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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