Oscar Nominations for Best Animated Movie Have Anime Fans Fuming

The Academy Awards have not had a Best Animated Feature prize for long, but the category has been [...]

The Academy Awards have not had a Best Animated Feature prize for long, but the category has been around long enough to snub some great films. Over the years, anime fans have resigned themselves to being slighted, but the fandom could not take the Oscars' most recent upturn.

After all, Boss Baby ended up getting a nomination while titles like A Silent Voice were left in the dust.

If you hopped on the Internet today, you likely saw this year's Oscars nominations trending. Many fans took to social media to share how pumped they were about Get Out being honored, but plenty more questioned the Academy's choice to nominate Baby Boss over some truly stunning anime titles.

Last year, the world learned there were nearly 30 animated features submitted to the Osacrs for consideration. The Boss Baby was one such title, but anime stunners like Mary and the Witch's Flower, In This Corner of the World, and A Silent Voice also made the list. The anime trio may hail from Japan, but their themes were truly transcendental to audiences around the globe.

And - of course - they were kicked to the curb.

As you can see above, people have not taken the snub very kindly. While Boss Baby may do it for some, it is hard to overlook the controversy the film has caused. Rotten Tomatoes' aggregate score for the feature sits with a 52% critics' score and 3.3 rating from fans. As for A Silent Voice, the gorgeous feature has a 91% score with a 4.4 audience rating - and In This Corner of the World fared even better with its 98% status.

Fans are understandably frustrated by the Academy's latest slight, but the community is used to being overlooked by the awarding body. While Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away did take home the category's top prize years ago, no other flick has won over the Academy since. The heralded event isn't one to value quality anime titles over the politics of Hollywood's award ceremonies, and the fandom wishes they were surprised by the Oscars' latest dig at the medium.

Are you surprised by the Academy's nominees? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

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