Aquaman & Black Panther Among 20 Visual Effects Oscar Finalists

The Academy of Motion Pictures announced the 20 contenders in the running for the 2019 Visual Effects Oscar this afternoon. There were a few notable snubs among the submissions including “Venom,” “A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Meg” and “Rampage.”  Some of the surprise entries included “Isle of Dogs,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Incredibles 2.”

READ MORE: ‘Aquaman’ early reactions: ‘Avatar’ meets ‘Jupiter Ascending’

The full list of all 20 films still in the race are as follows:

“Ant-Man and the Wasp”
“Aquaman”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther”
“Bumblebee”
“Christopher Robin”
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“First Man”
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
“Mortal Engines”
“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”
“Paddington 2”
“A Quiet Place”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”
“Welcome to Marwen”

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the preliminary list of films eligible for further awards consideration. Later this month, the committee will select a shortlist of 10 films that will advance to nominations voting. These 10 will form the contenders for the annual “bake-off” where each film makes a presentation on the highlights of their work.

The most prominent films likely to make it to the next round include “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Ready Player One,” “First Man,” “Aquaman,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Bumblebee.”

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019 and broadcast live on ABC.