With awards season just around the corner, the industry is already buzzing about which films are likely to hit the red carpet on Oscar night (March 2, 2025). 

The race for Best Animated Feature is the biggest spotlight opportunity for kids projects, and last week, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences released its list of 31 films (mostly family-friendly) that are eligible to compete in this category. Here are our frontrunner predictions: 

1. The Wild Robot (102 minutes)
   DreamWorks AnimationWith an impressive 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this critically acclaimed book-based feature—about a robot who washes up on an island and bonds with its animal denizens—is shaping up to be this year’s leading prospect. It made US$317 million at the box office this fall, an impressive achievement for a non-franchise movie, and also has a chance to scoop up Best Original Song (“Kiss the Sky”) and make an entry into Best Score and Best Adapted Screenplay.
   
   
2. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (79 minutes)
   Aardman Animations
   For a stop-motion franchise that’s been nominated five times by the Academy since its first short film debuted in 1989, the odds are certainly in Wallace & Gromit’s favor. Sequel pic Vengeance Most Fowl is due out on Christmas Day in the UK (BBC One/BBC iPlayer), with an international Netflix release to follow in January 2025. But it has already received the critics’ seal of approval and currently has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

3. Inside Out 2 (96 minutes)
   PixarThe year’s number-one box office film (US$1.6 billion) should be a compelling ticket on the 2025 shortlist, especially given Pixar’s track record with a whopping 49 previous Oscar nominations. And this particular IP about the emotions inside a young girl’s mind has fared well with the Academy before. Disney/Pixar’s first film in the series won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay at the 2016 Oscars.
   
   
4. Flow (85 minutes)
   Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio
   With a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this Belgian-French-Latvian co-pro made quite a splash at Annecy in June, collecting four prizes including the Jury Award and the Audience Award. And the indie pic’s limited US release in just two theaters this past weekend racked up a strong showing of US$50,000 in ticket sales. Telling the story of a group of animals navigating their new lives after a massive flood, Flow is Latvia’s official Oscar submission this year, and it could possibly mark the country’s first-ever nomination if it lands a Best International Feature nod.
   
   
5. Moana 2 (100 minutes)
   Walt Disney Animation StudiosCould Disney have two horses in the 2025 Best Animated Feature race? This week’s “Moanapocalypse” at the box office is demonstrating strong demand for the franchise—and Moana (2016) is the most-streamed movie of all time on Disney+ with more than 80 billion hours of watch time to date. While the sequel’s chances in the music field are also looking good, it’s worth noting that Lin-Manuel Miranda—who earned a Best Original Song nomination for the first pic’s  “How Far I’ll Go” track—did not return for the second movie.

Among the likely contenders in other Oscar categories, new release Wicked has emerged as a standout family-friendly entry that could dominate this year, having already earned US$162 million at the box office. As per industry trades and GoldDerby (a website devoted to Oscar predictions), experts are expecting this hit musical to make the shortlist for Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup/Hairstyling, Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo) and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande).

Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King—a prequel pic coming out on December 20—is another non-animated kids movie to watch out for in Best Song (“I Always Wanted a Brother”) and Best VFX, where its predecessor The Lion King (2019) was previously nominated for its impressive photorealistic animation, designed to resemble a live-action film.

Featured image (L-R): Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2.