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Animation Nominees at 31st Critics' Choice Awards
The nominees for the 31st Critics' Choice Awards have been announced. Since 2001, 85 out of 117 nominees at the Critics’ Choice Awards have gone on to be nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. There have been years when CCA had more nomination slots in the Animated Feature category than the Academy Awards, which has never allowed more than five. This year has six CCA nominees: Arco, Elio, In Your Dreams, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. While at least one of these six nominees will miss out on the Oscars, Pixar’s Elio perhaps got the biggest boost on the heels of good but not out-of-this-world reviews, dismal box office, and behind-the-scenes controversies. At the very least, Critics' Choice will keep Elio in the awards conversation.
2025 was a monumental year for Japanese animation, with Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle becoming commercial hits in the States. Despite strong reviews, their awards prospects were called into question since both are based on anime TV series. If there was one major awards group where they could’ve broken through, it was Critics’ Choice, as journalists are more ingrained in anime culture than Academy voters. If they couldn’t get in here, their Oscar odds don’t look very promising, although Demon Slayer was nominated at the Astra Awards.
Eighteen CCA recipients would ultimately win the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Six films (Cars, Wreck-It Ralph, The Lego Movie, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and The Wild Robot) won at CCA, but went on to lose the Oscar. Since this group has habitually leaned toward North American animation studios, KPop Demon Hunters or Zootopia 2 seem like the most probable winners here. That wouldn’t mean European films like Arco and Little Amélie aren’t in it to win the Oscar. Just look at Flow last year.
KPop Demon Hunters was also nominated in Best Original Song for “Golden” (Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, and Teddy). Ejae is also notably Rumi's singing voice in the film. "Golden" was nominated against "Drive" from F1, "I Lied to You" from Sinners, “Clothed by the Sun” from The Testament of Ann Lee, the titular song from Train Dreams, and “The Girl in the Bubble” from Wicked: For Good. KPop Demon Hunters and Sinners are expected to be the Best Original Song frontrunners this season. Ironically, both center on battling demonic forces with music. Both are now apparently going to be under one corporate umbrella as well, with the recent announcement that Netflix is buying Warner Bros... KPop Sinners Hunters crossover?
In Best Visual Effects, CCA nominated Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Frankenstein, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Sinners, and Superman. The Fantastic Four: First Steps, How to Train Your Dragon, Mickey 17, Predator: Badlands, Sketch, Tron: Ares, and Wicked: For Good were previously shortlisted in this category, but they didn't make the final lineup. Notably, Avatar: Fire and Ash wasn't shortlisted, yet it still got the nomination. An exception was likely made since James Cameron's latest entry in the blockbuster franchise only screened for critics this past week. This is Fire and Ash's only CCA nomination, leaving one to wonder if it will be an award season player beyond below-the-line categories. We’ll have a better idea when the review embargo lifts.
The Critics' Choice Awards also recognize television. In Best Animated Series, the nominees are Bob’s Burgers, Harley Quinn, Long Story Short, Marvel Zombies, South Park, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Bob's Burgers has been routinely nominated in this category, but has yet to win. Last year, the CCA went to X-Men '97, meaning they might embrace another Marvel show this year. Voters may favor DC with Harley Quinn, which is a past winner. Long Story Short is a new series, although its creator, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, won here five times for BoJack Horseman. Despite four nominations in the past, South Park has yet to win here. With these past seasons' take on Trump rekindling interest in the show, though, this might be South Park's best chance at winning a Critics' Choice Award yet. Missing here are the Emmy-winning Arcane and the Emmy-nominated Common Side Effects, the latter of which was also recently nominated at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Winners for the 31st Critics' Choice Awards will be announced on January 4, 2026.
Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!
