Walt Disney Pictures’ 100-year celebration movie “Wish” dropped hours after the lift of the SAG-AFTRA strike and it was a wonderful way to celebrate. Helmed by “Frozen” (2013) Oscar winner Chris Buck and debut director Fawn Veerasunthorn, the movie is an Easter egg extravaganza that will feed the appetites of the Animation Branch members, and those who have opted in to vote on the category. With a few quality song candidates the Music Branch could also gravitate towards, the movie becomes the latest to land in this competitive and overflowing roster of animated feature contenders.

Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” still holds the frontrunner spot, as the studio is pushing for more categories including best picture, while also making an concerted effort for sound, visual effects, original score and original song. The recently announced live orchestral concert at the Academy Museum will surely help in the quest for more recognition. Netflix also has a pair of contenders that can sneak into the field — “Nimona” and “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.” However, with only five slots, and many Disney animators part of the branch, both candidates making the cut could be difficult. Even Disney’s counterpart “Elemental,” which has been the Cinderella story of the year with its slow climb to a box office hit, will have to fight to stay in the race. While the company has gotten two of its films in the lineup before — “Soul” and “Onward” in 2020 and “Luca” and “Raya and the Last Dragon” in 2021, they’ve also missed with movies such as “Frozen II,” “Monsters University” and “The Good Dinosaur” when another feature is in the race. We also have the legendary Hayao Miyazaki in the mix with “The Boy and the Heron,” getting the big push by GKids, which has surprised in this category on multiple occasions. Let’s not forget the huge push for “Trolls: Band Together” from DreamWorks Animation, with the double dose of Illumination with the billion-dollar hit “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and the upcoming “Migration.” And God bless us all, if enough voters make time for the delightfully moving “Robot Dreams” from Neon, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s worthy of consideration.
The submission deadline for general categories is Nov. 18, 2023. Preliminary shortlist voting will begin on Dec. 18, with the results announced on Dec. 21. The voting period will run from Jan. 11-16, 2024, with the official nominations announcement on Jan. 23. The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10.
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Credit: variety.com
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