Twelve features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 80th Academy Awards, including such early favorites as RATATOUILLE, THE SIMPSONS MOVIE and PERSEPOLIS (which is also the French entry for Best Foreign Film). Under the rules, a maximum of three films can be nominated from this group.
The other nine submissions are: ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE COLON MOVIE FILM FOR THEATERS, BEE MOVIE, BEOWULF, MEET THE ROBINSONS, SHREK THE THIRD, SURF'S UP, TEKKONKINKREET and TMNT.
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, BEOWULF and PERSEPOLIS have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. The submitted features must fulfill the general release requirements and meet all of the category's other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.
Given the altered rules for qualifying animated features, it's unclear whether the performance-captured BEOWULF (with animation and vfx from Sony Pictures Imageworks) and ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS will qualify.
An animated feature is now defined as a motion picture of at least 70 minutes in running time, in which movement and characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. In addition, a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75% of the picture's running time.
The significance of the change emphasizes the importance of frame-by-frame character animation, and the branch is keeping a close eye on how performance-capture technology evolves.
The 80th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Jan. 22, 2008, at 5:30 am PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented Feb. 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5:00 pm PT.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
