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Studios have circled Thanksgiving in red on their calendars for years now, saving some of their biggest releases to take advantage of the long weekend. While many may be busy planning their menus, figuring out travel schedules, or bracing for that one relative’s questionable opinions, there’s another part of the holiday tradition we can’t ignore, movies.

Dwayne Johnson returns as demigod Maui in Moana 2 | Disney

With five days to fill, families and friends have flocked to theaters to laugh, cry, or cheer together. And in the spirit of that tradition, we are ranking the top 20 Thanksgiving weekend movies based on their gross earnings.

20. Knives Out (2019)

A Thanksgiving murder mystery that’s as sharp as its title, Knives Out was an absolute treat. Directed by Rian Johnson, this film doubles as a sharp critique of class and privilege in modern America. The story begins with the death of Harlan Thrombey,...

2023 had several great movies to offer audiences in a diverse range of genres, but fans would always remember the year for an iconic clash. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie competed with Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece Oppenheimer, making movie-goers go wild with the Barbenheimer phenomenon.

Something similar could have happened the following year when two popular IPs’ sequels were supposed to be released on the same day. Ariana Grande’s Wicked stirred both musical and non-musical lovers and a similar response is expected of its sequel, Wicked Part Two, to be released in November 2025. But its previous release date clashed with Disney’s Zootopia 2 which might have prompted the former’s early release.

Did the musical film purposely avoid Disney fans’ wrath? Ariana Grande in Don’t Look Up | Credits: Netflix

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo rightfully defied gravity and all non-musical lovers’ opinions with their brilliant performance in Wicked. Jon. M Chu...

Three-time Grammy and 14-time Latin Grammy winner Shakira is coming back as the voice of Gazelle in Disney’s Zootopia 2. The news was just announced at D23 Brazil.

Shakira also sang one of the 2016’s movie’s signature tunes, “Try Everything,” which went triple platinum.

The Colombian singer said in a video: “I’m here to announce some big news. Are you ready? Gazelle is returning to Zootopia 2. That’s right. Gazelle is back and she’s got a new look, a new song and, of course, new dance moves. Just wait until you see what she and her tiger dancers have been working on. I know you’re going to love it. That’s all I can share for now, but I look forward to seeing you all on my tour next year and I’ll see you at the movies next November.”

Zootopia 2 is hitting...

Walt Disney Animation Studios leadership is getting redrawn.

Jennifer Lee, the company’s chief creative officer and the director of “Frozen” and “Frozen II,” is stepping down and returning to filmmaking full time. Taking her place effectively immediately is Jared Bush, who is currently writing and directing “Zootopia 2” for the studio. He is reporting to Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman

As Cco, Bush will oversee the creative output of the animation studio, including its films, series and associated projects. On “Zootopia 2,” TheWrap can exclusively reveal that Byron Howard is also directing the sequel alongside Bush — they both serve as full directors on the film.

Lee will be directing and writing on “Frozen 3” and writing “Frozen 4” with Marc Smith. She will also serve as executive producer on “Frozen 4.”

Clark Spencer continues as President, Walt Disney Animation Studios.

“I am so grateful to Bob and Alan for supporting my...

Mirabel, the casita and, yes, Bruno, are coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Disney Experiences head Josh D’Amaro and Imagineering head Bruce Vaughn at D23. The attraction, along with a new Indiana Jones attraction and an animal-themed carousel, will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, part of Walt Disney World, in 2027.

Describing the attraction, Vaughn said, “When you walk up to casita, the whole house will feel alive just like in the film. We’re arriving on the day Antonio receives his magical gift, which I am sure you will remember allows him to communicate with animals. Casita has brought furniture to life, ending in Antonio’s room, which has been transformed into a rainforest. There we’ll hang out with Antonio and all of his animal friends. There we’ll bump into Mirabel and his famous uncle.”

D’Amaro described the new ride as “a classic Disney attraction.”

This...

Nearly a decade after "Zootopia" became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time (unadjusted for inflation), Walt Disney Animation is finally bringing Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) back to the big screen. /Film's Jacob Hall is on the ground at this year's D23 convention in Anaheim, and was in the room when Goodwin took the stage, announcing the inclusion of a new character in this animal-friendly sequel: Gary, a friendly looking snake voiced by Ke Huy Quan. Described as "a wanted reptile Judy and Nick are trying to find," he's about the goofiest looking viper I've ever met.

