The Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, known by all of us as, simply, the Academy, has announced its shortlist of all the films from this year eligible to compete in the visual effects category at the Oscars. The list usually consists of most of the blockbusters that used some kind of visual effects — usually science fiction and superhero movies, plus the occasional war flick — but this year there are a few definite standouts.

The Jungle Book and Warcraft are two obvious picks, by virtue of both almost entirely consisting of computer-generated animation. The Jungle Book’s visuals are particularly stunning, giving tons of expressiveness and detail to creatures that normally don’t really use facial expressions. The BFG also turned Mark Rylance into a motion-capture giant, so that movie is a definite contender. Superhero movies weren’t ignored, and of the ones that came out this year Doctor Strange probably had the most stunning visual sequences. Civil War’s sneaky Black Panther animation also deserves at least a nod. Arrival also animated that coffee-stain alien language in a particularly intricate way.

Most notably, probably, is the appearance of Kubo and the Two Strings, which normally would only appear in the Best Animated Feature category. But because of its hybrid style of combining stop-motion with computer animation, it gets a place on this list as well, and it really does deserve it. And this isn’t a new precedent: back in 1993, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas also got an Oscar nomination in this category.

Below, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, see the full list:

  • 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
  • Star Trek Beyond
  • Suicide Squad
  • Sully
  • Warcraft
  • X-Men: Apocalypse

Later this month this list will be narrowed to 10 films that will then advance to the nomination process. The 89th Academy Awards will be broadcast on February 26, 2017.

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