THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 76 NOVEMBER 13, 2019
PLAYBOOKAWARDS SEASON
2019ANIMATED FEATURE
W
hen Disney’s photoreal CG retell-
ing of The Lion King opened in July
and went on to earn $1.65 billion
worldwide, many in the animation
community wondered if the studio would put
the film forward for the animated feature
Oscar. But when the Academy released the list
of a record 32 submissions for the category
Oct. 16, it was made clear that Jon Favreau’s
film would not be in the running.
Even so, the submission list did
reveal what is sure to be one of
the most competitive animated
feature races in years — thanks
to three sequels whose franchises
are all competing against one
another for the first time.
This trio are strong contenders
for three of the five nomina-
tion slots. Disney and Pixar’s
Toy Story 4, which is directed by Josh Cooley
in his feature debut, saw the return of fan-
favorite characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear
and introduced the new (and beloved) char-
acter Forky. Released June 21, it’s earnedIt’s a perfect storm, with three giant franchises — from Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks — all competing against one another
for the first time, and a slew of other films (including Netflix’s first original animated movie) aiming to earn a nomination slot
By Carolyn Giardina$1.07 billion worldwide. The previous install-
ment won the animated feature Oscar in 2010
(beating the first How to Train Your Dragon),
and was also one of only three animated films
ever nominated for best picture.
DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your
Dragon: The Hidden World is the third and final
installment in the fantasy coming-of-age
series centered on a Viking named Hiccup
and his dragon, Toothless. The Dean DeBlois-
helmed film earned $520 million worldwide.
Both the first and second movies were nomi-
nated for animated feature (neither won).
And six years after Disney’s Frozen became
a $1.3 billion phenomenon (the highest-
grossing animated film of all time) and won
two Academy Awards in 2014 (for animated
feature and original song), Frozen 2 will open
Thanksgiving weekend. Much of the original
team is returning, including directors Chris
Buck and Jennifer Lee, songwriters Kristen
Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and voice
stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, who play
sisters Elsa and Anna.
While this triple threat of sequels are theclear frontrunners, there are several other
studio features aiming to earn a nomina-
tion slot. It will be more of an uphill battle
because their first installments didn’t
secure a nomination: The Lego Movie 2: The
Second Part ($191.3 million) is Warner Bros.’
follow-up to its 2014 hit The Lego Movie;
Illumination released The Secret Life of
Pets 2, which didn’t reach the heights of its
$875 million predecessor (the sequel earned
$429.4 million); and Sony Pictures Animation
brought back its game-inspired material1TOOTHLESS, ELSA AND
WOODY’S THREE-WAY FIGHT
LeeDeBlois