Oscars gets record 20 films for "Animated Feature Film"; Pixar's "Up" favored

Remember the blog post I wrote about the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' announced deadline for submission of entries for the category of "Animated Feature Film"? Well, today The Academy issued a release displaying those films that made the submission deadline, which was November 2:

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



That's 20 entries for just five nominations slots, making this a record number in Academy Awards' history according to Teni Melidonian of the AMPAS Communications Department. The last record year was 2002, when 17 films were submitted.

That year the nominees were Ice Age (20th Century Fox), Lilo & Stitch (Walt Disney Pictures), Spirited Away (Toho/Walt Disney Pictures), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (DreamWorks SKG), and Mireille Soria * Treasure Planet (Walt Disney Pictures), with Spirited Away emerging at the winner.

This year, the favorite to take the award is Up by Disney with Emeryville-based Pixar studios.   Also in the list is my personal favorite  Monsters vs. Aliens by DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures.   

Of the list, seven films still have Academy-related work to do if they're to officially qualify for nomination: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,   The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer,  Fantastic Mr. Fox,  Planet 51,  The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells,  and  A Town Called Panic  have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run, according to The Academy.  

Regarding the number of nominees, The Academy rules state that a maximum number of five can be selected if the total number of qualifying entries is over 16.  So if the seven films all make the LA screening requirements, expect to see five films nominated from this list.  

Now comes the exciting part: guessing which films will make the list.  If you have a strong idea and want it posted on my blog, send an email to zennie@zennie62.com or just list it in the comments section.  But if you send a relevant email I will respond to it.