Animated Feature Film
CONTENDERS:
ELIGIBLE
“100 Meters”
“All Operators Are Currently Unavailable”
“Arco”
“The Bad Guys 2”
“Black Butterflies”
“Boys Go to Jupiter”
“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc”
“ChaO”
“Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing”
“David”
“Demon Slayer: Ki me t su no Yaiba Infinity Castle”
“Dog Man”
“Dog of God”
“Dragon Heart – Adventures Beyond This World”
“Elio”
“Endless Cookie”
“Fixed”
“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie”
“In Your Dreams”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“The Legend of Hei 2”
“Light of the World”
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Lost in Starlight”
“A Magnificent Life”
“Mahavatar Narsimha”
“Night of the Zoopocalypse”
“Olivia & las Nubes”
“Out of the Nest”
“Scarlet”
“Slide”
“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants”
“Stitch Head”
“The Twits”
“Zootopia 2”

OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
FRONTRUNNERS






Arco • NEON
Ugo Bienvenu | Director
Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Ugo Bienvenu | Producers
In Your Dreams • Netflix
Alex Woo | Director
Timothy Hahn, Gregg Taylor | Producers
Kpop Demon Hunters • Netflix
Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang | Directors
Michelle L.M. Wong | Producer
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain • GKIDS
Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han | Directors
Henri Magalon, Edwina Liard, Claire La Combe, Nidia Santiago | Producers
Zootopia 2 • Walt Disney Pictures
Jared Bush, Byron Howard | Directors
Yvett Merino Flores | Producer

STRONG CONTENDERS

Dog Of God • Cartuna
Lauris Abele, Raitis Abele | Directors
Raitis Abele, Kristele Pudane | Producers
Elio • Pixar Animation / Walt Disney Pictures
Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina | Directors
Mary Alice Drumm | Producer
Endless Cookie • Obscured Releasing
Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver | Directors
Daniel Bekerman, Chris Yurkovich, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Seth Scriver | Producers
A Magnificent Life • Sony Pictures Classics
Sylvain Chomet | Director
Ashargin Poiré, Lilian Eche, Valérie Puech, Aton Soumache | Producers
Slide • International Originals
Bill Plympton | Director
Bill Plympton, Manuel Attali, Owen Andrejco, Sean Davis, Rachel Braga Jones, Natasha Villegas-Cordera, Wendy Cong Zhao | Producers

The Academy has released its list of eligible animated films for the 98th Oscars, and at first glance, a few clear front-runners seem to be emerging. “KPop Demon Hunters” looks like the early favorite—not just for a nomination, but potentially for the win. Neither Sony Pictures Animation nor Netflix seemed to realize what they had on their hands, yet the film became Netflix’s most-watched title and now looks poised to pick up some Oscar gold.
Another film with growing momentum is “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain.” Critics and awards pundits have started rallying around it, and GKIDS has a strong track record of carving out a spot in the race each year. Meanwhile, when NEON acquired “Arco,” it felt like the studio was gearing up for an awards push. With no new Miyazaki film in the mix this season, “Arco” could end up filling that prestige-animation void.
For my final two predicted nominees, I leaned into the commercial side of the field. I don’t think “In Your Dreams” or “Zootopia 2” are the year’s best animated films, but they’re polished, broadly appealing, and—more importantly—backed by Netflix and Disney. Both studios know how to steer their animated titles through the awards machinery, which makes them hard to bet against.
As for backup contenders, never count out Pixar. “Elio” had a rough year, weighed down by directing turnover and casting drama, but there’s still a plausible awards path for it. “Dog of God” and “Endless Cookie” have also been showing up on other longlists—International Feature for the former and Documentary Feature for the latter. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have more heat than the rest; it just highlights their cross-category eligibility. But wide visibility can make a difference.
And then there are the long-shot instincts: my gut says there might be something brewing for “A Magnificent Life” and “Slide.” Both feature striking animation styles reminiscent of past nominees, even if the films themselves haven’t made much noise otherwise. Sometimes, though, the branch gravitates toward distinctive artistry over buzz.

List of Eligible 98th Academy Awards for
Best Animated Feature Film

100 Meters
GKIDS
October 10, 2025 | 102 min | Japanese
Kenji Iwaisawa
Synopsis: Gifted runner Togashi dominates 100m races until transfer student Komiya arrives, motivating him to train harder. Years later, they compete as rivals on the racetrack.


