Index | Picture | Actress | Actor | Supp Actor | Supp Actress | Director
Screenplays | Visuals | Music and Sound | Animation & Docs | International Film
98th Oscars. Predictions for the Films of 2025/ Ceremony of 2026
For prediction, discussion, entertainment purposes only discuss on the blog
December 26 Predictions
OSCAR FINALIST LISTS IN SELECT CATEGORIES: Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
OSCAR NOMINATION VOTING: January 8-12, 2025
OSCAR NOMINATIONS: Friday January 17, 2025
OSCAR FINAL VOTING: February 11-18, 2025
OSCAR NIGHT: Sunday March 2, 2025
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BEST ANIMATED FEATURE stats reflected animated categories only. * indicates additional Oscar attention in non-animated category |
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KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
It's a ton of silly fun with hummable pop songs and a major pop cultural impact. But we learned from the LEGO movie snub that Oscar's animation branch resists the notion of "locks" . noms:
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ZOOTOPIA 2 Jared Bush and Byron Howard return with al the popular characters from their 2016 blockbuster and it's been well received. The animated branch is sometimes resistant to sequels -- even when they nominate them they don't hand them Oscars (unless they have Toy Story in the title). noms:
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LITTLE AMELIE...
Reviews are strong, it's memorable, and audiences like it. GKids has been fairly good at landing titles in this category. We think it's definitely in though "lock" would be a dangerous word. noms: |
ARCO Ugo Bienvenu
Bienvenu's fantasy won the top prize at Annecy this summer. It's about a boy from the future who travels through time on a rainbow. Its visual style is divisive though. We shall see. Oscar winner Natalie Portman produced. |
MAGNIFICENT LIFE Sylvain Chomet
Director Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville & The Illusionist) returns with a biographical fantasy (set in 1955) about the famous writer Pagnol. The quiet talky French history of it all won't work for everyone but animators respect Chomet. noms: |
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IN YOUR DREAMS
Netflix expected it to be their big contender but KPop's popularity utterly obliterated that notion. that slot. It has a shot given the high profile but given that people aren't really alking about, we are expecting that it misses the list now. noms: |
ELIO Adrian Molina (never nominated), Madeline Sharafian (1 nom), Domee Shi (2 noms \ 1 win)
A good hearted story of a young boy who dreams of being abducted by space aliens... hijinx ensue. Audience reception was quiet and the compromises from production sure do show. But it's still possible -- note those CC & Globes nominations -- as this is Pixar. noms: |
SCARLET While Oscar skipped his previous feature Belle, it was not without buzz, and with a filmography that includes the Oscar nominated Mirai and other treasure he has a fanbase. That said the response to this has been less enthusiastic. noms: |
OLIVIA AND THE CLOUDS This was also a finalist for Dominican Republic's Oscar submission though they chose another film in the end. Despite the EFA nomination the buzz has been quiet. noms:
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DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE Will voters ever become invested in anime (outside of Studio Ghibli that is). So far they haven't shown that their kids are influencing their animated screenings. The Globes nomination will either prove longshot prophetic or just a single moment of chaos. noms:
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OTHER ELIGIBLE TITLES.
