreamWorks. It will have stiff competition, especially from a few sequel projects from major contending studios. Still, if the film is as good as the trailer showed it could be, we could be looking at something extraordinary.
- Untitled Wallace and Gromit (Aardman Animations)
Director: Merlin Crossingham, Nick Park
Cast: Ben Whitehead
Synopsis: Gromit is concerned that Wallace has become over-dependent on his inventions.
Release: 2024
Don’t ask me why, but the academy loves what Wallace and Gromit have been doing. Aardman Animations has picked up four nominations, including a win for Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This will be the first mainline film in the series since 2008, and since both spin-offs of Shaun the Sheep: The Movie and Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon picked up nominations, I feel pretty confident that the academy enjoys these films.
There are always bound to be surprises throughout the year, but now, this is where I see the race. I think it will be heavy on the sequels and IP-driven projects, but ultimately, The Wild Robot will capture hearts like Wall-E did years ago.
Prediction:
- The Wild Robot
- Inside Out 2
- Moana 2
- Untitled Wallace and Gromit
- Spellbound
Next Up:
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
- Orion and the Dark
- Transformers One
- The Garfield Movie
- Despicable Me 4
- Fixed
- Thelma the Unicorn
- Ultraman Rising
- Kung Fu Panda 4
