Oscars Best Animated Feature: Nominees and Notes

The 2024 Oscars awards are right around the corner, with, as always, a diverse range of nominations in all categories. This year, the nominees for Animated Feature stand out, with a range of technical and artistic strategies used per film, and a key talking point amongst viewers and artists alike: the lack of Disney this year.

This article will provide brief overviews on the Animated Feature Film nominees for 2024, as well as any predictions and notable mentions regarding each film.

The Boy and the Heron: Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki

Starting off strong, Studio Ghibli’s newest animated film was the talk of the town upon its release. Combined with the studios famously gorgeous artstyle, a cast of talented and well known voice actors such as Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Mark Hamill, and a gorgeously written and portrayed story, it is evident how this movie became so popular. In fact, it was recently the first foreign film to have won the Golden Globes Animated Feature Award- so what’s another one? With the increase in popularity of anime in the U.S. in recent years, this film’s success comes as no surprise, and neither does the popular belief amongst fans that it will be taking home the gold.

Elemental: Peter Sohn and Denise Ream

Despite there being no Disney Animation Studio projects on this year’s roster, the company hangs on to its status by a thread, with the Disney-owned Pixar’s “Elemental” being up for consideration. The film, although having a rocky start, returned pleasant reviews, as audiences praised its heartfelt story and dedicated worldbuilding. The experimentation with fluid and fire simulations, with them being a prevalent aspect of the film, is also inspiring. With the crew having to develop technologies that make the creation of the fire and water characters easier, nevertheless possible. However, the question remains, does this hold up to the standards of its competitors?

Nimona: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary

Another film that gained popularity over social media upon its release was Netflix’s “Nimona”. With a unique, 2D-esque aesthetic, attentive characterization, and touching yet upbeat storyline, “Nimona” adapts the book of the same title by ND Stevenson into an immersive and engaging story that a variety of ages can enjoy. The film is also praised for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community, with openly gay characters in its main cast that have been praised for their writing. The film also traversed the challenge of bouncing between studios, previously being a Blue Sky Studios project before Disney bought the company, and only later falling into the hands of Netflix. However, despite the loyal fandom and obvious care and detail put into the film, it is not suspected to stand much of a chance compared to some other strong nominees this year.

Robot Dreams: Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz

“Robot Dreams” is what some may consider the underdog of this years nominations, but truth be told it deserves its spot at the top just as much as its competitors. This silent indie film tells the tale of the bond between a robot and a dog in 1980s Manhattan, New York. Originating in Spain, this 2D animated film had not even had an official US release prior to nomination. While many people doubt its success, and while it is surely going up against some formidable foes, this film is certainly not to be underestimated due to its lack of popularity.

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse: Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal

In terms of popularity, “Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse” makes every other films social media coverage shrivel in comparison. From fanart to memes to reviews, the grasp that this film had on pop culture was unavoidable at the time of its release, and for good reason. Just like its predecessor, the art style, animation, fight sequences, and everything visual about “Across the Spiderverse” is awe-inspiring. With its mix of 2D and 3D effects, mashed in with its famous comic book style aesthetics, and a variety of other styles as well, this film was a work of art. This is not even mentioning the detailed storyline, characters, and themes the film covered. It was popular for a reason, and almost a year after its release, it still holds up. Audiences and critics believe that this film is gonna give the others a run for their money in the upcoming competition. However, could the aspect of it being only half of a duo of films hinder its claim to victory?
Of all the nominations, the two forces of “The Boy and the Heron” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse” stand out as the most likely victors. However, this is not to say the other films aren’t worthy of a watch. At the end of the day, every nominee was nominated for a reason, and any could win. It isn’t until the winner is announced on March 10th at The 96th Academy Awards that we can tell for sure.