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Demon Slayer, Scarlet, Chainsaw Man, ChaO, More Anime Films Confirmed Eligible for 2026 Oscars
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Among the 35 titles eligible for the Animated Feature category, the anime films and Japanese media-related films are:
- Director Tatsuya Yoshihara and studio MAPPA's Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
- Director Yasuhiro Aoki and Studio 4°C's ChaO
- Director Hiroyuki Hata and studio P.A. Works' COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing
- Director Haruo Sotozaki and studio ufotable's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Director Isamu Imakake and HS Pictures Studio's Dragon Heart - Adventures Beyond This World
- Director Kenji Iwaisawa and studio ROCK'N ROLL MOUNTAIN's 100 Meters
- Director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu's Scarlet
Additionally, Sony Pictures Animation's KPop Demon Hunters animated film and Netflix's first Korean-animated film Lost in Starlight are also eligible. Japan's submission for the International Feature for the 2026 Oscars is Kokuho.
Some of these films still need to play in at least one theater in one of six major American metropolitan areas for at least one week before December 31, to fully qualify for consideration. If all 35 films qualify, there will be a total of five nominations.
Shortlists for Documentary Feature Film, International Feature Film, Live-Action Shorts, and Animated Shorts will be announced on December 16.
Nominations will be announced on January 22, 2026, and the 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 15.
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron won the Best Animated Feature category in the 96th Academy Awards in 2024. Takashi Yamazaki and TOHO's Godzilla Minus One also won Best Visual Effects.
Toei Animation, Daisuke Nishio, and Takashi Washio's "Magic Candies" ("Amedama") short was nominated for Best Animated Short Film for the 97th Academy Awards held in March, but did not win the award.
