Polygon.com / 27.02.25

This year's race for the Best Animated Feature Oscar changes the whole game

Out of all the categories at the Academy Awards, Best Animated Feature has historically been one of the most predictable. For nearly 20 years, it was basically a guarantee that if a Pixar movie was up for the award, it would win. However, over the past five years, that dynamic has shifted, with an increasing number of international and visually distinct competitors entering the category and nothing exemplifies that more than this years nominees.  Prior to 2020, there were only three instances where a non-Pixar film beat a nominated Pixar movie. Since 2020, a Pixar movie has been nominated every year, but only one of them, Soul, won Best Animated Feature. And the nominees themselves have covered a much broader spectrum of styles and subject matter than the usual smattering of popular childrens movies.  This years nominees in the category are some of the most eclectic yet. In addition to Pixars Inside Out 2, theres DreamWorks evocative and painterly The Wild Robot; Aardman Animations a...
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