Golden Globe nominees reveal the 2026 Oscar frontrunners for Best Animated Feature, with ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ in the driver’s seat

Now that the Golden Globes have unveiled their six nominees for Best Animated Feature — Arco, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2 — the 2026 Oscar race has finally snapped into focus.

The expanded Globes lineup once again mixes big-studio tentpoles, international artistry, and anime firepower, offering an industry snapshot of which titles are surging and which ones may be fighting for that fifth Oscar slot. It’s not a one-to-one predictor, but historically, Globes recognition has been a strong bellwether for the Academy’s animation branch — and this year’s eclectic mix could set up one of the most competitive animated races in recent memory.

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Globes vs. The Oscars: By the numbers

If the past five years are any indication, the Golden Globe nominations are a reliable — though not infallible — indicator of the eventual Oscar slate. In 2025, all five Oscar nominees first appeared on the Globes list, while the overlap landed at four out of five in 2023, 2022, and 2021. Only once in that stretch, in 2024, did the alignment dip to three. The pattern is clear: more often than not, at least four of the Academy’s nominees show up at the Globes first, making this precursor one of the strongest early predictors of how the Best Animated Feature race will ultimately shake out.

This year also marks the third consecutive year in which the Globes have expanded to six nominees, while the Oscars remain capped at five. Last year, all five Oscar nominees emerged from the Globes’ larger pool, but the numbers guarantee that at least one of this year’s six contenders will fall off the Academy’s list — and possibly more, depending on how international and independent titles perform in the months ahead.

One more key stat: every Oscar winner since 2007, when the Golden Globes introduced their animated feature category, has been nominated at the Globes. And the correlation has grown even stronger in recent years — the last five Golden Globe winners have all gone on to win the Oscar: Soul, Encanto, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Boy and the Heron, and Flow.

A second major precursor, the Critics Choice Awards, matched 5 of the 6 Golden Globe nominees. The only discrepancy came down to one title: Critics Choice included In Your Dreams, while the Globes opted for Demon Slayer. With both groups expanding to six nominees while the Oscars remain locked at five, those two films now appear the most in danger of missing the Academy’s lineup altogether.

Currently, KPop Demon Hunters is holding strong as this year’s Oscar front-runner according to Gold Derby’s latest odds. The Netflix phenom is trailed closely by Zootopia 2, which will have to contend with the Academy’s traditional skepticism toward sequels — though the fact that it’s on the verge of crossing $1 billion at the box office and boasts an A CinemaScore certainly doesn’t hurt its campaign.

Oscars Nominations 2026

Best Picture Best Director Best Actress Best Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Screenplay Best Casting Best Cinematography Best Costume Design Best Film Editing Best Makeup and Hairstyling Best Production Design Best Score Best Sound Best Visual Effects Best Animated Feature Best International Film

Contender

Odds

1.

KPop Demon Hunters

96.4%

2.

Zootopia 2

96.0%

3.

Arco

91.7%

4.

Elio

72.9%

5.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

49.7%

6.

Scarlet

49.1%

7.

In Your Dreams

8.6%

8.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

6.8%

9.

A Magnificent Life

2.3%

10.

The Bad Guys 2

1.7%

11.

Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc

1.5%

12.

Dog Man

0.5%

13.

The Twits

0.4%

14.

Fixed

0.2%

15.

Lost in Starlight

0.2%

16.

Boys Go to Jupiter

0.2%

17.

Colorful Stage! The Movie

0.2%

18.

David

0.2%

19.

The Legend of Hei 2

0.1%

20.

100 Meters

0.1%

21.

Out of the Nest

0.1%

22.

Stitch Head

0.1%

23.

The Spongebob Movie: Search for SquarePants

0.1%

24.

Light of the World

0.1%

25.

Dog of God

0.1%

26.

Black Butterflies

0.1%

27.

All Operators Are Currently Unavailable

0.1%

28.

Slide

—

29.

Olivia and las Nubes

—

30.

Night of the Zoopocalypse

—

31.

Mahavatar Narsimha

—

32.

Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie

—

33.

Endless Cookie

—

34.

Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This Wall

—

35.

ChaO

—

See All Predictions

Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge and Penske Media Corporation, which owns Gold Derby.

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