There weren't exactly many surprises in the announcement of the animation Oscar nominations this week. While five movies are in contention to be named Best Animated Feature on 15 March, many now see it as a two horse race between the big hitters of 2025: KPop Demon Hunters and Zootopia 2.
There is still a chance that an indie movie could repeat the historic success of Flow last year. This year's outsiders are both from France: Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han’s beautifully poetic Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Ugo Bienvenue’s gorgeous Arco. Pixar's Elio is the fifth contender but feels like filler compared to the others, which seems a shame when there are so many good animated movies out there.
