FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: ANIMATED FEATURE
With Annie, Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations, there is a very clear top five for Animated Feature and in a largely lackluster year overall, I’m not sure there’s much room to break into it. Add PGA to the mix, only three films have that combo. BAFTA noms are after Oscar noms but we do have the longlists (and this category is small).
KPop Demon Hunters, which won Critics Choice and the Golden Globe in the first two weekends of January, remains the overwhelming frontrunner, then Zootopia 2, Arco, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Elio is where I think things will fall.
If there is an upset here, either In Your Dreams or Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle are the most likely to mount it.
Here are my final 2026 Oscar nomination predictions in Animated Feature.
| 1. KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) | Annie, CCA, GG, PGA |
| 2. Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney) | Annie, CCA, GG, PGA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 3. Arco (NEON) | Annie, CCA, GG (BAFTA longlist) |
| 4. Little Amélie or the Character of the Rain (GKIDS) | Annie, CCA, GG (BAFTA longlist) |
| 5. Elio (Walt Disney/Pixar) | Annie, CCA, GG, PGA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 6. In Your Dreams (Netflix) | CCA |
| 7. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle (Anaplex of America) ↑ | GG, PGA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 8. The Bad Guys 2 (Universal Pictures/Dreamworks Animation) | Annie, PGA (BAFTA longlist) |
| 9. Scarlet (Sony Pictures Classics) | Annie |
| 10. A Magnificent Life (Sony Pictures Classics) ↓ |
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.
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