Oscars Shortlist: 10 Feature Films Shortlisted for Best Visual Effects at 96th Academy Awards

Visual Effects Nominees:

“The Creator”

“Godzilla Minus One”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”

“Napoleon”

“Poor Things”

“Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”

“Society of the Snow”

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Per the Academy’s press release:

10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 96th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Jan. 13, 2024. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

Each shortlist is determined by members of that corresponding branch, except for International Feature Film and Live Action Short Film. (Members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.)

The nominations for the 96th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS

“The Creator”
20th Century Studios

“Godzilla Minus One”
Toho International

“Guardians of the Galaxy
Volume 3″
Marvel Studios + Walt Disney Pictures

“Mission: Impossible –
Dead Reckoning Part One”
Paramount Pictures

“Poor Things”
Searchlight Pictures

WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?

With no “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer,” the Best Visual Effects landscape feels wide open, as I would have placed my money on “Oppenheimer” to win it all with Christopher Nolan going to bat for the use of practical effects. Nonetheless, sci-fi and action movies reign supreme in this category, so expect “The Creator” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” to land nominations.

The surprise of the season, “Godzilla Minus One,” looks poised to not only come out of nowhere and take a nomination in this category but with “Oppenheimer” out of the way and all the stressing of how little the budget was for “Minus One,” there’s a more-than-real chance that it now wins the Oscar. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” will get in because of Tom Cruise’s daring feat of jumping a motorbike off the side of the Alps alone. The featurette regarding the stunt was shoved down our throats before the film’s release. With the Academy considering adding a blockbusters category, this would go a long way in bridging that gap for now, and I think they know it.

The final spot I have is going to “Poor Things,” as it is one of the only odds-on Best Picture contenders and has many visual effects. “Napoleon” could also be a Best Picture contender, so getting in here wouldn’t surprise me. Although I’m not sure how visual effects work in an animated feature, I’d love to see “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” also represented here. However, I strongly feel the Academy is not ready to shift to letting animated fairs into this category, so getting in is a big if.

The Creator

Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, & Neil Corbould

September 29, 2023
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Produced by Gareth Edwards, Kiri Hart, Jim Spencer, and Arnon Milchan
20th Century Studios

Synopsis: Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child.

Godzilla Minus One

Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, & Takashi Yamazaki

December 1, 2023
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Produced by Minami Ichikawa, Kazuaki Kishida, Keiichiro Moriya, and Kenji Yamada
Toho International

Synopsis: Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, & Daniel Sudick

May 5, 2023
Directed by James Gunn
Produced by Kevin Feige
Marvel Studios + Walt Disney Pictures

Synopsis: Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Andrew Whitehurst, Kathy Siegel, Robert Weaver, & Alistair Williams

June 30, 2023
Directed by James Mangold
Produced byKathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel
Walt Disney Pictures

Synopsis: Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, & Neil Corbould

July 12, 2023
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Produced by Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and Leifur B. Dagfinnsson
Paramount Pictures

Synopsis: Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission — not even the lives of those he cares about most.

Napoleon

Illia Afanasiev, Henry Badgett, Simone Coco, & Neil Corbould

November 22, 2023
Directed by Ridley Scott
Produced by Mark Huffam, Ridley Scott, and Kevin J. Walsh
Columbia Pictures + Apple Original Films

Synopsis: A portrayal of ambition, love, and the cost of absolute power, Napoleon is an epic that details the rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The film captures his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.

Poor Things

Gábor Kiszelly, Simon Hughes, Dean Koonjul, & Tim Barter

December 8, 2023
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Produced by Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Ed Guiney, and Andrew Lowe
Searchlight Pictures

Synopsis: The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter; a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter.

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire

Michael Gaspar, John ‘D.J.’ Des Jardin, Gregory D. Liegey, & Bryan Litson

December 15, 2023
Directed by Zack Snyder
Produced by Wesley Coller, Eric Newman, Deborah Snyder, and Zack Snyder
Netflix

Synopsis: When a peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, a mysterious stranger living among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.

Society of the Snow

Félix Bergés & Laura Pedro

December 22, 2023
Directed by J. A. Bayona
Produced by Belén Atienza and Sandra Hermida
Netflix

Synopsis: In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they have to resort to extreme measures to stay alive.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Mike Lasker, Alan Hawkins, Bret St. Clair, & Pawel Grochola

June 2, 2023
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson
Produced by Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Christina Steinberg
Sony + Columbia Pictures

Synopsis: Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.