21 Animated Films in the race = 5 nominees this year

21 Animated Features were submitted for this year's Oscar Race, which under the new category rules, all but guarantees a year of 5 nominees.  (16+ films = 5)

"FRANKENWEENIE"

There is one high-profile snub, and that's The Secret World of Arrietty. It actually wasn't snubbed, but the submission dates didn't work out, and unfortunately because it was released in Japan in 2010, and not in the U.S. till 2012, it was deemed ineligible. Had it had a theater run last year instead, it would have been. And any time a studio Ghibli film isn't in the running, it's a tough one to swallow.

"THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY"

However, this year we still have 21 submissions, which if I'm not mistaken, is a record.

The submitted films, in alphabetical order, are...

• "Adventures in Zambezia"
• "Brave"
• "Delhi Safari"
• "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"
• "Frankenweenie"
• "From Up on Poppy Hill"
• "Hey Krishna"
• "Hotel Transylvania"
• "Ice Age: Continental Drift"
• "A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman"
• "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"
• "The Mystical Laws"
• "The Painting"
• "ParaNorman"
• "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"
• "The Rabbi's Cat"
• "Rise of the Guardians"
• "Secret of the Wings"
• "Walter & Tandoori's Christmas"
• "Wreck-It Ralph"
• "Zarafa"

"WRECK-IT RALPH"

A lot of foreign submissions, and quite a few high-profile, big box-office U.S. films thrown into the mix. Should be an interesting race. Being a Pixar film, "Brave" should be considered a contender, and the good reviews for "Frankenweenie", "ParaNorman" and "Wreck-It Ralph" could very possibly help out there as well. I personally would love to see a nod for "The Pirates!", but I'm not holding my breath. A few smaller films I'm not very aware of yet (will have to do my research now), and a couple of releases still yet to come (including "Rise of the Guardians", with has already won a high-profile festival award). I personally LOVE animation, so any time this category gets to strut it's stuff with 5 nominees, I'm all for it.

"THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS"