Critics Choice Awards Nominations Emphasize The Unpredictable Nature Of This Year’s Awards Season

The Critics Choice Awards (CCA) announced nominations today for their 29th annual edition. The awards are presented by the Critics Choice Association, a group of over 600 critics and entertainment reporters.

Both the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes are reliable bellwethers for the Oscars. In the last 13 years of each ceremony, they’ve both given their top animated feature prize to the eventual Oscar animation winner 10 out of 13 times.

Four of the six films nominated for best animated feature at the Critics Choice also received Golden Globes nominations: The Boy and the Heron, Elemental, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Wish.

The final two nominees selected by Critics Choice Association were Nimona and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, while the Golden Globes picked the Super Mario Bros. Movie and Suzume to fill its remaining spots.

The difference in the two ceremony’s lineups further emphasizes the unpredictable nature of this year’s awards season, which sees a record 33 animated features qualified for the Oscars.

In addition to its animated feature nomination, Across the Spider-Verse was nominated for visual effects, and the film’s composer, Daniel Pemberton, was nominated for best score. Wish was the only other animated title to score multiple nominations, nabbing a nod for best song with “This Wish.”

It’s worth pointing out that although Oppenheimer didn’t make the 20-title shortlist for this year’s visual effects Oscar, it’s one of the final six nominees in the vfx category of the Critics Choice Awards.

Best Animated Feature

• The Boy and the Heron (Studio Ghibli)
• Elemental (Pixar)
• Nimona (Netflix)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount)
• Wish (Disney)

Best Animated Series

• Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)
• Bluey (Disney+)
• Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
• Harley Quinn (HBO | Max)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
• Young Love (HBO | Max)

Best Visual Effects

• The Creator (20th Century Studios)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount)
• Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
• Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Best Song

• “Dance the Night” – Barbie
• “I’m Just Ken” – Barbie
• “Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• “Road to Freedom” – Rustin
• “This Wish” – Wish
• “What Was I Made For” – Barbie

Best Score

• Jerskin Fendrix – Poor Things
• Michael Giacchino – Society of the Snow
• Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer
• Daniel Pemberton – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• Robbie Robertson – Killers of the Flower Moon
• Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt – Barbie