Despite the pandemic taking a toll on the box office and upending the movie industry, it was a big year for animated films. The nominees for the 94th Academy Awards were revealed today and there's some deep competition in the Best Animated Feature Film category.
Unsurprisingly, Disney dominates the field with three films up for nomination: Encanto (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Raya and the Last Dragon (Walt Disney Animation Studios), and Luca (Pixar). Of the three, only Encanto enjoyed a theatrical release, albeit a limited one in response to the pandemic.
Encanto, a musical that tells the tale of an extraordinary family living in the mountains of Colombia, is up for two additional awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Dos Oruguitas"). Raya and the Last Dragon follows a lone warrior, Raya, who tracks down the legendary last dragon to restore a fractured land and save the world from an evil force. Luca takes us to a gorgeous seaside town on the Italian Riviera and tells a coming-of-age story about a young boy's unforgettable summer.
The three Disney films are joined by two other spectacular animated films: The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Sony Pictures Animation) and Flee (directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen).
The Mitchells vs the Machines, a sci-fi comedy about a dysfunctional family having to save Earth from a global robot uprising, released in select theaters in April 2021 but found great success on Netflix. It received critical acclaim for its animation, voice acting, humor, themes, and LGBTQ+ representation.
Flee, a docudrama that follows the story of a gay Afghani Refugee, also received unanimous acclaim from critics, including praise for its animation, story, thematic content, and LGBTQ+ representation. Flee is also up for two additional awards: Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film.
Although Disney has the edge with there nominees, both The Mitchells vs the Machines and Flee stand a great chance of upsetting the House of Mouse. Which movie do you think should win Best Animated Feature Film?