^{Credit: Iron Boy (Sony Pictures Classics), Wildwood (Laika), Ray Gunn (Netflix, Skydance Animation), Tangles (Independent Film Company)}

Fall film festival season is in full swing, and some of the most exciting titles are animated features. Several have already premiered at other festivals while others are making their long-awaited debuts. Here are five festivals that could shape the Best Animated Feature race with the 99th Academy Awards on the horizon. 

70th BFI London Film Festival (October 7-18)

Among BFI’s Family Section is Louis Clichy’s Iron Boy, which Sony Pictures Classics picked up shortly after its premiere at Cannes. Picking up a Special Jury Prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, Iron Boy went on to win three awards at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Cartoon Saloon’s Julián also premiered at Annecy, making its way to TIFF and now BFI. Playing alongside Julián and Iron Boy at BFI’s Family Section are My Friend the Sun, which previously premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, and A Mighty Adventure, which had its premiere at the Golden Horse Film Festival. Beyond the Family Section, the Gala Section will see the world premieres of two highly anticipated animated features: Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn and Travis Knight’s Wildwood. 

Ray Gunn is Bird’s long-time passion project, which is finally seeing the light of day through Skydance Animation. Bird will also be taking part in BFI’s Screen Talk with several other directors. Like Ray Gunn, Wildwood has similarly been in the pipeline for years. Laika optioned Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’ fantasy book on the heels of Coraline. Wildwood entered production in 2021, with Laika apparently working on the stop-motion feature right up to its debut. Many are already predicting Wildwood and Ray Gunn as Best Animated Feature frontrunners. BFI will provide the first true indication if either is in it to win it (or at least solidify themselves as nominees). 

9th Animation Is Film Festival (October 16-19)

The Animation Is Film Festival returns to Los Angeles with the aforementioned Julián and Iron Boy among this year’s official competition. The competition also includes Leah Nelson’s Tangles, which has been making audiences cry since its premiere at Cannes and recently picked up distribution from Independent Film Company. Two other Cannes titles, Jim Queen and Viva Carmen, will be joining the competition lineup as well. Another to watch out for is The Violinist, which scored directors Raúl García and Ervin Han the Cristal at Annecy. Rounding out the competition are Masanao Kawajiri’s Cherry and Virgin, Shingo Natsume’s ghost – end of night, and O filho da puta, aka Son of a Bitch.

Last year, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain won Animation Is Film’s Grand Jury Prize while Arco won the Audience Award. Both went on to be nominated for Best Animated Feature. AIF could serve as a prognosticator again this year. However, only two of the films in competition currently have U.S. distribution: Tangles and Iron Boy. It’s worth noting that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is having a special out-of-competition screening. Despite its streaming release, Avatar Aang is receiving an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run. AIF will also host a behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s Hexed, which will premiere later in November. 

Although GKIDS founded Animated Is Film, they notably don’t have any films in contention here. It’s becoming less and less likely that GKIDS will have a Best Animated Feature nominee this year. That might not be their priority, what with Godzilla Minus Zero sparking Best Picture talk following its New York Film Festival premiere. At the very least, Godzilla Minus Zero could pull off another Best Visual Effects nomination or even win for the franchise. Last year, GKIDS didn’t get into Best Animated Feature, but they manifested a Best Makeup & Hairstyling nomination for Kokuho. Now that GKIDS has a Best Animated Feature Oscar for The Boy and the Heron, the distributor is seemingly branching out to other categories. 

40th AFI Fest (October 21-25)

Like Fantastic Mr. Fox seventeen years ago, Wildwood is going from having its world premiere at BFI to making its U.S. debut at AFI Fest, kicking off the ceremony. American audiences will also get their first chance to see Ray Gunn following its BFI screening. Tangles is getting a special screening while Iron Boy will be part of the World Cinema section. The one animated feature playing at AFI Fest that currently doesn’t have distribution is Kōhei Kadowaki’s We Are Aliens. The debut feature from Japanese studio Nothing New recently won the Grand Prize for Animated Feature at the 50th Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), however. Whether or not We Are Aliens qualifies for Oscar consideration this year, its presence on the awards trail is growing. 

29th SCAD Savannah Film Festival - Pixels and Pencils (October 24-31)

Variety’s Clayton Davis is once again moderating the Pixels and Pencils roundtable at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Five animated features will be represented with their directors in attendance: Forgotten Island (Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado), Hoppers (Daniel Chong), Ray Gunn (Brad Bird), Tangles (Leah Nelson), and Wildwood (Travis Knight). Forgotten Island recently opened to rave reviews, but it struggled at the box office out of the gate. Whether or not Forgotten Island can turn things around on the financial front, its presence here indicates that DreamWorks will keep the film in the awards conversation. The passion surrounding the film, as well as its direction, is more important to its Oscar prospects than nickels and dimes. 

Pixar’s Hoppers was a solid box office and critical success back in March, although it's been somewhat overshadowed since the release of Toy Story 5. Having director Daniel Chong at Pixels and Pencils should remind potential Academy members in attendance how hard it is to get an original animated feature off the ground in this day and age. The question is which Pixar film the Academy is more likely to gravitate towards, if not both. Either way, Hoppers is the film that could use a push right now. Toy Story 5 is still fresh in people’s minds, having grossed over a billion dollars over the summer and recently landing on Disney+. 

In 2024 and 2025, four of the five eventual Best Animated Feature nominees were represented at Pixels and Pencils. In 2023, three of the five eventual nominees participated. Will this be the year the roundtable goes five for five? Probably not, but it’s always a good indication of which films are being pushed the hardest. 

1st ASIFA-Showcase at Infinity Festival Hollywood (November 14-15)

The ninth Infinity Festival marks a first for ASIFA-Hollywood, the organization behind the Annie Awards. The first ASIFA-Showcase will be an FYC event for the animation community. It remains to be seen which films will be represented at the ASIFA-Showcase. According to a press release, though, Apple TV, Crunchyroll, Disney/Pixar, Disney Television, IFC, LAIKA, Marvel Animation, Netflix Animation, Paramount+, Sony Pictures Animation, Tierney Corp, Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation, and Warner Bros Pictures Animation will be participating. So, all of the heavy hitters should have a presence. 

Takeaways From These Festival Lineups: 

Laika is pushing Wildwood hard, positioning what’s been described as their most ambitious feature yet as a major awards player. The festival buzz should help the fantasy epic ahead of its general release on October 23. 

Although Netflix has a few Best Animated Feature contenders this year, they’re clearly going all in on Ray Gunn. Even if they manage to get another film like the Cannes acquisition In Waves a nomination, Ray Gunn is the animated feature they have the most faith in. 

Tangles and Iron Boy are vying to be this year’s indie animated feature hopefuls. Both could get in, although this year’s roster is especially crowded. 

Pixar obviously wants to get Hoppers and Toy Story 5 nominated. If there can be only one, though, a nomination for Hoppers might be seen as more meaningful given its original roots. 

The Violinist, Julián, and We Are Aliens keep popping up, despite not having U.S. distribution as of now. Maybe they’ll be submitted for Best Animated Feature this year regardless, but they’ll most likely hold out for distribution and an Oscar campaign in the new year. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!