WHY WEREN'T THEY ELIGIBLE? from Europe: A Boat in the Garden, Decorado, Fox and Hare Save the Forest, Giants of La Mancha, Grand Prix of Europe, Into the Wonderwoods, Journey of Shadows, The Little Prince of Shangri-La, Maya Give Me a Title, Pelikan Blue, Rock Bottom, Sauvages (EFA nominee last year), from Asia: Gill, Jujutsu Kaisen, Lucy, My Oni Girl, Ne Zha 2, The Storm, Trapezium, Totto-Chan: Little Girl at the Window from South America: Our Crazy Love from Scandinavia: Polar Bear Prince, Spermageddon
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BEST ANIMATED SHORT Tier 1 - Predictions Now that we have the 15 finalists it's time to make predictions. The competition this year is thankfully diverse in animation styles (traditional, experimental, stop motion, cg, pinscreen, etc...) and features four previously nominated animators. You can see a list in preference order here... (IN PROGRESS) stats reflected animated categories only. |
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FOREVER GREEN US An evergreen tree raises an orphaned bear cub. But sometimes the bear just can't help himself. Trash comes between them in a tragic way. This creative pair previously worked on the teams of two Oscar winning features (Zootopia & Big Hero 6) |
THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS Canada Previously nominated for Madame Tutli-Putli (2007) their new jaw-dropper is about a homeless boy, a greedy pawn shop owner, and the miserable girl next door who as the title says... |
THE NIGHT BOOTS France A young boy wanders into the dark forest for a mini adventure in this expressive black and white tale. |
PLAYING GOD Italy The discarded grotesque clay creations of an animator becomes a body horror short |
THE SHYNESS OF TREES Sofiia Chuikovska, Loïck Du Plessis D'Argentré, and Lina Han France An adult woman cannot except that her odd nature-loving mother is dying.
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Tier 2 - Potential Spoilers |
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EIRU Ireland Ferrari worked on incredible features for Cartoon Saloon and as you can expect given the connection her short has graphically compelling visual ideas |
HURIKAN Czech Republic Saska is up for the Czech Lion for this memorably bizarre short about a pig and a search for booze. It also won the Audience Award at Annecy. |
RETIREMENT PLAN Ireland The dryly funny short about a man fantastizing about his retirement is narrated by Domhnall Gleeson |
CARDBOARD UK Vine previously directed the animated feature Ron's Gone Wrong. This is the story of a single pig father and his young piglets playing make believe with a cardboard box. |
THE THREE SISTERS Russia He's been nominated twice -most recently with the stunning We Can't Live Without Cosmos (2015). This short is about three sisters having to rent out one of their houses. |
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Tier 3 - Longer Shots? It's tough to say what's really resonating with voters but ALL 15 have a shot given that it's very difficult to make it this far! |
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THE QUINTA'S GHOST Spain Maribel Verdú narrates this horror short about the artist Goya and his "black paintings" |
SNOW BEAR US Blaise was previously nominated in the feature category for Brother Bear (2003) |
I DIED IN IRPIN Ukraine An experimental autobiographical story of a siege, an abusive relationship, and civilians stupidly resisting evacuation. |
BUTTERFLY France A man swimming in the ocean relives water-based memories from his life |
AUTOKAR Poland An immigration from Poland to Belgium via a young girl's perspective |
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Tier 4 - Eligibility? Though the Academy doesn't officially announce an eligibility list anymore (such a shame) according to Cartoon Brew, 113 shorts were made available to Academy voters in this category... a record number!. I was at first quite angry that my favourite animated short in several years -- The Undying Pain of Existence wasn't on the finalist list, but they don't list it among those 113. Will it surface next season or did it just not qualify? (The trademark year marks on shorts -- animated and otherwise -- are often all over the place and regularly are a year earlier than the "calendar" year competition). |
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BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Tier 1 - Predictions Now that we have the 15 finalists, it's time to redo our predictions... Three of the films we had predicted as actual nominees (Deaf President Now!, The Librarians, Orwell 2+2=5 all by previous nominees were eliminated this round. It's a brutal competition each year -- for 2025, a full 201 features were eligible. stats reflected documentary categories only. * |
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2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA Contemporary War Doc. A journalist travels with a Ukrainian platoon to rescue a village. This was Ukraine's Oscar Submission though it did not make the finals in the International category. previous awards: |
COVER-UP Journalism Profile Doc. On Seymour Hersh's coverage of constitutional wrongdoings. Poitras has been nominated for the Oscar in each of the past three decades. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), Citizen Four (2014 - she won), and My Country My Country (2006)
previous awards: |
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR Contemporary Politics Doc. On bodycam footage and a fatal dispute in "Stand Your Ground" Florida.
