Soul & Onward Become First Pixar Movies Nominated for Best Animated Feature Oscar in Same Year

This morning saw The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the official nominations [...]

By Spencer Perry

This morning saw The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the official nominations for the 2021 Academy Awards ceremony. There were many surprises and snubs along the way but one thing that was nearly a guarantee was that Disney's Pixar Animation Studio would secure at least one nomination in the Best Animated Feature category. This did come to pass but this division of Disney did something else it hasn't done in its entire existence by securing two Best Animated Feature nominations with both of its releases from the previous year. Yes, both Soul and Onward, were among the five nominees for Best Animated Feature.

It might surprise you to know that this is the first time this has ever happened for Pixar but the studio has only released two movies per year a handful of times including 2015 with Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur (only the former was nominated that year, which it won), 2017 with Coco and Cars 3 nominated (again, only the former nominated, and, again, also winning), and now 2020; though plans are underway for 2022 to see two Pixar movies released as well. Pixar's Soul was also nominated for Best Original Score and Best Sound.

It's also worth noting that this is far from the first time that one company has gotten more than one nomination in the category in a given year at the Academy Awards. As recently as 2016 saw Walt Disney Animation Studios gain nominations for both Moana and Zootopia (with the later winning) as well as in 2002 when both Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet were nominated (with the studio named Walt Disney Feature Animation at the time). Dreamworks Animation has also done it twice before with both Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots being nominated in 2011 and both Shrek 2 and Shark Tale being nominated in 2004.

Other nominees in the Best Animated Feature category for the 93rd Academy Awrards include Netflix Animation's Over the Moon (Glen Keane, Gennie Rin, and Peilin Chou), Aardman Animations' A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Richard Phelan, Will Becher, and Paul Kewley), and Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young, and Stéphan Roelants).

The 93rd Oscars will take place on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 P.M. ET/5 P.M. PT. Who are you hoping to see when the Best Animated Feature award when the ceremony takes place? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!

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