‘Mirai’ Earns Academy Awards Nomination For Best Animated Feature

Today, the Academy Awards stepped out to share its nominations for this year’s event, and anime fans were not get overlooked. After all, a fan-favorite film did nab a nomination, and it is nominated for a real swanky award.

According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Mirai has been nominated in the Animated Feature Film category. The movie, which Mamoru Hosoda directed, will be competing against titles like Isle of Dogs, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Incredibles 2, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

With Mirai making the cut, anime has become a welcome piece of the 91st Academy Awards. A slew of films from Japan were contending for a nomination spot this time around, but Hosoda was the filmmaker who came out on top.

Of course, that isn’t to say the anime industry fell flat with its films in the last year. Mirai was a clear standout given its creative team, but other features like Liz and the Blue Bird, Lu Over The Wall, and Night Is Short, Walk On Girl all impressed.

The addition of Mirai to this category has also expanded anime’s clout at the Academy Awards overall. To date, only a handful of anime films have received nominations from the event with Mirai being the sixth. Studio Ghibli has been a consistent powerhouse at the event with Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and When Marnie Was There. Now, Mirai will be joining the exclusive list, and anime fans are crossing their fingers Hosada will take an Oscar home with him after the show airs on February 24.

Want to know more about Mirai? You can check out the official synopsis for the project below:

“From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children) and Japan’s Studio Chizu comes Mirai, a daringly original story of love passed down through generations. When four-year-old Kun meets his new baby sister, his world is turned upside down. Named Mirai (meaning “future”), the baby quickly wins the hearts of Kun’s entire family. As his mother returns to work, and his father struggles to run the household, Kun becomes increasingly jealous of baby Mirai… until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters strange guests from the past and future – including his sister Mirai, as a teenager. Together, Kun and teenage Mirai go on a journey through time and space, uncovering their family’s incredible story. But why did Mirai come from the future?

Are you excited to see anime make a return to the awards ceremony? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!