Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cats, more advance in Oscars VFX race
Brad Pitt, Aladdin, a feline-bodied Taylor Swift, and Spider-Man walk into a bar… well, not exactly, but movies starring the seemingly disparate group have entered the Oscar race together upon the Academy’s Tuesday announcement of the 20 films advancing in its visual effects race.
As determined by the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, the preliminary list of contenders eligible to receive a nomination in the corresponding category includes blockbuster spectacles Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, reality-based prestige contenders The Aeronauts, Ford v Ferrari, and The Irishman, and the upcoming ensemble musical Cats, which, judging by public reaction to its perplexing aesthetic, contains visual effects that exist in a category of its own.
The Irishman‘s inclusion on the shortlist comes as a further boost for the Martin Scorsese-directed awards hopeful, which earlier Tuesday was named Best Film by the National Board of Review. The film employed boundary-pushing visual effects to digitally de-age stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci throughout the narrative, as did Ang Lee’s Will Smith-starring action flick Gemini Man, which also made the cut on the Academy’s list.
Read on for the full list of 20 films advancing in the VFX Oscars race, which will be whittled down to 10 later this month before the voting window opens on Jan. 2 to determine the final nominees. Nominations will be announced on Monday, Jan. 13, and the Oscars ceremony airs Sunday, Feb. 9 on ABC.
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The Aeronauts
Aladdin
Alita: Battle Angel
Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel
Cats
Dumbo
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Ford v Ferrari
Gemini Man
The Irishman
Jumanji: The Next Level
The Lion King
Men in Black: International
Midway
1917
Spider-Man: Far from Home
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Terminator: Dark Fate
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