Dec 7, 2023

A record 33 films nominated for this year's Oscar race

A record 33 films were selected for the 96th Academy Awards in the animated feature film category, the most ever.

This surpasses the previous record of 32 set four years ago (as noted by The Wrap, one film from that year was later declared ineligible, so there were only 31 nominees).

The list of eligible films was released today by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

The Animated Feature Film category is a one-time ballot and does not have a short list like the Animated Short Film category. The five nominees for the category are selected directly from this list by members of the Academy's Short and Feature Animation Division.

Academy members from other chapters are also eligible to vote on who will be nominated, but must opt in and see the minimum percentages of eligible films submitted; once the nominees are announced in late January, the final vote to determine the winner will take place whether or not they have seen the film, All Academy members are eligible to participate.

Nearly half of this year's nominees have at least one American production partner, while nearly a quarter of the submissions are from East Asia (five from Japan and three from China).

Only one film was selected from Latin America ("Perlimps" from Brazil), and none from Africa, the Middle East, India, or Southeast Asia.

Spain stands out as a country to watch this year, offering three quality 2D contenders: Robot Dreams, They Shot the Piano Player, and Unicorn Wars.

Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 23, 2024, and the 96th Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10.

Please let us know in the comments which films you think will be nominated.