^{Credit: The Studio (Apple TV+), Tangles (Giant Ant), Tuesday (A24)}

Of the nine animated features playing at Cannes this year, Leah Nelson’s Tangles is among the buzziest. An adaptation of Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir, Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer's, My Mother and Me, the film stands out with a difficult subject matter and distinct animation style. It’s also assembled an all-star voice cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Sarah Silverman, and Abbi Jacobson, to name a few. Two of its voice actors, Seth Rogen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, are also among the film’s producers. This begs the question, “If Tangles emerges as a Best Animated Feature contender, could Rogen and Louis-Dreyfus get their first Oscar nominations?”

The Academy’s rules specify that a Best Animated Feature nominee can only have a maximum of four representatives. One of those nominees would naturally be Nelson, being the director and key creative individual. That leaves three spots open for producers. The thing is, Tangles has several other producers. According to Deadline, the film had three producers from Monarch Media (Steve Barnett, Vicky Patel, Alan Powell), five from Point Grey Pictures (Rogen, Madeline Blair, Evan Goldberg, Alex McAtee, James Weaver), two from Giant Ant Films (Ross Murray, Teresa Toews), three though LYLAS Pictures (Sophie Hoegh, Jen Ray, Lauren Miller Rogen), and Louis-Dreyfus. IMDb also lists Jay Grandin, the latter of whom is Nelson’s husband. Nelson and Grandin co-founded Giant Ant.

That’s up to fifteen producers overall, meaning twelve would have to be left off the Oscar ballot. The rules go on to say, “In determining the number of producers eligible for nomination, a bona fide team of not more than two people shall be considered to be a single producer if the two individuals have had an established producing partnership as determined by the Producers Guild of America’s Producing Partnership Panel.” Rogen and Goldberg might be considered a team, given their past collaborations. While a few additional names might be able to latch on, it’s safe to say that most of the producers will have to watch from the sidelines.

The decision will come down to who the filmmakers feel played the most essential roles in bringing the film to fruition. Rogen and/or Louis-Dreyfus might step aside, deciding that some of their producing partners are more deserving. Conversely, the whole team may deem Louis-Dreyfus and/or Rogen integral figures. Even if Rogen and Louis-Dreyfus are ultimately included, there’s still the matter of whether Tangles gets the Oscar nomination. We’ll have a better idea of where it stands in the Oscar race after it premieres in Cannes later this month and competes at Annecy in June.

If Tangles resonates with the Academy, it may bring Rogen and Louis-Dreyfus their first Oscar nominations. Both are already among the most accomplished individuals in comedy. Louis-Dreyfus has eleven Emmys for her work on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Veep. The Oscars are one ceremony she’s yet to crash, however. The closest she came was with her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the underrated dramedy, Enough Said.

Rogen recently swept the Emmys with the first season of The Studio. On the film front, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, Superbad, and This Is The End may be comedy classics, but they sadly weren’t “Oscar movies.” Rogen, along with Goldberg, entered the Best Animated Feature conversation with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which they produced. Mutant Mayhem fell short of a nomination because A) It came out the same year as the similarly themed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and B) The Academy wasn’t bold enough to nominate a Ninja Turtles movie. A Cannes release is another story.

While the 99th Academy Awards are still months away, the Best Animated Feature race is already heating up. Tangles is just one of the international titles that’ll be playing at Cannes and Annecy. Lucy Lost, Iron Boy, and Viva Carmen! are just some of the other festival films gaining buzz. On the U.S. front, we already have Hoppers and GOAT with Toy Story 5, Hexed, Forgotten Island, and Coyote vs. Acme on the horizon. When a film attracts producers like Rogen and Louis-Dreyfus, though, it’s worth serious consideration.

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