Dec 21, 2023

Academy Award Nominations: Iran and Mexico make their first appearances in animated short films; "Boy And The Heron" nominated for Best Composition; "Spider-Verse" nominated for Best VFX.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the nominees in 10 categories, including short animation and visual effects. Also nominated in the music category are original score and original song.

Fifteen films have been nominated in the animated short film category, with the following films in the running:

93 films were nominated. The nominees were selected from 9 countries, led by the United States (6 films) and France (5 films). Other nominees include Estonia (2 films), Israel, Croatia, Mexico, Hungary, Iran, and the United Kingdom. (Notably, films from Iran ("Our Uniform" by Yegane Moghaddam) and Mexico ("Humo" by Rita Basulto) were finalists for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Moghaddam's and Basulto's films were also among the nine films directed by at least one woman.

Only two of the directors on the short list have previously been nominated for an Academy Award: two-time animated feature nominee John Musker and Dave Mullins, who was nominated for his Pixar short "Lou."

Ten of the nominees qualified for the awards by winning at festivals eligible for the Academy Awards. Members of the Short Films and Animated Feature Films categories vote to determine the short list and nominees.

In the visual effects category, 10 films were finalists for the Academy Awards. Notably, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. This is not the first time an animated film has appeared on the list; for example, Laika's "Kubo and the Two Strings" is among the nominees.

The Executive Committee of the Visual Effects Section decides on the nominees. All members of the Visual Effects Division will be able to view excerpts from each of the nominated films and interviews with the artists on Saturday, January 13, 2024. Chapter members will vote on the nominated films.

In the music category (original score), three animated feature films are among the 15 nominees: "The Boy and the Hare," "Elemental," and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In addition, "Am I Dreaming" from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is among the nominees in the original music category.

Voting for the final Oscar nominations will take place from January 11-16, 2024, with the nominees announced on Tuesday, January 23. The winners will be announced on Sunday, March 10, 2024.