Oscars Visual Effects Shortlist Narrows, Guardians & Spider-Verse Still in Contention

A new, narrowed version of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts' Academy Awards shortlist is making the rounds -- and the Academy Awards shortlist for best visual effects includes a number of fan-favorite movies. Among others, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are on the list, meaning that they are still in contention for the biggest award in the industry. The original shortlist, released earlier this month, featured 20 titles. The new list is down to just ten.

The new list includes crowd-pleasers like Guardians and Spider-Verse, as well as more traditional Oscar fare like Poor Things and Napoleon. Given the nature of the category -- it often goes to a very commercial film, since those require a lot of visual effects work -- it's difficult to know what the final nomination list will be when it comes around in January.

Here's The Academy's write-up of the revised shortlist, followed by the list itself: 

Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 96th Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 13, 2024.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

• "The Creator"
• "Godzilla Minus One"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
• "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"
• "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One"
• "Napoleon"
• "Poor Things"
• "Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire"
• "Society of the Snow"
• "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"

Movies that were on the original shortlist and didn't make it through the first round of paring-down include Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Nyad. Also missing from the list is Oppenheimer, one of the year's highest-grossing movies, which is already a controversial decision with fans, because the visual effects team was so downplayed and dismissed by the filmmakers and the media, who were eager to play up the movie's practical effects and craft a narrative that there were no visual effects used in the movie.

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 11, 2024, and concludes on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The Oscars will take place on March 10, and will air live on ABC.