The stop-motion animated film “Kubo and the Two Strings” may have the inside track to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. On Sunday, the film won the BAFTA Award in that category, defeating, among others, its Oscar rival “Zootopia.”
Sign up to get Gold Derby’s free newsletter
with experts’ latest predictions and breaking news
Since the BAFTAs started handing out honors for animated films in 2006, the winner has gone on to claim the Oscar, with one exception: in 2014 when “The LEGO Movie” won at BAFTA even though it wasn’t nominated by the Academy.
BAFTA has correctly forecasted the wins for “Happy Feet” (2006), “Ratatouille” (2007), “WALL-E” (2008), “Up” (2009), “Toy Story 3” (2010), “Rango” (2011), “Brave” (2012), “Frozen” (2013) and “Inside Out” (2015).
UPDATED: Oscar Experts predict winners in all 24 categories
The win for “Brave” was especially telling because the awards that year had been going back and forth between that film and “Wreck-It Ralph.” The momentum seemed to be backing “Wreck-It Ralph” until “Brave” triumphed at BAFTA (where “Ralph” wasn’t even nominated) and the on to Oscar glory.
In terms of critical love, “Kubo” is on the same level as “Zootopia.” Both have won 19 prizes from various critics groups from around the United States and both rate in the high-90s at Rotten Tomatoes, “Kubo” with 97% and “Zootopia” with 98%.
Join in the fierce debate about the Oscar contenders
going on right now in our red-hot forums
“Kubo” is the only Animated Feature nominee with significant support from outside that branch of the Academy. The film managed to snag a nomination for Best Visual Effects becoming the first animated film to do since “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in 1993. “Kubo” also reaped a bid from the Costume Designers Guild for Excellence in Fantasy Film, the first-ever for an animated film.
Predict the Oscar winners now; change them till February 26
Be sure to make your Oscar predictions. Weigh in now with your picks so that Hollywood insiders can see how their films are faring in our Oscar odds. You can keep changing your predictions right up until just before winners are announced on February 26 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET. And join in the fierce debate over the Oscars taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our forums.