IGN

An exclusive clip of "Zootopia 2" was previewed, showing that Judy and her foxy partner Nick are known investigators after the events of the first film. The clip, less than a minute long, sets up where the film might be taking place: "Marsh Market," a neighborhood for semi-aquatic animals.

Attendees at the D23 Expo got their first look at the return of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in “Zootopia 2,” the sequel to the 2016 Academy Award winning hit that will be released in theaters November 2025.

Introduced with a plethora of furry puns on other Disney films, including “Dead-Mule and Wolf-erine,” star Ginnifer Goodwin came out to present a preview of what’s to come.

In the sequel, reptiles will join the mammals of Zootopia, including Gary, a snake played by “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan. Gary is a wanted snake that Judy and Nick are hunting down.

In a sneak peek clip, Judy and Nick are snooping around a new town called Marsh Market to find leads on where Gary may be. They’re helped by a gopher who talks with a walrus named Bub…who gives them no help.

“Zootopia” grossed $1 billion at...

“Iwájú,” Disney Animation’s sci-fi long-form series about a futuristic Lagos (currently streaming on Disney+ and coming to The Disney Channel April 22), is a far cry from such culturally diverse features as “Moana,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and “Encanto.” This is a Nigerian series — Disney’s first-ever outside collaboration of this kind — told from the Black team at Kugali Media, the U.K.-based Pan-African media company, voiced by Nigerian actors, and with a score from Nigerian composer Ré Olunuga.

“Iwájú” (which loosely means “the future” in Yoruba) began as a Kugali comic book anthology. Kugali co-founders Olufikayo Ziki Adeola, Hamid Ibrahim, and Tolu Olowofoyeku let it be known in an interview they had their sights set on animation and were determined to “kick Disney’s arse in Africa.” This came to the attention of Disney Animation’s chief creative officer, Jennifer Lee, who was so impressed with the...

Updated with all winners: HBO/Max’s Sesame Street, Disney+’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Jack Black and Tony Hale were among the winners Sunday at the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

The ceremony capped a full weekend for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which hosted the Children’s & Family Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday.

See the full list of winners both nights below.

Sesame Street won for Outstanding Preschool Series as well as for puppetry and direction, giving it five awards across the weekend, tying it with Saturday’s big winner, Netflix’s Lost Ollie. Guardians and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur from Disney Channel also scored best-in-field wins tonight to bring their tallies to four apiece.

Among the winners tonight in the voice categories, Black wo for reprising Po in Netflix’s Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight,...

HBO/Max’s Sesame Street, Disney+’s The Muppets Mayhem and Jack Black were among the winners at the second annual Children’ &’s and Family Emmy Awards, which were handed out Sunday night by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Among its wins, Sesame Street (in its 56th season) was named best preschool series, while The Muppets Mayhem — which was canceled last month after airing only one season — was named best children’s or family viewing series.

Black, meanwhile, won his first-ever Emmy for best voice performance in a children’s or young teen program for his work as Po on Netflix’s Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.

An excited Black took the stage to accept his award, giving a high kick and belting out “Kung Fu Panda, the dragon knight!”

“I’m really nervous and stoked to be here,” he added, noting that he was cast in the role 20 years ago.

It’s been virtually 100 years to the day since Walt Disney’s animated mouse took the wheel of a steamship and steered himself into immortality. But for anyone who grew up watching Disney movies that might seem surprisingly recent. Since near its very inception, Walt Disney Animation Studios has evoked a timeless sensibility which seems eternal and everlasting. With likely your parents and grandparents growing up on Disney movies, the studio’s brand of hand-drawn magic has always been there in the background of living memory. But every magic has its dark side… and the shadows cast by the House of Mouse have always been faintly more sinister than parents remember until they put a little one in front of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Fantasia. You show a child Chernabog for the first time, and I’ll show you a week of nightmares.

Going back to the days of Walt,...

Encanto became a success story for Disney and although there have been hints of the possibility of a sequel, nothing has been confirmed yet.

In a recent interview, producer Yvett Merino hinted that Disney is working on ways to “expand across the company.”

