FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: NINETEEN ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS

These are your Animated Feature films up for contention. With a mixed bag between U.S. and foreign films, box office smashes and flops, or soon to be released, these are the films that have the chance to make the short list and become an Oscar nominated film. With “The Wind Rises” being announced as likely to be Hayao Miyazaki’s final film and already being honored by the Academy for “Spirited Away”, it would be no surprise if his final endeavor made the final cut. Also, Dreamworks’ “The Croods” feels like Oscar fodder, for sure, with a strong message and visuals. Pixar’s release for the year, “Monster’s University” could easily also make the cut, with “Monsters, Inc.” having been nominated in its year, with Randy Newman actually winning for Best Original Song. Disney’s ventures in “Frozen” and “Planes” should also not be counted out. And the box office hit of “Despicable Me 2” is also on people’s radars. And this is mostly just the American entries. Every year a few foreign animated features make the short list and this year will be no different, but those can be anyone’s guess. A few films you probably won’t see nominated for an Oscar this year: “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2”, “Free Birds”, “Turbo”, and “The Smurfs 2”, which did not have great showings and were not critically acclaimed.

• “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”
• “The Croods”
• “Despicable Me 2”
• “Epic”
• “Ernest and Celestine”
• “The Fake”
• “Free Birds“
• “Frozen”
• “Khumba”
• “The Legend of Sarila”
• “A Letter to Momo”
• “Monsters University”
• “O Apóstolo”
• “Planes”
• “Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie – Rebellion”
• “Rio: 2096 A Story of Love and Fury”
• “The Smurfs 2”
• “Turbo”
• “The Wind Rises”