The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature has only been an award catagorie since 2001. An animated feature is defined by The Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters’ performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique and where the major characters are animated.

The Nominees are:

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

Ernest and Celestine

Frozen

The Wind Rises

Disney Animation may finally win an Oscar in this category with two formidable entries in the race: “Frozen” and “The Wind Rises”. Both films are top of my list. Hayao Miyazaki and “The Wind Rises” is nothing short of a masterpiece and a brilliant swan song from this beloved Japanese filmmaker. “Frozen” another top contender, has become a massive commercial and critical hit, and because it is an English language feature may play to the Academy more strongly.

Hayao Miyazaki with his best animated feature nomination for The Wind Rises, the third of his career, becomes the most nominated person in the history of this category.

Who will win: The Wind Rises

Who should win: Frozen

Who was left out: Monsters University, Dan Scanlon

– Christophe Chanel