The 2025 Oscars could see an influx of anime movies dominating the Best Animated Feature category, including this year’s most heartbreaking animated release, Look Back. Based on the manga by Chainsaw Man creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, Look Back is a tear-jerking reflection of the friendship between schoolgirls Fujino and Kyomoto. The film is already a hit with critics and audiences. Look Back holds a rare 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has caused floods of tears among viewers. But its success might not stop there, as Look Back is eligible for contention at next year’s Academy Awards.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the full list of animated movies eligible for nomination at the 2024 Oscars. While anime movies have had a decent track record in the past, with Studio Ghibli’s works often appearing among the list of nominees in the category, next year’s contenders will be going up against some strong anime movies.
As well as Look Back, four other anime feature films have been named by The Academy as possible contenders. The Imaginary, directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, follows an imaginary friend of a young girl who discovers he will disappear if she ever forgets about him. Based on the novel of the same name by A.F. Harrold, the film was a decent critical success. The Imaginary holds a strong 91% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although, the audience score is less impressive at 77%. The Imaginary is streaming on Netflix.
Those two films will face tough competition from The Colors Within (Kimi no iro), directed by Naoko Yamada. The film hasn’t yet been released in the U.S., but saw a Japanese theatrical release in August, which earned it strong reviews. The official synopsis reads, “High school girl Totsuko can see the colors of the emotions in people. In order to keep her friends and family from feeling dark feelings, she worries, reads situations, and even lies to smooth thing over. At an antique bookshop in the corner of Nagasaki, she meets a beautiful woman with an incredibly beautiful color and a music-loving boy trying to put together a band. The story follows these three sensitive people who gather together to play in a band.”
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Perhaps the most unsuspecting contender is Ghost Cat Anzu. Directed by Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita (and adapted from the manga of the same name), the film is the least critically loved of those mentioned so far. Ghost Cat Anzu follows a young girl who is sent to live with her grandfather in rural Japan. During her stay, she forms an unlikely bond with a feline spirit. Ghost Cat Anzu released in U.S. theaters earlier in November to mixed reviews and reactions from fans and critics, holding a 69% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Most surprisingly, one of 2025’s strongest Best Animated Feature contenders hasn’t even been released yet. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim was also named among The Academy’s list. The anime prequel film follows Helm Hammerhand during his heroic final stand at the Hornbug (which would later be known as Helm’s Deep). War of the Rohirrim releases in theaters on December 13th.
The above are just the anime movies that are eligible for contention. It does not mean that these films have been nominated. However, given the overwhelming critical reception Look Back has received, it would be egregious if the movie is overlooked. Although, anime fans know The Academy doesn’t always treat animated movies with the respect they deserve.
You can find the full list of eligible animated movies below:
- Art College 1994
- Captain Avispa
- Chicken for Linda!
- The Colors Within
- The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
- Despicable Me 4
- Flow
- The Garfield Movie
- Ghost Cat Anzu
- The Glassworker
- The Imaginary
- Inside Out 2
- Kensuke’s Kingdom
- Kung Fu Panda 4
- Living Large
- Look Back
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- Mars Express
- Memoir of a Snail
- Moana 2
- Piece by Piece
- Rocket Club: Across the Cosmos
- Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds
- Spellbound
- Sultana’s Dream
- That Christmas
- Thelma the Unicorn
- Transformers One
- Ultraman: Rising
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot