Skip to main content

And the nominees may be: Academy reveals contenders for Visual Effects Oscar nods

oscars 2017 vfx nominations arrival 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the list of 20 films that are contenders for nominations in the “Visual Effects” category for the 89th Academy Awards.

Among the movies considered for Oscar nominations this year are director Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed alien-encounter drama Arrival, Laika’s stop-motion animated feature Kubo and the Two Strings, Tim Burton’s quirky adventure Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, and multiple superhero and sci-fi films from Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.

Recommended Videos

The preliminary list of contenders was determined by the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, and will be narrowed down to 10 films later this month. Those selections will then be voted on for nominations.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The final list of Academy Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The full list of contenders for nominations in the “Best Visual Effects” category is as follows:

Alice through the Looking Glass
Arrival
The BFG
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Captain America: Civil War
Deadpool
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Independence Day: Resurgence
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Passengers
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
Sully
Warcraft
X-Men: Apocalypse

Of the major studios represented, it’s worth noting that Disney is responsible for six of the 20 contenders listed (AliceThe BFGCaptain AmericaDoctor StrangeJungle Book, and Rogue One), while Warner Bros. Pictures can claim four of the 20 movies listed (Batman V. SupermanFantastic BeastsSuicide Squad, and Sully). Of the 10 remaining films, 20th Century Fox also brought four of them to the screen (DeadpoolIndependence DayMiss Peregrine’s, and X-Men), Paramount Pictures is responsible for two (Arrival and Star Trek Beyond), and Universal Pictures has one film (Warcraft).

Marvel Comics properties account for four of the films on the list, while DC Comics characters provide source material for two of the movies.

Of the films, just two — Kubo and the Two Strings and Passengers — are original projects not derived from existing characters, literary works, franchises, or real-world events or people.

This year’s Academy Awards ceremony will be held Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The event will kick off on ABC at 7 p.m. ET.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
5 great performances that were snubbed by the Oscars, ranked
Two women sit on an airplane in Bridesmaids.

Part of the pleasure of the Academy Awards is pointing out all the times they got it wrong over the years. Crash winning Best Picture over Brokeback Mountain in 2006, Judy Holliday winning over Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson in 1951 ... these are the moments that incite great debate and endless chatter.

But what about the performances and films that weren't even nominated? Oscar has shunned some pretty memorable performances over the years, and we've highlighted five particularly egregious examples of snubbing that can't go unnoticed.

Read more
9 strange facts about the Oscars you didn’t know
A man looks away in Oppenheimer.

The Academy Awards ceremony has been held since 1929, with the ceremony broadcast via radio for the first time in 1930. In 1953, the event was first televised and has been ever since. As the oldest of the major annual entertainment awards in America, the Academy Awards are a huge production. It's not just about the honor of being nominated -- earning an Academy Award can be career-changing.

You might think you know everything there is to know about the Oscars, but as you gear up for the 2024 Academy Awards, here are lesser-known interesting facts about its origins, past, and how things run behind the scenes that you'll find fascinating.

Read more
All the 2024 Best Picture Oscar nominees, ranked
Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ken singing in a car in Barbie.

Early this morning (like, perversely early, as is tradition), Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid presented a bleary-eyed America with the nominations for the 96th Annual Academy Awards. There were few big surprises among the 10 films selected to compete for Best Picture — it was an expected lineup that had solidified into gospel over the past few weeks. By nominations day, we usually have a pretty good idea of what movies we’re going to hear named. 

Maybe that inevitability would be more disheartening if this weren’t a fairly solid crop of contenders. There are no true follies competing for Best Picture this year. And at the top, there are two near-masterpieces — including the best movie of the year, which happens to be the frontrunner, too. The lineup also covers a spectrum of budgets and definitions of success, with the year’s biggest sensations going toe-to-toe with smaller international fare (including an unprecedented three films entirely or mostly in a language other than English). 

Read more