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And the nominees may be: Academy reveals contenders for Visual Effects Oscar nods

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the list of 20 films that are contenders for nominations in the “Visual Effects” category for the 89th Academy Awards.

Among the movies considered for Oscar nominations this year are director Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed alien-encounter drama Arrival, Laika’s stop-motion animated feature Kubo and the Two Strings, Tim Burton’s quirky adventure Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, and multiple superhero and sci-fi films from Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.

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The preliminary list of contenders was determined by the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, and will be narrowed down to 10 films later this month. Those selections will then be voted on for nominations.

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The final list of Academy Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The full list of contenders for nominations in the “Best Visual Effects” category is as follows:

Alice through the Looking Glass
Arrival
The BFG
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Captain America: Civil War
Deadpool
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Independence Day: Resurgence
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Passengers
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
Sully
Warcraft
X-Men: Apocalypse

Of the major studios represented, it’s worth noting that Disney is responsible for six of the 20 contenders listed (Alice, The BFG, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Jungle Book, and Rogue One), while Warner Bros. Pictures can claim four of the 20 movies listed (Batman V. Superman, Fantastic Beasts, Suicide Squad, and Sully). Of the 10 remaining films, 20th Century Fox also brought four of them to the screen (Deadpool, Independence Day, Miss Peregrine’s, and X-Men), Paramount Pictures is responsible for two (Arrival and Star Trek Beyond), and Universal Pictures has one film (Warcraft).

Marvel Comics properties account for four of the films on the list, while DC Comics characters provide source material for two of the movies.

Of the films, just two — Kubo and the Two Strings and Passengers — are original projects not derived from existing characters, literary works, franchises, or real-world events or people.

This year’s Academy Awards ceremony will be held Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The event will kick off on ABC at 7 p.m. ET.

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Rick Marshall
Rick Marshall
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A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
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