2021 Oscar Predictions: VISUAL EFFECTS (October)

THE MIDNIGHT SKY (courtesy of Netflix)
Dune is gone. Wonder Woman 1984 is definitely going to pack its magic lasso and move to 2021 so I’m preemptively dropping it now. That’s going to make for a very different looking visual effects category than we’ve seen before, allowing films with strong supporting visual effects to rise instead of being dominated by CGI-heavy blockbusters (although we do still have Birds of Prey in the mix).
This may be a chance for an animated film like Soul or Over the Moon to get in, as 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings did, and animated films often make the shortlist.
Here are my ranked 2021 Oscar predictions in Visual Effects for October.
Green – moves up; Red – moves down; Blue – new entry this month
1. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros)
Nominees TBD
2. Mulan (Disney+)
Nominees TBD
3. The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Nominees TBD
4. Greyhound (Apple TV+)
Nominees TBD
5. Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount Pictures)
Nominees TBD
Other Contenders
The Call of the Wild (20th Century Studios)
Nominees TBD
Cinderella (Sony Pictures)
Nominees TBD
Death on the Nile (20th Century Studios)
Nominees TBD
Doolittle (Universal Pictures)
Nominees TBD
Free Guy (20th Century Studios)
Nominees TBD
The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)
Nominees TBD
The New Mutants (20th Century Studios)
Nominees TBD
Over the Moon (Netflix)
Nominees TBD
Soul (Pixar)
Nominees TBD
Tenet (Warner Bros)
Nominees TBD
- 2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc - April 16, 2026
- ‘Beef’ Season 2 Review: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton Sink Their Teeth Into Lee Sung Jin’s Meaty Morality Tale [A-] - April 16, 2026
- George Clooney to be Honored at 51st Chaplin Award Gala by Stephen Colbert, Sam Rockwell and More - April 15, 2026

2026 Tonys: Laurie Metcalf (‘Little Bear Ridge Road,’ ‘Death of a Salesman’) May Join Elite Group of Double-Nominated Performers
2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 149 – ‘Killer of Sheep’ (Charles Burnett, 1978)
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: Careful the Spell You Cast, Children Will Listen (and Sometimes Kill) [C]