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Princess Kaguya, Giovanni's Island Submitted for Oscar Nominations

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that 20 films have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 87th Academy Awards to be held on February 22, 2015. Mizuho Nishikubo and Production I.G's Giovanni's Island and Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya were submitted for nomination.

The other 18 films submitted for nomination include:

• Big Hero 6
• The Book of Life
• The Boxtrolls
• Cheatin'
• Henry & Me
• The Hero of Color City
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart
• Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
• The Lego Movie
• Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants
• Mr. Peabody & Sherman
• Penguins of Madagascar
• The Pirate Fairy
• Planes: Fire & Rescue
• Rio 2
• Rocks in My Pockets
• Song of the Sea

Japan also submitted Mipo O's The Light Shines Only There in the Foreign Language film category.

The nominees will be announced on January 15, 2015. The academy allows up to five nominations in this category if 16 or more films are submitted and accepted; if only 13 to 15 films are accepted, the academy will allow only a maximum of four nominations; if only eight to 12 films are accepted, the academy will allow only a maximum of two to three nominations.

The Wind Rises, Madoka Magica The Movie -Rebellion-, and A Letter to Momo were submitted for consideration for the 86th Academy Awards last year, but only The Wind Rises was nominated (Frozen eventually won the category last year).

From Up On Poppy Hill and The Mystical Laws were submitted for consideration for the 85th Academy Awards but were not nominated. No anime was submitted for consideration for the 84th Academy Awards in 2011. Mamoru Hosoda and MADHOUSE's Summer Wars anime film was submitted for the 83rd Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Ponyo also qualified for a nomination in the 82nd Academy Awards, but did not receive one. Similarly, Mamoru Oshii and Production I.G's The Sky Crawlers and Masahiro Ando and BONES' Sword of the Stranger were among the 14 films submitted for the same category for the 81st Academy Awards; both were eventually accepted in the category but were not nominated.

The first time that five animated features were nominated in the category was in 2002, when Miyazaki's Spirited Away was submitted among 17 candidates. Spirited Away eventually became the only Japanese animated feature to win an Oscar. Kunio Katō's "La Maison en Petits Cubes" won in the Best Animated Short Film category at the 81st Annual Academy Awards in 2009.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.

[Via Film Industry Network]