FINAL 2021 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ANIMATED FEATURE
While Soul and Wolfwalkers are the only locked nominees here, I’m sticking with the PGA five to round it out. In the past, the PGA has given us a better clue especially if a film missed the top Annie nomination (like Over the Moon did this year and 2017’s Ferdinand did). Had The Willoughbys made it in BAFTA (they only have three slots) I’d have it in here. These are also the Golden Globe five but that #5 spot is super shaky.
- 1. Soul (Disney/Pixar) – Annie, BAFTA, BFCA, GG, PGA, VES
Pete Docter, Dana Murray - 2. Wolfwalkers (Apple TV+/Cartoon Saloon) – Annie, BAFTA, BFCA, GG, PGA
Stéphan Roelants, Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young, Nora Twomey - 3. Onward (Pixar) – Annie, BAFTA, BFCA, GG, PGA, VES
Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae - 4. The Croods: A New Age (Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation) – Annie, GG, PGA, VES
Mark Swift, Joel Crawford - 5. Over the Moon (Netflix) – BFCA, GG, PGA, VES
Glen Keane, Peilin Chou, Gennie Rim
Watch out for: The Willoughbys (Netflix) – Annie, BFCA, VES
Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)
- 2026 Oscar Predictions: FILM EDITING and CINEMATOGRAPHY (December) - December 17, 2025
- Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC): Eva Victor Dominates with Five Nominations for ‘Sorry, Baby’ - December 17, 2025
- 2026 Oscar Predictions: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE and INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM (December) - December 17, 2025
2026 Oscar Predictions: FILM EDITING and CINEMATOGRAPHY (December) 
Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC): Eva Victor Dominates with Five Nominations for ‘Sorry, Baby’ 
2026 Oscar Predictions: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE and INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM (December) 
The Oscars Move to YouTube Beginning in 2029