If Anime Doesn't Get an Oscar Nomination Next Year, Then Film Is Dead (2025)

Anime having a poor relationship with the Academy Awards is an understatement, to say the least. Not only have anime films rarely been nominated for Best Animated Feature, but of the few nominations there have been, the only winners were Spirited Away in 2003 and The Boy and the Heron in 2024.

Anime’s lack of representation at the Academy Awards has always been frustrating, and that could reach its peak in the upcoming year. The Academy recently announced all the films that are eligible for the 97th Academy Awards, and there are a total of five anime films eligible, some of which are already being regarded as some of the best films of the year. Whether any of them will win is one thing, but more than ever, it would be nothing but a travesty for there not to be a single anime film nominated for an Academy Award next year.

Why 2024’s Best Anime Films Deserve Academy Award Nominations

2024's Amazing Slate Of Anime Films Explained

The anime films eligible for nominations at the 97th Academy Awards are The Colors Within, Ghost Cat Anzu, The Imaginary, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and, of course, Studio Durian’s Look Back, and every one of them has something great to offer. The Colors Within , for example, combines the brilliant direction of Naoko Yamada and the gorgeous animation of Science Saru to make a truly emotionally resonant film, and similar comments can be made of Ghost Cat Anzu and The Imaginary, even if they fall short of The Colors Within in certain areas.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim should also be an easy contender for the Oscars. While the film won’t be released until late December, the trailers for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim always depict it as a film with great visuals complemented by strong writing and stellar direction, essentially making it everything someone could have hoped for in a Lord of the Rings anime. It’s set to be one of the biggest movies of December, so it not getting a nomination would be a travesty, as well.

The anime movie that absolutely deserves a nomination, of course, is Look Back. Just like the original manga, Look Back tells a truly heartwrenching tale about the importance of self-worth and forming connections with others, and thanks to the incredible animation and direction courtesy of director Kiyotaka Oshiyama, all of that came out to a degree that even surpassed the stellar quality of the manga. Look Back ’s incredible writing and animation makes it the best animated flm I’ve seen in 2024, and it not getting at least an Oscar nomination is the biggest travesty I can think of.

Disney’s Dominance At The Oscars Could Make Anime Get Snubbed Again

Disney Will Always Be Anime's Biggest Obstacle At The Oscars

If there’s any major reason why anime would get snubbed at the Academy Awards again, it would, once again, fall to Disney. Disney and Pixar have famously dominated the Best Animated Feature category for over 20 years, and 2024 is another year where they’ve released multiple films: Moana 2 and, most notably, Inside Out 2, one of the best-received films of the year. Because of that, anime could get snubbed at the Oscars because Disney and Pixar, once again, take all the attention away from other great films, a recurring problem that doesn’t look like it will ever go away.

If something like that does happen, it would be frustrating because of the quality of the competition. Inside Out 2 was undeniably a great film and deserves a nomination, but Moana 2's reception is worse than the original, as while it isn’t outright hated, it’s generally been seen as inferior in terms of story and overall writing. Moana 2 getting a nomination over any anime film would do nothing but confirm the bias the Academy Awards have for Disney, and with the great lineup of anime films this year, that would be especially terrible to see.

Anime’s Lack Of Mainstream Appeal Has Always Hurt It At The Oscars

Why Anime Doesn't Resonate With The Academy

If there’s anything that will get in the way of an anime nomination, though, it will, once again, be anime’s lack of mainstream appeal. As previously mentioned, anime have rarely ever received Oscar nominations, and the only ones to receive any were Studio Ghibli films and Mirai by Mamoru Hosoda. In both cases, the nominated films were made by the few big names in anime the general public would know of, so unfortunately, anime seems to have little to no chance at the Oscars unless Studio Ghibli or some other big name is in contention.

All of that, of course, is an extension of the lack of attention anime receives from the general public. As popular as anime has become in recent years, it’s still seen as a niche medium, especially compared to Western animation, and the few films to have secured nominations haven’t done much to curb the idea that all animation is for children which, to many, makes animation seem pointless. Anime’s lack of representation at the Academy Awards won’t change unless the general perception of animation does, and as much as I would love to see that, it’s not happening anytime soon.

Why Anime Might Actually Have A Good Chance At The Oscars Next Year

2025 Could Be Anime's Best Chance At Another Oscar Win

As big a monopoly as Disney and Pixar have on Best Animated Feature, the past two years have awarded the Oscar to two films that weren’t made by either studio, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio in 2023 and The Boy and the Heron in 2024. That’s the first time that’s happened since the wins of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in 2006 and Happy Feet in 2007, so Disney and Pixar’s recent losses at the Academy Awards suggests they don’t have the same level of domination of the Best Animated Feature category that they did in years past.

Granted, Disney and Pixar’s films of the past two years are generally considered weaker than normal while Inside Out 2 is a return to form and Moana 2 is at least an easy crowdpleaser, but the fact that there’s anything to support a lack of dominance from Disney and Pixar at the Oscars still means that anime has the best chance it’s had in years. As someone who’s always wanted anime to gain more recognition, this is a great situation to behold, and hopefully, the upcoming Academy Awards will be another chance for anime to get their due.

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The Academy Awards, AKA the Oscars, is a film awards show that honors excellence in filmmaking, acting, and various fields associated with making movies. The ceremony will be in its 95th year in 2023, with Jimmy Kimmel returning to host the event. The Oscars typically air around March and accept movies for nomination that were released between January 1st and December 31st of the year being honored.