A record 27 features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the the 2017 Oscar Race, but only two of them are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to seven percent of the contenders.
“Kung Fu Panda 3,” co-directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, and “25 April,” directed by Leanne Pooley, are the sole women-helmed submissions.
Nelson made her film directorial debut with “Kung Fu Panda 2,” which scored an Oscar nom in 2011. The third installment of the hugely successful franchise centers on its panda protagonist’s reunion with his biological dad. Back in July, Nelson signed on to helm her first live-action film, “Darkest Minds,” an adaptation of a hit YA book series. Amandla Stenberg (“The Hunger Games”) will star.
Pooley’s “25 April” made its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The film uses the letters and memoirs of New Zealand soldiers and nurses to depict the 1915 battle of Gallipoli during WWI. Pooley’s previous credits include “Beyond the Edge,” “Shackleton’s Captain,” and “The Promise.”
Eight of the 27 films submitted are written or co-written by women, about 30 percent of the slate, including titles such as “Finding Dory,” “Moana,” and “My Life as a Zucchini.”
“Depending on the number of films that qualify, two to five nominees may be voted. Sixteen or more films must qualify for the maximum of five nominees to be voted,” a press release from the Academy explains. It’s also worth noting that films submitted in this category “also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.”
The animation field is known as a boys club, although a 2015 Los Angeles Times article revealed anecdotal evidence suggesting that female students are becoming the majority, if they’re not already, in prominent animation programs. Unfortunately, burgeoning female interest in animation is not reflected at the studios, where women accounted for only “21 percent of artists, writers, and technicians employed under an Animation Guild contract [in 2015,]” according to the Times.
Only two women directors have won Oscars for Best Animated Film since the category was introduced in 2002 (though when compared to female directors who have won for Best Director or Best Picture, the category has certainly made more strides): Brenda Chapman won for co-directing “Brave,” and Jennifer Lee for co-directing “Frozen.”
Nominations for the 89th Oscars will be announced on January 24, 2017. The Academy Awards will take place on February 26 in Hollywood.
Check out all of the films written and/or directed by women submitted for the Oscars’ Animated Feature Film category below. List adapted from the Academy.
“Finding Dory” — Co-Written by Victoria Strouse
“Kung Fu Panda 3” — Co-Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“The Little Prince” — Co-Written by Irena Brignull
“Long Way North” — Co-Written by Claire Paoletti and Patricia Valeix
“Miss Hokusai” — Written by Miho Maruo
“Moana” — Written by Pamela Ribon
“My Life as a Zucchini” — Co-Written by Céline Sciamma
“Snowtime!” — Co-Written by Danyèle Patenaude
“25 April” — Co-Written and Directed by Leanne Pooley
The following films aren’t written or directed by women, but women are credited (or co-credited) for their story (or the idea behind their plot):
“Zootopia” — Story by Josie Trinidad and Jennifer Lee
“Ice Age: Collision Course” — Story by Aubrey Solomon
“Trolls” — Story by Erica Rivinoja
