This marks the fourth year that the entire membership of the academy can take part in the nomination stage of the Animated Feature Oscar race. Previously, only select members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch and invited members from the other branches could serve on the committee that decided the nominees. Collectively, the committee tended to favor traditional and stop-motion films over CG fare. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Animated Feature.)
Mandatory attendance at screenings has been dropped and voters who want to be on the nominations committee need only attest to having seen all the contenders at theaters or screenings or by way of the the academy’s streaming site.
And the method of determining the nominees has been changed. Gone is the system where voters scored a film from 6 (poor) to 10 (excellent) with only those movies meriting an average mark of at least 7.5 eligible for a nomination. That method has been replaced by the same preferential ballot used to determine the contenders in acting, directing, writing and the craft categories (except makeup/hairstyling and visual effects) for decades. This system requires members to rank their top five choices and a multi-step system of counting winnows the various contenders down to the final nominees.
The academy is keeping the requirement that at least 16 films be submitted for consideration before there are five nominees. There must still be at least eight entries for this award to be given, with up to 12 meaning there will be three nominees and between 13 and 15 resulting in four. Last year, there were 32 entries and five nominees.
Please note: Only those films with confirmed release dates are listed below. Check back often as new contenders are scheduled while other are dropped due to delays or critical reaction.
DISCUSS All the Oscar contenders with Hollywood insiders in our notorious forums
UPDATED: March 3, 2021
Leading Contenders
“Soul” (Pixar – December 25)
Directors: Pete Docter, Dana Murray
“Onward” (Pixar – March 6)
Directors: Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae
“Over the Moon” (Netflix – October 23)
Directors: Glen Keane, Peilin Chou, Gennie Rim
“A Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon” (Netflix – February 14)
Directors: Richard Phelan, Will Becher
“The Croods: A New Age” (Universal – November 25)
Director: Joel Crawford
“Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV +/GKIDS – October 30)
Directors: Stéphan Roelants, Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young, Nora Twomey
PREDICT the 2021 Oscar nominations through March 15
Strong Contenders
“Bombay Rose” (Netflix – Winter)
Director: Gitanjali Rao
“Scoob!” (Warner Bros. – May 5)
Directors: Tony Cervone, Pam Coats, Allison Abbate
“Trolls: World Tour” (Universal Pictures – April 10)
Directors: Walt Dohrn, Gina Shay
“The Willoughbys” (Netflix – April 22)
Directors: Kris Pearn, Brenda Gilbert, Luke Carroll
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
Possible Contenders
“Lupin III: The First” (GKIDS – December 11)
Directors: Takashi Yamazaki, Takeshi Ito, Naoaki Kitajima, Koji Nozaki
“On-Gaku: Our Sound” (GKIDS – November 20)
Director: Kenji Iwaisawa
“Ride Your Wave” (GKIDS – February 19)
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” (Paramount Pictures – August 14)
Directors: Tim Hill, Ryan Haris
“A Whisker Away” (Netflix – Winter)
Directors: Satô Jun’ichi, Shibayama Tomotaka
We will be updating our Oscar predictions for each competitive category often in the days to come so be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as the race heats up.
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture: Updated – February 22, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Director: Updated – February 23, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Actor: Updated – February 24, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress: Updated – February 24, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor: Updated – February 25, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actress: Updated – February 25, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Adapted Screenplay: Updated – February 26, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Screenplay: Updated – February 26, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Cinematography: Updated – February 12, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Costume Design: Updated – February 12, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Film Editing: Updated – February 12, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Makeup & Hairstyling: Updated – February 22 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score: Updated – February 10, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Song: Updated – February 10, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Production Design: Updated – February 12, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Sound: Updated – March 3, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects: Updated – March 3, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Feature: Updated – March 3, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature: Updated – February 9, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best International Feature: Updated – February 9, 2021
