12 animated films that should be in the Best Picture category

Not only has “The Boy and the Beast” - a Japanese fantasy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda - impressed audiences around the globe, it actually beat out another member of this list for Animation of the Year at the 37th Japan Academy Prizes. Director Mamoru Hosoda previously received acclaim for “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,” “Summer Wars,” and “Wolf Children.”

The first (but definitely not the last) entry from France in this list, “April and the Extraordinary World” (French: “Avril et le Monde Truqué”) benefits from a fantastic cast, which includes Marion Cotillard, Jean Rochefort, and Olivier Gourmet on the French-language side, and Angela Galuppo, Paul Giamatti, Susan Sarandon, and J.K. Simmons representing the English cast. The film, which is based on the animation of Jacques Tardi, has already earned honors at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and a special mention at Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario, in addition to earning a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Telling the story of real-life painter O-Ei, Production I.G’s “Miss Hokusai” and its message of female empowerment would have made a fantastic addition to this year’s Best Picture category, or at least Best Animated Feature. Yet this film - based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Hinako Sugiura - was completely passed over by the Academy. In addition to owning a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Miss Hokusai” won three prizes at the Fantasia International Film Festival, the Jury Award at the 39th Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the Gold Audience Award at the 19th Fantasia International Film Festival, and has one pending Annie Award nomination, to name just a sampling of the film’s honors.

The biggest Oscar hurdled faced by “The Little Prince” was probably its botched U.S. release, which may have sank its chances at earning any Academy Award nominations. After all, the film is based on the fourth-most translated book in the world and features stars such as Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, Benicio del Toro, James Franco, Ricky Gervais, and Paul Giamatti – so a Best Picture nod for the favorably reviewed film (and César Award-winner for Best Animated Feature) wouldn’t be out of the question.

Director Rémi Chayé’s visually stunning “Long Way North” (French: “Tout en haut du monde”) first premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and is currently up for Best Animated Feature at the Annie Awards. Yet despite almost universal acclaim among film critics and audiences around the world, the Academy declined to offer “Long Way North” a single nomination.

Suggesting a Pixar film such as “Finding Dory” be included in the Best Picture category would have seemed like an oxygen-deprived hallucination a decade ago, but thanks to “Up” and “Toy Story 3,” this could have easily become a reality. Not only did it earn more money than the aforementioned films ($1 billion versus $735 million, in the case of “Up”) while smashing box office records worldwide, but “Finding Dory” was critically acclaimed and praised for its ability to make audiences laugh, cry, and think. The film also won three People’s Choice awards and two Teen Choice awards.

Unlike most entries in this list, the Keith Maitland-directed “Tower” is an animated film that is not intended for young audiences. The documentary focuses on the infamous 1966 shootings at the University of Texas at Austin that claimed the lives of 17 innocent people, and includes reenactments and interviews with victims and witnesses. The film owns a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and won two honors at SXSW, including the coveted grand jury award. While some animated films can blame their medium for getting passed over for Oscar consideration, “Tower” is a dramatic, captivating, and phenomenal film that was absolutely snubbed by the Academy.

Headlined by star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (the second-highest-paid actor and People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2016) and a soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda (arguably the most popular lyricist of 2016), it’s no wonder Disney’s “Moana” has already raked in over $510 million worldwide and owns a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, the film’s girl power message is perfect for today’s social climate, and it would have made a perfect addition to the Best Picture category. However, “Moana” did receive two Oscar nominations in the end: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

“Kubo and the Two Strings” might not be a household name just yet, but how about Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, and Matthew McConaughey - the film’s stars? Get used to hearing about this film, because in addition to a stellar cast, “Kubo” already boasts twelve wins from various critic groups, a whopping 10 Annie Award nominations, and two Oscar nods: Best Animated Feature Film and Best Visual Effects. Considering the fact that it’s only the second animated movie to ever receive a nomination in the latter category (“The Nightmare Before Christmas” was the first), perhaps the Academy should have traded these two category selections in for a single Best Picture nomination.

There was quite a debate regarding which Oscar category the stop-motion movie “My Life as a Zucchini” (French: “Ma vie de Courgette”) might find itself in - if any at all. In the end, Claude Barras’ film earned a Best Animated Feature nod, but some critics insist it’s a better fit as Best Foreign Language Film or even Best Picture, due to its universal acclaim (100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), two wins (including Best Feature Film) at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, three Annie Award nominations, and a Golden Globe nomination.

Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away”) has been waiting for one of their films to squeak into the Best Picture category for decades, and it seemed like the dialogue-free “The Red Turtle” really had a chance. A co-production with Wild Bunch (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Artist”) directed and co-written by animator Michaël Dudok de Wit, “The Red Turtle” has already won a special prize at Cannes, been named Best Animated Feature by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, and was a runner up in the same category for the Los Angeles and Toronto Film Critics Association before earning a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination.

Prior to the announcement of the 2017 Oscar nominees, a lot of critics speculated that Disney’s “Zootopia” would make the cut for Best Picture. Featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, and J.K. Simmons, “Zootopia” definitely has the star power - and its positive social message is just the kind of thing critics love - but it looks like the film will just have to settle for being the Best Animated Feature favorite instead. (As well as winning a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice Award, and at least a dozen other accolades.)