USA TODAY International Edition
MOVIES A record 27 top- draw features fight to be Oscar’s animated best
Foxes and rabbits might get along in the anthropomorphic world of Zooto
pia, but the Oscar animation race is absolutely dog- eat- dog.
Zootopia is part of 2016’ s record class of 27 films competing for five best- animated- feature nominations.
“Hands down, this is the strongest year yet for the category, with an abundance of really amazing films,” says Amid Amidi, editor of the animation website Cartoon Brew.
The awards discussion has been dominated by the animal crime caper Zootopia ( which won the Golden Globe and leads the Annie Awards, the animation industry’s top honor, with 11 nominations) and stop- motion warrior adventure Kubo and the
Two Strings ( 10 Annie nominations).
“A few of the buzzy films are sucking air out of the awards discussion, while high- quality contenders, sure things in most years, are under the radar,” says Amidi, who thinks Zootopia and Kubo are close to locks when Oscar nominations are announced Tuesday. “But those final three nomination spots are anybody’s game.”
The big questions in the animation race:
CAN ‘ MOANA’ FLEX ITS MUSCLE?
Disney’s South Pacific adventure is a box- office giant ($ 485 million worldwide) with stellar reviews and a winning performance from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the demigod Maui, along with the songwriting skills of Hamilton creator Lin- Manuel Miranda.
The competitive field makes it tough on even big, strong studio films, says Pete Hammond, awards columnist for Deadline . com. But the two leaders in that group are “Zootopia, obviously, and Moana.”
HOW MUCH WILL OSCARS VALUE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT?
With nominees chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ animation branch, highly praised, lower- profile films typically make the cut.
Michael Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle ( in theaters Friday in New York and Los Angeles), about a shipwrecked man who meets a giant turtle, wowed at Cannes Film Festival. With five Annie Award nominations, including best independent feature, the film is feeling the love from fellow animators, says Daniel Montgomery, senior editor of awards prediction site GoldDerby.com.
“Red Turtle is the best indie bet for a nomination,” he says.
Also vying for a slot: The stopmotion My Life As a Zucchini, which surprised with a Globe nomination for best animated film. While the handcrafted Zucchini hasn’t been widely seen ( it opens Feb. 24 in New York and L. A.), Amidi calls it “easily the best animated feature of 2016.”
Not to be forgotten is Netflix’s The Little Prince, which won a French César award for best animated film. “Any other year, The Little Prince is a major contender,” says Amidi.
WILL SEQUELS GET RESPECT?
Pixar is a perennial favorite but finds itself fighting for a spot with Finding Dory, summer’s smash successor to 2004 best animated feature winner Finding Nemo.
“Even Pixar isn’t safe this year, especially with a sequel,” says Montgomery. 2013’ s Monsters University and 2011’ s Cars 2 didn’t receive nominations, though 2010’ s Toy Story 3 won the Oscar.
Further back in the pack is Kung Fu Panda 3, which grabbed four Annie Award nominations ( including best feature). While the third film in the franchise lacked its predecessor’s box- office steam, both 2008’ s Kung Fu Panda and 2011’ s Kung Fu Panda 2 were nominated for ani
mated feature Oscars.
CAN ‘ SING’ REALLY SING?
Illumination Entertainment’s hit musical Sing didn’t wow critics ( just 70% liked it on review site Rotten Tomatoes), but it’s hitting the right notes at the right time. Releasing it at Christmas keeps the film in Oscar voters’ minds, says Montgomery. “Sing could do it.” The production company’s other major hit, The Secret Life of Pets, which made $ 875 million worldwide, is a dark horse after earning a Producers Guild Awards nomination for best animated feature.