For a brief period, anime felt like it was going to become a permanent presence on the list of nominees for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.
The Academy has announced the nominees for the Best Animated Feature category, and one of the five slots is going to director Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai (titled Mirai no Mirai, or “Mirai from the Future,” in Japan).
Cynics often refer to the Best Animated Feature Oscar as the “Best Disney/Pixar Movie” Oscar, due to the American studios’ dominance in the category since its establishment for 2001.
Released in Japan last July, Mirai then headed to U.S. theaters in November, courtesy of licensor GKIDS.