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We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Finding Dory

It wasn’t until 2001 that the Academy introduced its Best Animated Feature category, meaning that Pixar had to wait until it’s fourth feature to earn its first Oscar nomination in the category for Monsters, Inc.. Since then, the studio has released thirteen animated featuring bringing its total to 17.

Ignoring those first three films, the studio has racked up an unprecedented and unparalleled number of nominations and wins. After its loss in 2001, the studio won in 2003 and again in 2004 followed by a loss in 2006, but back-to-back-to-back-to-back victories from 2007 through 2010. It won again in 2012 then again in 2015. Of its 10 Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations, it has won 8. That’s an impressive total.

Finding Nemo, the predecessor of this week’s new release Finding Dory, was the studio’s first winner in this category and, at the time, it was also the studio’s most successful feature. Adjusting for inflation, it’s still the top, but base numbers have put it in third now. It’s stellar opening weekend numbers suggest it may ultimately top all prior Pixar efforts, coming in above Toy Story 3 and Inside Out as well as its now-3rd place predecessor.

On the Oscar front, the big issue is that the studio has managed to secure 10 of 13 eligible films nominations. The three titles that missed the cut were sequel Cars 2, prequel Monsters University and original The Good Dinosaur. All three of the films weren’t nearly as well received as past efforts, though Monsters University still snagged decent recognition.

This could mean bad things for Finding Nemo unless you take into consideration one thing. Both Cars 2 and Monsters University are follow-ups to the only two prior Pixar efforts to get nominated for Best Animated Feature and lose the award. Ultimately, it would be shocking for a film that received strong reviews and astounding box office to get ignored for a Best Animated Feature nomination. It’s the other categories that might give the film trouble.

In 1995, the studio’s first feature length film, Toy Story earned three Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Original Song. It even won a Special Academy Award recognizing the film. Its second film, A Bug’s Life secured a Best Original Comedy or Musical Score nomination in 1998. Toy Story 2 earned a Best Original Song nomination in 1999. In 2001, Monsters, Inc. won the Oscar for Best Original Song, the studio’s first competitive Oscar victory and was additionally nominated for Best Sound Editing.

Finding Nemo was additionally nominated in 2003 in the Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Sound Editing. 2004’s The Incredibles earned other Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. Cars earned a nomination for Best Original Song in 2006. The next year, Ratatouille became the studio’s most nominated effort with five mentions including Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing in addition to its Best Animated Feature win.

WALL-E did Ratatouille on better with six nominations in 2008 for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. Up was up next when it earned five nominations including Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing and then became only the second film in Oscar history to earn a Best Picture Oscar nomination for 2009. Toy Story 3 became the second Best Picture nominee for Pixar and the third animated nominee in history. It would also be the last. Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing were its other nomination categories.

With 2011 and Cars 2, the Pixar brand took a dive becoming the first film in the franchise not to pick up a single Oscar nomination, including in Best Animated Feature. Brave in 2012 finally made the cut, but solely in the Best Animated Feature category. In 2013, Monsters University became the studio’s second Oscar failure with no mentions. Then 2015’s Inside Out re-entered the game with a paltry two nominations including Best Original Screenplay. Its co-release that year, The Good Dinosaur wouldn’t be so lucky.

The Academy clearly loves Pixar, they had given several awards to the studio in the Best Animated Short Film category, but for their feature films, 13 of their 16 previous efforts have shown up at the Oscars. Finding Dory is more likely to follow that path than the three failures, but will it be able to break out beyond Best Animated Feature. After the tarnish of the last several years, it’s hard to say. We’ll have to wait and find out.

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