previous awards: 14 wins including Director at Sundance. Also a nominee at the Gotham, PGA, and Spirit Awards. |
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS Religion and Politics Doc. A look at evangelical influences on Brazilian politics. Costa, who is Brazilian, was previously nominated for Edge of Democracy (2019) previous awards: |
MR NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN Contemporary Expose Doc. A teacher in Russia does undercover work to reveal the propaganda and violence of the regime. This was Denmark's Oscar Submission though it did not make the finals in that International category.
previous awards: 10 including a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. Also up for the PGA Awards. |
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Tier 2 - Potential Spoilers |
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FOLKTALES Adolescence Education Doc. Concerning a "folk school" for teenagers in the arctic. No phones but sled dogs and nature. This filmmaking team was previously nominated for Jesus Camp (2006)
previous awards: |
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS Mohammadezra Eyni & Sara Khaki (never nominated) Profile. Civil Rights Doc. The first female councillor in an Iranian village fights against child marriage and teaches girls how to ride motorcycles.
previous awards: |
MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS - PART 1 Press. Russian-Ukraine War Doc. A profile of independent journalists in Moscow facing a government crackdown.
previous awards 3 wins including Gotham Awards and LAFCA prizes. Also nominated for the Spirit awards. |
SEEDS Racial Politics Doc. A look at Black farmers and the importance of land ownership. previous awards |
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT Medical / Profile LGTBQ Doc. Two poet lovers face an incurable diagnosis. Also made the finals in Best Original Song for Sara Bareilles & Brandi Carlisle's beautiful "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet" duet. White previously made the popular archival doc Good Night, Oppy.
previous awards: 16 and also nominated for the Spirit awards. |
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Tier 3 - Longer Shots? It's tough to say what's really resonating with voters but ALL 15 have a shot given that it's very difficult to make it this far! |
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THE ALABAMA SOLUTION 117 minutes Expose. Justice Doc. Incarcerated men expose a cover-up in a deadly prison system. Jarecki was previously up the Oscar in this category for Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
previous awards: 1 win and also up for the PGA |
CO-EXISTENCE, MY ASS! Profile. Performance. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Doc. Centered around Noam Shuster Eliassi's one-woman show centered on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. previous awards: |
HOLDING LIAT Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Doc. The family of an abducted Israeli fights for her release after the Oct 7th attacks. previous awards: |
MISTRESS DISPELLER Profile. Marriage Doc. A woman hires someone to break up her husband's affair to save her marriage.
previous awards: 16 wins including 2 prizes at Venice. |
YANUNI Profile. Indigenous Doc. A female chief fighting to protect tribal lands. She is pregnant and facing assassination attempts. Ladkani has previously been nominated at both the DGAs (The Devil's Miner) and the Emmys (Sea of Shadows) but not yet at the Oscars.
previous awards: 4 |
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Tier 4 - SOME HIGH PROFILE SNUBS Every year the branch angers passionate fans of some docs. Every year they "snub" something everyone is talking about. This year is no exception! This is an incomplete list of higher profile docs that they passed on.
