The Boss Baby

(DreamWorks Animation | 20th Century Fox) Director: Tom McGrath Release Date: March 31, 2017 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 52% Synopsis: As if being confronted with a newborn brother isn’t disruption enough in the life of a seven-year-old boy, it turns out the baby possesses an adult intellect, a CEO mentality, and a mission: to find out why puppies are becoming more beloved than babies. Box Office to Date: $498.9 million worldwide The Word: “It’s too silly to be a slog, but it’s also too smart to be a whiz-bang, empty-hearted bore. I could have done without the kewpie-doll faces and oversized eyes, but for the most part and where it counts, The Boss Baby gets its kids just right.” – Matthew Lickona, San Diego Reader. Nomination Chances: Not a shoo-in, though the appeal of Alec Baldwin impersonating a toddler disguised as a leader has already been well established.

(GENCO, MAPPA | Shout! Factory, Funimation Films) Director: Sunao Katabuchi Release Date: August 11, 2017 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98% Synopsis: Based on the award-winning manga by Fumiyo Kouno, this wartime tale centers on a young woman living in the Hiroshima area in the 1940s. Suzu’s perseverance and courage underpin an inspirational story about everyday people pulling through a time of violence and chaos. Box Office to Date: $18,215 The Word: “Katabuchi has painstakingly made a discreet celebration of the beauty and quiet poetry of ordinary life that all but imperceptibly changes into a tribute to the resilience and sacrifices of average Japanese people during World War II. Corner of the World is visually evocative, a meticulously hand-drawn, almost photo-realistic tapestry that illuminates the magic inherent in the most commonplace situations.” — Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Nomination Chances: This watercolor-soft heartstring tugger has won over festivals the world over, from Annecy to L.A., and took the prestigious Japan Academy Prize for animation. World could be this year’s artsy anime standout, though the field is mighty crowded.

Studio: Unified Pictures Director: John Stevenson Studio: Sony Pictures Animation Director: Tony Leondis Studios: Science Saru/Tohos Director: Masaaki Yuasa Studios: Washington Square Films, Electric Chinoland, Low Spark Films/GKIDS Director: Dash Shaw Studios: Allspark Pictures, DHX Media/ Lionsgate Director: Jayson Thiessen Studios: Science Saru, Toho Director: Masaaki Yuasa Studios: Dream Factory Group, Eracme Entertainment, Huayi Tencent Entertainment Company, Mandoo Pictures/ Summit Premiere Director: Ash Brannon Studios: Sony Pictures Animation, The Kerner Entertainment Group/Columbia Pictures Director: Kelly Asbury Studios: ToonBox Entertainment, Redrover Co., Ltd., Gulfstream Pictures, Shanghai Hoongman Technology Co./ Open Road Films Director: Aaron Woodley Studios: Sony Pictures Animation, Walden Media, Affirm Films, The Jim Henson Co., Franklin Entertainment, Cinesite Studios/Columbia Pictures Director: Timothy Reckart Studios: Little Dream Ent., Coop99 Filmproduktion, ORF, Kino Lorber Director: Ali Soozandeh Studios: National Film Board of Canada, Mehr Studio, Stickgirl Productions, First Pond Director: Ann Marie Fleming Studios: Maybe Movies, 2 Minutes, Dupuis, Belvision, France 3, Gao Shan, Pipangai, Gebeka Directors: Arthur de Pins, Alexis Ducord Compiled by Michael Mallory