27 Films Eligible for Best Animated Feature
Friday, November 11, 2016 at 11:00AM 
[UPDATE: Variety shared a list of 22 a week ago jumping the gun a week ago and we followed suit. Now we've updated on 11/11 with 5 additional titles since the actual list has been revealed]
Twenty-seven films are officially in the mix for Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature. Since the threshold to trigger a five wide shortlist in the category is only sixteen, we'll get five nominees this year. As per usual in this category the US will dominate but one or two of the nominations will surely be nabbed by formidable and lower profile threats from France and/or Japan. The list and a few notes follow...
27 Eligible Features
links go to our reviews
Country listed is country of origin though most animated films are dubbled in English for US release
- 25 April (Australia)
- Angry Birds Movie (US)
- April & The Extraordinary World (France)
- Bilal (United Arab Emirates | Saudi Arabia)
- Finding Dory (US)
- Ice Age: Collision Course (US)
- Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV (Japan | USA)
- Kubo and the Two Strings (US)
- Kung Fu Panda 3 (US)
the first two were nominated. Can they go 3 for 3 despite no buzz this year? - The Little Prince (France)
A global hit but didnt get a substantial release in the US. Its presence on Netflix will help it get seen though - Long Way North (France/Denmark)
- Miss Hokusai (Japan)
- Moana (US)
- Monkey King: Hero is Back (China)
- Mune: Guardian of the Mune (France)
- Mustafa & The Magician (???)
- My Life as a Zucchini (Switzerland)
This film could theoretically be a double nominee - it's also submitted for Best Foreign Film - Phantom Boy (France)
- Ratchet & Clank (Canada/US)
- The Red Turtle (France/Japan)
We'd be shocked if this mesmerizing effort isn't nominated - Sausage Party (US)
They're campaigning hard. Do you think they could surprise? - The Secret Life of Pets (US)
- Sing! (US)
People really seem to like this one and it's probably going to be a big sleeper hit. But box office and Oscar nominations are different things - Snowtime! (Canada)
- Storks (US)
- Trolls (US)
- Your Name (Japan)
- Zootopia (US)
Currently we're predicting that the global hit Zootopia is locked up, the mesmerizing silent The Red Turtle (a Japanese/French production) also seems very likely, as does Laika's Kubo and the Two Strings since all of their gorgeously designed films have been nominated. Disney's musical Moana is about to start screening but unless it shocks everyone by disappointing it looks like a nominee. That leaves a free-for-all for the fifth spot which is probably Pixar's to lose for Finding Dory... but it could. Yes, it was extraordinarily successful but do people really think it's "best" and if so would they really place it on top of their ballot with so many great films eligible this year?
Every film we had anticipated to be eligible on the Oscar prediction chart was. The only titles to emerge that didn't seem like givens are Japan's Your Name (a body-switching high school anime) and France's Mune Guardians of the Moon. Since they're arguably the lowest profile titles stateside, here are their trailers. Get acquainted!
YOUR NAME
MUNE: GUARDIAN OF THE MOON
25 APRIL
MONKEY KING
SNOWTIME!
Reader Comments (12)
I think My Life as a Zucchini will be our 5th nominee. The raves/buzz around that one seems really strong ATM.
Zootopia
Kubo
The red turtle
My life as a Zucchini*
Moana
*Probably: Finding Dory
Nat: I wouldn't be that sure about Kubo. I'd say Zootopia and The Red Turtle are locked, but I'd guess that the other three slots are between six possibilities. In order of current probability: Moana, My Life as a Zuchinni, Sausage Party (not as popular and kind of divisive, but bolder and I'd absolutely buy that that boldness will win it respect among animators), Finding Dory, Phantom Boy and Kubo and the Two Strings. (Even by Laika standards (which amount to "only broke even(ish) (Coraline: $124 million worldwide on a $60 million budget) the first of four times"), it was still a kind of spectacular failure at the box office, not even pulling the $100 some million of ParaNorman or The Boxtrolls. We'll still get Laika movies, because the company is Nike Kid's Vanity Plate, but being Animated Feature nominated every time in spite of a public increasingly shrugging at their efforts? Yeah, I don't buy that.)
Volvagia, except they also nominated Aardman's Pirates! movie from a few years ago, which seemed odd, but also in retrospect totally normal. Kubo is certainly better received critically than that one. It's a stacked category though so outside of Zootopia... I mean, I guess Moana is in since it'll be huge, but I don't think Finding Nemo gets in just like all the other Pixar sequels so far. I'd be predicting Zootopia, Moana, Kubo, Red Turtle (so gorgeous!) and either Miss Hokusai/April/Little Prince.
Regarding Little Prince, we've seen that Netflix can shell out marketing campaigns in the doc category so why not here? And its hand-crafted look could certainly help with its increasingly foreign branch make-up.
I know The Little Prince's distribution was botched, but it has passionate supporters. It could surprise.
Your Name was hugely popular (both critically and with audience) in Japan. If it gets seen, it may surprise. This is quite an exciting category this year. If Disney spends too much attention/money on Moana, even Zootopia is not a lock.
kin: I'd doubt any non-Ghibli anime will be making it for 15-20 years. If something as weighty as Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie - Rebellion couldn't make it in 2013, an urbanocide version of The Lake House has no shot in 2016.
I doubt that Kubo will be nominated... I mean a story, where a grandfather kills his daughter and wants to kill his grandson and sisters wanting to kill their own sister. It's too weird and quite stupid and a miss in the box office... And it's not for kids nor for grownups.
I think Zootopia is the only lock (and I hope the winner as well).
Red turtle and Finding Dory are almost locks.
That leaves 2 spots... I won't be surprised if Moana and Sing will get in, but since I haven't seen half of these on the list, it's hard to fill those 2 for sure.
Ratchet & Clank is not on the list, you should delete it...
A review from the guardian was not really excited for moana.
Alas, i think it's gonna be zootopia (win), moana, finding dory, the red turtle, and maybe April/the little prince
Volvagia, stop-motion films are loved by the animation branch so I would be shocked if it does not get in.
Craver, Moana is still in 100% in Rotten Tomatoes in any case.
Craver & Chinoserie -- i've seen Moana and I would be shocked if it didn't make the nominee list.
I think your name. has a real shot for the nomination. It has been the biggest box office hits in Japan (becoming the highest grossing films in Japan this year), was nominated for Main Competition in BFI London Film Fest, and has gained rather strong critical reviews. If When Marnie was There made it several years ago, I think this one could make it.