Variety is reporting that The Motion Picture Academy’s Oscar will be decided from “Beowulf,†“The Bourne Ultimatum,†“Evan Almighty,†“The Golden Compass,†“Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix,†“I Am Legend,†“Live Free Or Die Hard,†“National Treasure: Book Of Secrets,†“Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End,†“Ratatouille,†“Spider-Man 3,†“Sunshine,†“300,†“Transformers,†and “The Water Horse.†These are the contenders and the 15 films that will be considered for the January “bake-off.†Seven of these will compete in the bake-off. Three of those seven will receive nominations. And then just one will have a very good office party come the actual night of the Oscars.
As discussed in an earlier article by David Cohen, the visual effects branch has made an unprecedented statement in support of visual effects in animated films as it included “Ratatouille†and “Beowulf†over such effects-heavy live-action pics as “Enchanted†and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.†Given that there is a relatively new Oscar just for Best Animated Film the debate centered around also allowing those same films to compete for the Effects Oscar.