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‘Up’ Will Beat 19 Other Films for Animation Oscar

Published by Jeff Leins on: November 13th, 2009

UpThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a list of the twenty films vying for the “Best Animated Feature” Oscar in March 2010.  The category allows for five nominees, but has only included three potential winners one time since 2001 when the category was added.

This year the Academy is allowing ten nominees for “Best Picture,” which means Pixar’s Up has a solid chance of becoming the second animated film to compete for the highest honor.  (The first was 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.)   However, this year is proving itself a great year for film and a competitive race for the Oscar, so the animation studio may have to settle for this consolation prize.

A surprise announcement is extremely unlikely given the quality of Up’s storytelling, but there have been upsets in the category before.  Pixar’s Cars lost to Happy Feet in 2006 and Monsters Inc. fell to Shrek in 2001.  Then again, Pixar’s competition this year consists of several stop motion animations, a sequel to a movie where a character ate poo, and the resurrection of hand-drawn cartoons.

Here are the 20 candidates:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Astro Boy
Battle for Terra
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mary and Max
The Missing Lynx
Monsters vs. Aliens
9
Planet 51
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
A Town Called Panic
Up

Which do you think should be nominated?  What’s your list of three or five?  Are there any that could upset Up?

  • jeffleins
    I think the category will include Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, The Princess and the Frog, and Ponyo.
  • I agree, and unless the princess and the frog is a million times better than the trailer, or the knew rating system (if it applies to the animated oscar) undercuts up, then it's in the bag. I thought up was overrated, so i'm hoping for an upset.
  • disneycars
    It's amazing how many Full Animated Features are released every year - i believe that we would start seeing more and more Animation movies as candidates to the Best Film Oscar.
  • krun
    I'm gonna say my 5 are: Up, 9, Coraline, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
  • wlkr
    After having seen Mary and Max at a local film festival, I'm gonna say that I can see it upsetting Up, but it's a long shot. It is however a really, really wonderfully told story that I'm gonna be upset if it doesn't get a nomination.

    My 5 is Up, Mary and Max, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Ponyo and Coraline.
  • townie
    Coraline is way overrated. The kids HATED that movie. It's a nasty movie that says awful things about people and does not deserve recognition. The animation can't make up for a story about neglect, betrayal and abandonment.
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