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BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Tier 1 - Predictions Now that we have the 15 finalists, it's time to make predictions stats reflected animated categories only. * |
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ROVINA'S CHOICE Thomas Jennings & Annie Wong (never nominated) US A doc about the effects of the US killing USAID program and people that have died as a result
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CHILDREN NO MORE: WERE AND ARE GONE Israel On Israeli peace activist vigils for children lost in Gaza |
CLASSROOM 4 US About a course "The History of Crime and Punishment" inside a Prison |
ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS US On the loss of children in US mass shootings. Sheftel was previously nominated for Stranger at the Gate three years ago. |
ALL THE WALLS CAME DOWN US On the LA Fires |
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Tier 2 - Potential Spoilers |
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THE DEVIL IS BUSY US A profile of a woman who protects women from protesters at an abortion clinic in Atlanta |
LAST DAYS ON LAKE TRINITY US About the searching for housing after a mobile park shuts down |
BAD HOSTAGE Mimi Wilcox US on the origins of Stockholm Syndrome |
CASHING OUT Matt Nadel (never nominated) US On cruel insurance policy AIDS profiteering in the 1980s |
ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD US A profile of a journalist killed in the war on Ukraine |
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Tier 3 - Five More Possibilities It's tough to say what's really resonating with voters but ALL 15 have a shot given that it's very difficult to make it this far! |
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HEARTBEAT Stephanie Rapp (never nominated) & Jay Rosenblatt (2 noms) US an intimate portrait of a couple decidin to have a baby. It was shot 25 years ago. Rosenblatt has been nominated twice in the past four years in this category for When We Were Bullies and How Do You Measure A Year? |
WE WERE THE SCENERY US/Canada A doc about two Vietnamese extras in the classic film Apocalypse Now.
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CHASING TIME US On global warming and a 15 year "Extreme Ice" project |
PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS Canada / Chile An experimental doc about donkeys discovering an astronomical observatory |
ON HEALING LANDS, BIRD PERCH US / Vietnam On the aftershocks of the Vietnam War told through famous photos from the time |
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BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT Tier 1 - Predictions Now that we have the 15 finalists, it's time to make predictions. Generally films are eligible in these categories if they win "Oscar Qualifying" prizes at certain Academy approved festivals. |
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ADO US Jenifer Lewis stars in this drama about a rehearsal of Much Ado About Nothing which is interrupted by a school shooter. previous awards: |
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS War drama about a father and son running a makeshift hospital at the frontline of the Ukraine/Russia war. previous awards: |
THE SINGERS Sam A Davis (1 nomination) A comic short about an impromptu sing-off in a bar. Davis was nominated two seasons ago for producing Nai Nai and Wai Po (in Doc Short) previous awards:
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THE BOY WITH WHITE SKIN An albino child is entrusted to a group of gold miners by his hopeful father. previous awards: |
JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA A comedy spoof in which a young woman's marriage proposal is interrupted by bleeding. Her doctor suitor (Mr Dickley) mistakes it for an injury. previous wins: |
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Tier 2 - Potential Spoilers |
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TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA A sci-fi drama about a future where kissing is punishable by death. Starry cast including Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Holy Spider), Luàna Bajrimi (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), and narrated by Vicky Krieps! previous awards: |
THE PEARL COMB A fisherman's wife cures someone of tuberculosis. A doctor is sent to investigate the miraculous claim in this fantasy horror short. previous awards: |
BEYOND SILENCE Netherlands previous awards: |
A FRIEND OF DOROTHY International treasure Miriam Margoyles stars in comic short about a widow and a teenage boy who kicks a ball into her garden. previous awards:
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AMARELA (YELLOW) A Japanese-Brazilian teenager experiences painful emotions during the 1998 World Cup. previous awards: |
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Tier 3 - One More Voting Round To Go. Will They Prove To Be Dark Horses? ALL 15 have a shot given that it's very difficult to make it this far! |
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BUTCHER'S STAIN An Arab-Israeli supermarket worker is wrongly accused of tearing down hostage posters. no IMDb profile for director of film yet previous awards: |
EXTREMIST Latvia An artist is threatened with a ten year prison sentence for pacifist messaging in a supermarket in Moscow previous awards: |
PANTY HOSE What happens to a couple when a hole is found in their tights? previous awards: |
DAD'S NOT HOME Poland Two brothers are hiding the fact that their father has dementia in order to stay together. previous awards:
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BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL About a gifted music student with OCD. Morris is an Emmy winner as a composer (!) for the title music of The Borgias and The Tudors previous awards: |
Index | Picture | Actress | Actor | Supp Actor | Supp Actress | Director
Screenplays | Visuals | Music and Sound | Animation & Docs | International Film