2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Animation

Here is a list of the few animations I believe that will make the top lists of Best Animation at the Oscars this year: Of course there is room for development.

Finding Dory (Pixar/Disney)
The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on June 8, 2016, and was released in the United States on June 17, 2016. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, becoming the second Pixar film to cross this mark following Toy Story 3 (2010). The film set numerous records, including the biggest animated opening of all time in North America, emerging as the biggest animated film of all time in the U.S. and has become the biggest Pixar film release in China.

One year after reuniting Nemo with his father, Marlin, Dory has become a helping hand in raising Nemo. One day during a lesson with Nemo’s class, Dory recalls through a childhood flashback that she has a family. She decides to look for them but finds her short-term memory loss to be an obstacle. The only thing she remembers is that they lived at the Jewel of Morro Bay.

Kimi no Na wa / Your name (Funimation)
Kimi no Na Wa has now surpassed Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo anime film, as well as James Cameron’s Avatar film. The only anime films to earn more are Ghibli and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke . Kimi no Na Wa will be released by Funimation before 2017 to qualify for an Oscar. Your Name will run at Los Angeles’ Laemmle Music Hall for one week, Dec. 2 to 9, qualifying it for the 2016 Oscars. A film must run for a week in LA county in order to qualify. A wider theatrical release is planned for the first quarter of 2017.

The film, themed around “miracles and love,” follows the story of high school students Mitsuha and Taki. In dreams, they swap bodies. While a love story, Kimi no Na Wa features several more layers of complexity as the two protagonists search for the secret to their dream swapping. The story reportedly takes inspiration from Torikaebaya Monogatari, a 12th-century tale where two siblings display the mannerisms of the opposite sex.

The Red Turtle (Studio Ghibli/ Sony Pictures)
Is a 2016  French-Belgian-Japanese animated film directed by Dutch-British animator Michaël Dudok de Wit in his feature film debut. The film is a co-production between Wild Bunch and Studio Ghibli, and tells the story of a man who tries to escape from a deserted island and battles a giant turtle. The film has no dialogue. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In May 2016, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North and Latin American distribution rights for the film and is scheduled to be released in the United States on 20 January 2017. The Red Turtle was played in the London Film Festival on 5 October 2016. On october 27, 2016 “The Red turtle” was featured in the “Big Animation Festival” in Russia, as an early show.

Moana (Disney)
American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy comedy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the 56th Disney animated feature film. It is being directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, and co-directed by Don Hall. The film introduces Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and features Dwayne Johnson as Maui. The film’s songs were co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.It is scheduled to be released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 23, 2016

Zootopia (Disney)
3D computer-animated buddy cop comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 55th Disney animated feature film. The film is directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, co-directed by Jared Bush. The film details the unlikely partnership between a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artistas they uncover a conspiracy that involves the disappearance of predator inhabitants of a mammalian metropolis.

Sing (Illumination / Universal)
3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment.It was directed and written by Garth Jennings and co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet. The film will have more than 85 classic tracks from famous artists and will also have an original song by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande. It premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2016  and will be released by Universal Pictures on December 21, 2016.

Kubo and the two strings (Laika / Focus)
Is an American 3D stop-motion fantasy action-adventure film directed and co-produced by Travis Knight in his directorial debut, co-produced by Arianne Sutner and written by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler.  The film revolves around Kubo, who has magical powers and whose left eye was stolen. Accompanied by Monkey and Beetle, they must subdue the Sisters, Raiden the Moon King and his army of evil spirits. The film premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival on August 13, 2016 and was released by Focus Features in the United States on August 19. It received critical acclaim and has grossed over $66 million against its $60 million budget

Miss Hokusai (Gkids)
Based on a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Hinako Sugiura, telling the story of Katsushika Ōi who worked in the shadow of her father Hokusai. The movie is  directed by Keiichi Hara, that was released in 2015.

My Life as  a Zucchini (Gkids)
2016 French-Swiss stop motion animated film directed by Claude Barras.It was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Audience Award and the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.

Trolls (DreamWorks / Fox )
2016 American 3D computer-animated musical buddy comedy film based on the dolls of the same name by Thomas Dam. Directed by Mike Mitchell, and co-directed by Walt Dohrn at his feature debut, the film is produced by Gina Shay, and written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and Erica Rivinoja. The film stars the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Russell Brand, James Corden, and Gwen Stefani. It revolves around two trolls on a quest to save their village from destruction by the Bergens, creatures who devour trolls. Produced as the 33rd animated feature by DreamWorks Animation, the film premiered on October 8, 2016 at the BFI London Film Festival, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 4, 2016, by 20th Century Fox.^[7

Long Way North ( Shout Factory)
2015 French-Danish animated film directed by Rémi Chayé. The film premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It was released September 30, 2016 in the United States and had a estimated box office growth of $1.2 million. It is distributed by Diaphana Films (France), Soda Pictures (UK) and Shout!Factory (US). Production company includes Sacrebleu Productions, maybe Movies, France 3 Cinema, 2 minutes and Nørlum.
In the 19th century, a young Russian girl named Sacha, (Christa Théret) embarks on an adventure-filled quest to find her grandfather at the North Pole. The question if will she be able to find him and will she have the skills and companionship to survive the journey?

The Little Prince (Netflix)
2015 English-language French 3D animated fantasy adventure family drama film directed by Mark Osborne and based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was the first adaptation as a full-length animated feature of The Little Prince. The film relates the story of the book using stop motion animation which is woven into a computer animated framing narrative about a young girl who has just met the book’s now-elderly aviator narrator who tells her the story of his meeting with the Little Prince.