All Operators Are Currently Unavailable
Kaos
July 14, 2025 | 113 min | English, Croatian
Dalibor Baric
Synopsis: Roman Novotny, once a respected screenwriter, is now a forgotten author who reluctantly accepts a job at a mysterious tourist resort ‘Simula Peninsula’. There, under the guidance of the enigmatic Doctor Doppler, a strange experiment is underway: a simulated “cinematic” holiday resort where guests play pre-written roles, and screenwriters – the “operators” – create their stories on a daily basis.


Arco
NEON
November 14, 2025 | 88 min | French
Ugo Bienvenu
Synopsis: In 2075, a girl witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. He comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible. She shelters him and will do whatever it takes to help him return to his time.


The Bad Guys 2
DreamWorks Animation / Universal Pictures
August 1, 2025 | 104 min | English
Pierre Perifel & JP Sans
Synopsis: The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.


Black Butterflies
Ikiru Films
December 5, 2024 | 83 min | English, Spanish, French, Bengali, Arabic, Turkana
David Baute
Synopsis: Tanit, Valeria and Shaila are three women from very different parts of the world who face the same problem: climate change. They will lose everything because of global warming effects and they will be forced to emigrate to survive.


Boys Go to Jupiter
Cartuna / Irony Point
August 8, 2025 | 90 min | English
Julian Glander
Synopsis: A teenager in suburban Florida desperately hustles to make $5,000 in this dreamy and surreal animated coming-of-age story.


Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Sony Pictures
October 24, 2025 | 100 min | Japanese
Tatsuya Yoshihara
Synopsis: Denji encounters a new romantic interest, Reze, who works at a coffee café.


ChaO
GKIDS
July 10, 2025 | 90 min | Japanese
Yasuhiro Aoki
Synopsis: In a world where humans and merpeople exist, Princess Chao gets engaged to human engineer Stephen. What will become of their romance?


Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing
GKIDS
April 11, 2025 | 110 min | Japanese
Hiroyuki Hata
Synopsis: Shibuya teen musician Ichika meets Hatsune Miku after hearing her song in a store. The pair work together to help Miku forge emotional connections through music.


David
Angel Studios
December 19, 2025 | 115 min | English
Phil Cunningham & Brent Dawes
Synopsis: From his mother’s songs to his clash with Goliath, David’s journey from humble shepherd to anointed king tests the limits of faith, courage, and love-culminating in a battle for the soul of a kingdom.


Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Crunchyroll / Sony Pictures Entertainment
September 12, 2025 | 155 min | Japanese
Haruo Sotozaki
Synopsis: The Demon Slayer Corps are drawn into the Infinity Castle, where Tanjiro and the Hashira face terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight as the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji begins.


Dog Man
DreamWorks Animation / Universal Pictures
January 31, 2025 | 89 min | English
Peter Hastings
Synopsis: After a policeman and his police dog are fused together to turn into Dog Man, he must stop the villainous Petey the Cat from cloning himself and creating an evil kitten, doubling his evil abilities.


Dog Of God
Cartuna
June 6, 2025 | 92 min | Latvian, German
Lauris and Raitis Ābele
Synopsis: Rotoscoped animation depicts a 17th century witch trial in Livonia that uncovers a werewolf within a devout community.


Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World
Freestyle Digital Media
June 6, 2025 | 119 min | Japanese
Isamu Imakake
Synopsis: Two teens drown in a river, get rescued by a dragon, and learn they’re dead. An old man offers to revive them if they explore the spirit world to find their purpose, leading them through hellish realms.


Elio
Pixar Animation / Walt Disney Pictures
June 20, 2025 | 98 min | English
Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, & Adrian Molina
Synopsis: Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.


Endless Cookie
Obscured Releasing
December 5, 2025 | 97 min | English
Seth Scriver & Peter Scriver
Synopsis: Two half-brothers, one Indigenous and one white, embark on a journey through time and place. They travel from their remote home in Shamattawa to the vibrant urban landscape of the 1980s.


Fixed
Netflix / SOny Pictures Animation
August 13, 2025 | 86 min | English
Genndy Tartakovsky
Synopsis: Bull, an average, all-around good dog, discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning. He realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of buddies, as these are the last 24 hours with his balls. What could go wrong?


Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie
DreamWorks Animation / Universal Pictures
September 26, 2025 | 98 min | English
Ryan Crego
Synopsis: Gabby and Grandma Gigi’s road trip takes an unexpected turn when Gabby’s prized dollhouse ends up with eccentric cat lady Vera. Gabby embarks on a adventure to reunite the Gabby Cats and retrieve her beloved dollhouse before it’s too late.


In Your Dreams
NETFLIX
November 7, 2025 | 99 min | English
Alex Woo
Synopsis: Stevie and her little brother Elliot journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.


KPop Demon Hunters
Netflix / SOny Pictures Animation
June 20, 2025 | 99 min | English
Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang
Synopsis: A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.


