Oscar Animated Film Nominee Contenders

Twenty features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 82nd Academy Awards® which automatically raises the award to an estimated five nominated films (at least sixteen films must be entered to increase the nomination number from three to five).

The list of potential nominees includes:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Astro Boy
Battle for Terra
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mary and Max
The Missing Lynx
Monsters vs. Aliens
9
Planet 51
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
A Town Called Panic
Up

Around seven of the films are still yet to open or meet both the categories qualifying rules and the theatrical release requirements needed to be considered, but its unlikely that at least five of those will fall of the list in the remaining time which means that the five-nominee shortlist seems pretty certain this year.

That shortlist will be announced with the rest of the Oscar nominees on February 2nd. The awards themselves will be presented on Sunday, March 7th 2010.