Outline:
The Evolution of Animation in the Academy’s Eyes
For years, the Animation Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been known for its cautious approach to awarding animated films. Since the introduction of the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2002, the category has largely favored studio-backed, 3D CGI family fare from Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks. Over two decades, exceptions have been rare: one claymation winner, one stop-motion drama, and one independent film.
East Asian animation, including Japanese anime, South Korean hanguk aeni, and Chinese donghua, has become a global pop-culture phenomenon. However, the Academy has remained largely indifferent. For Oscar voters, Asian animation is often defined by the works of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s hand-drawn, painterly aesthetic and his focus on morally complex, humanistic tales have been seen as the sole form of Asian animation worthy of recognition. To date, Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai remains the only non-Ghibli anime feature ever nominated.
This year, things are different. Two of the season’s animation frontrunners—Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters and the anime blockbuster Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, both Golden Globe nominees—have little in common with a Miyazaki movie.
New Contenders and Bold Styles
KPop is a neon-soaked action musical about a chart-topping girl group, Huntrix, who juggle stadium tours with their secret lives as superpowered demon hunters. Demon Slayer, the first of a series-ending film trilogy, is a masterclass in hyper-kinetic, violent battles and high-stakes melodrama, featuring epic duels intercut with emotional character backstories. Dark horse contenders include Scarlet, an action-fantasy reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a surreal revenge tale, and Chainsaw Man, which features a hero whose arms and head turn into chainsaws and falls for a girl who can transform into a nuclear bomb.
These movies look nothing like Studio Ghibli or the photorealism of Disney/Pixar films. The animation combines 3D CGI with traditional 2D styles, giving the films a comic book/manga feel. KPop is full 3D film, but the directors mimic elements of the 2D animated style, including exaggerated, cartoonish expressions. The eyes of K-pop superstars/demon hunters Rumi, Mira, and Zoey turn into giant red hearts to show physical attraction. When they are angry or determined, their mouths contort absurdly and wail.
This is unlike anything the Academy has seen—or at least recognized—before.
Global Influence and Fan Service
The appeal of these films lies in their fan service. These movies give audiences what they know and love. There’s no spoon-feeding or hand-holding. Viewers are expected to be familiar with these worlds and their codes without the need for explanation or exposition.
Part of the commercial success of Demon Slayer, KPop Demon Hunters, and other breakout anime features is due to their deep connection with fans. These films resonate with those who grew up watching and loving anime series like Akira, Sailor Moon, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. The influence of K-drama series and K-pop music videos is also evident in the storytelling and visual style.
A Shift in Perception
The global success of anime has played a role in this shift. Netflix estimates that 300 million anime fans watched anime content on its service in 2024. Pop anime’s long journey to prestige recognition is also a result of deeper changes in the animation industry. A generation ago, when the first animated feature Oscar was presented (to DreamWorks’ Shrek), virtually all members of the Animation Branch worked within the U.S. studio system. The Academy made room for the occasional hand-drawn feature, but the gold standard was 3D photorealism.
The impact of Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was key. While not an anime, it used anime-style techniques, blending 3D CGI with 2D hand-drawn characters, 12 fps animation, and non-photorealistic rendering. It showed that breaking the rules of Hollywood studio animation could still win an Oscar.
The Road Ahead
While KPop Demon Hunters is this year’s Oscar favorite, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is no shoo-in. It was just snubbed at the animation industry’s Annie Awards. Other anime contenders, like Chainsaw Man and Scarlet, are unlikely to make the Oscar final five. In contrast, Disney’s Zootopia 2 and Elio, as well as Netflix’s In Your Dreams, are strong contenders. So are a pair of hand-drawn European features inspired by the Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli style.
There is also a $2.24 billion Ne Zha 2 hole in the race. The Chinese animated juggernaut, the most commercially successful film of any kind in 2025, wasn’t submitted for Oscar consideration. It will be at least another year before Chinese donghua gets a chance at Oscar glory.
Whether recognition comes this year or next, the direction of travel is clear. If the Oscars embrace films like KPop Demon Hunters or even a shonen juggernaut like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, it won’t just be a genre victory. It will mark a broader recalibration of how animation itself is viewed inside the Academy.
The family-friendly consensus that has dominated the best animated feature category for decades could be giving way to something messier, riskier, and more reflective of the full range of global animation and its fans. Not just talking animals giving reassuring life lessons, but genre mashups targeting teens and adults, films with darker tones, stylized violence, and hybrid aesthetics. The industry is already moving in that direction, and if the Oscars validate that evolution, things will only accelerate.
This isn’t about dethroning Disney or replacing Miyazaki. But if the Academy embraces KPop Demon Hunters, Demon Slayer, and their kin, it could help widen the definition, among Hollywood’s gatekeepers, of what animation can be and who it’s for. The question is not whether this sort of animation belongs at the Oscars, but how long the Oscars can afford to pretend it doesn’t.