The Legend of Hei 2
GKIDS
September 5, 2025 | 119 min | Chinese
MTJJ Mutou & Gu Jie
Synopsis: The film tells the story of a “new mission” from the Monster Hall. Faced with a series of mysteries, Xiaohei and his senior sister Luye embark on a new adventure to find the truth.


Light of the World
Salvation Poem Project
September 5, 2025 | 91 min | English
Tom Bancroft & John J. Schafer
Synopsis: Follows Jesus’ life from ministry beginnings through crucifixion, resurrection, as seen through Apostle John’s eyes.


Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
GKIDS
October 31, 2025 | 77 min | French, Japanese
Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han
Synopsis: Amélie, a Belgian child in Japan, explores life with her companion Nishio-san. Her third birthday becomes a turning point, marking the beginning of life-altering events that shape her understanding of the world.


Lost in Starlight
Netflix
May 30, 2025 | 96 min | Korean
Han Ji-won
Synopsis: When an astronaut leaves Earth for Mars, the vast infinite space divides star-crossed lovers.


A Magnificent Life
Sony Pictures Classics
November 21, 2025 | 90 min | French
Sylvain Chomet
Synopsis: It follows the life of Pagnol, a playwright, novelist, and filmmaker who grew up in a middle-class household in Marseille and became one of the world’s most inventive and prolific artists from the 1930’s to the 1950’s.


Mahavatar Narsimha
Netflix / Prathyangira Cinemas
July 31, 2025 | 130 min | Hindi
Ashwin Kumar
Synopsis: The demon Hiranyakashyap seeks revenge on Vishnu and declares himself a god. His son Prahlad remains devoted to Vishnu. Vishnu manifests as Narsimha to defeat the demon and restore balance.


Night of the Zoopocalypse
Viva Pictures
March 7, 2025 | 104 min | English
Ricardo Curtis & Rodrigo Perez-Castro
Synopsis: A wolf and mountain lion team up when a meteor unleashes a virus turning zoo animals into zombies. They join forces with other survivors to rescue the zoo and stop the deranged mutant leader from spreading the virus.


Olivia & las Nubes
Sony Pictures Classics
April 6, 2025 | 81 min | Spanish
Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat
Synopsis: Olivia, haunted by a past love, hides it under her bed. She trades flowers with this ghost in exchange for comforting rain clouds.


Out of the Nest
Well Go USA Entertainment
July 18, 2025 | 84 min | English
Andrew Gordon, Arturo A. Hernandez, & Veerapatra Jinanavin
Synopsis: In the Kingdom of Castilia, a dark force rises again. Days from the coronation of the new Emperor and Empress, their seven royal fledglings are taken, and it’s up to one hero to return them safely — a teenage delivery boy, Arthur the Goat. His dreams of becoming a world-class barber are put on hold when he becomes a parent overnight. If he’s going to keep the rambunctious toddlers safe on their journey, he must first grow up, discover his own past and, along the way, awaken forgotten champions. Can Arthur return the heirs and ultimately save the kingdom?


Scarlet
Sony / Columbia Pictures
September 4, 2025 | 111 min | Japanese
Mamoru Hosoda
Synopsis: A medieval princess on a quest to avenge her father’s death awakens in a realm between life and death, where she encounters an idealistic young man from the present day who shows her the possibility of a future free of bitterness and rage.


Slide
Plymptoons Studio
November 5, 2025 | 79 min | English
Bill Plympton
Synopsis: A slide guitar-playing cowboy appears in a corrupt 1940’s logging town to battle a pair of evil twins and save the village of Sourdough Creek.


The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
Paramount Pictures / Nickelodeon Animation Studios
December 19, 2025 | 96 min | English
Derek Drymon
Synopsis: SpongeBob journeys to the ocean’s depths to face the Flying Dutchman’s ghost, encountering challenges and uncovering marine mysteries.


Stitch Head
Briarcliff Entertainment
October 29, 2025 | 92 min | English
Steve Hudson
Synopsis: Follows Stitch Head, a small creature awoken by a Mad Professor in a castle to protect the professor’s other creations from the townspeople of Grubbers Nubbin.


The Twits
Netflix
October 17, 2025 | 98 min | English
Phil Johnston
Synopsis: Two orphans join forces with a family of magical animals to save their city from the powerful Mr. and Mrs. Twit, the meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world.


Zootopia 2
Walt Disney Pictures
November 26, 2025 | 108 min | English
Jared Bush & Byron Howard
Synopsis: Brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps and her friend, the fox Nick Wilde, team up again to crack a new case, the most perilous and intricate of their careers.




































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