“There’s different—we’re working closely with our friends in publishing and consumer products to make sure—there’s always different ideas and needs and wants for, for it to stay alive out there,” Merino said in an interview with The Direct. “But I don’t have anything official to say, but I love the ‘Encanto’ world and can’t wait to see it expand across the company.”

Although Merino didn’t delve into the idea of a direct sequel to the animated film, she did say that the parent company wants to keep the world of Encanto alive.

“I think we will continue to work on what that actually means.

John Joseph Travolta, a household name in Hollywood, shot to fame as an American actor in the vibrant 1970s. Born on February 18, 1954, his career in showbiz has been awe-inspiring. Starting on TV, he won many fans with his magnetic role in “Welcome Back, Kotter” from 1975 to 1979.

Related: 10 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time, Ranked by US Box Office

But it was in movies that Travolta started to shine. In this blog post, we’ll journey through the highlights of his stellar career, looking at how he rose to stardom and his memorable roles.

10 ‘Bolt’ (2008)

IMDb: 6.8/10 222K | Popularity: 3073 | Metascore: 67

Duration: 1h 36m | Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy | Director: Chris Williams, Byron Howard

Cast: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman

Debuted in 2008, ‘Bolt’ shines as a touching computer-animated comedy adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film highlights a standout cast, with John Travolta voicing the lead character Bolt and contributions from Miley Cyrus,...

Since “Encanto” made its theatrical and streaming debut in 2021, fans have been wondering whether Disney would give the film the sequel treatment – and its star Stephanie Beatriz has expressed her openness to the possibility should the opportunity arise.

“I would love to work with them again. That team on that film was so incredible to work with that. I think a lot of [Jared Bush and Byron Howard’s] time right now is being taken up by other stuff,” she told TheWrap during an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike about her new Peacock series “Twisted Metal.” “I know Jared and I think Bryon too are working on the second ‘Zootopia’ right now. But I would love to work with them again.”

She noted that she is a “huge” Disney fan.

“I go to the parks a lot and whenever people recognize me they ask about that too.

Zootopia 2 was officially announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger. And while no release date is officially known, fans can expect plenty as Walt Disney Animation takes audiences back into this animated world. 

Zootopia debuted in 2016 to critical acclaim, telling the story of Judy Hopps (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) as she aimed to become the first rabbit to join the police force. The stellar voice cast was rounded out by the likes of Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, and Jenny Slate and was directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore.

The first film has become beloved since its release for tackling prescient issues such as race and cultural differences among communities. 

Read full article on The Direct.

Three of Disney’s most popular animated franchises are getting new installments. Sequels in the “Frozen” and “Zootopia” series are both in development at Walt Disney Animation Studios, while a fifth film in the “Toy Story” series is in the works at Pixar.

News of these sequels was revealed by Walt Disney Corporation CEO Bob Iger during the company’s Q1 2023 earnings call on Wednesday.

“Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Frozen’ and ‘Zootopia,'” Iger said during the call. “We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises.”

The announcement of these three sequels followed some brutal news from Iger, who shared that 7,000 employees would be laid off at the company.

Encanto and the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” took the world by storm when the movie was released in 2021. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, those involved with Encanto won Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and Best Song Written for Visual Media. In the virtual media center, Showbiz Cheat Sheet talked to Germaine Franco about what made her decide to compose the Encanto score.

Germaine Franco | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy Why Germaine Franco decided to work on ‘Encanto’

After winning Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media during the Grammys Premiere Ceremony, Franco stopped by the press room to take questions from reporters.

From the virtual media center, Showbiz asked Franco what encourgared to take on the project. It turns out one of the big draws to working on Encanto was the chance to collaborate with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Last Updated: Jan. 19, 2023

2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Animated Feature Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, Marcel (voice: Jenny Slate), 2021. © A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection

Category Commentary: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” from Netflix is still the one to beat but the race has become a bit tighter since it wasn’t able to capitalize on other nominations such as original score, original song, production design, sound and adapted screenplay.

The Imagen Awards unveiled the winners of their 37th annual gala honoring Latinos in television and film. Some of the honorees that received the accolade included the animated film Encanto for Best Feature Film, Love, Victor as Best Comedy Primetime Program and Selena: The Series for Best Drama Primetime Program.

Luis Valdez, a writer, director and playwright, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The influential filmmaker was behind La Bamba which celebrated its 35th anniversary since its release.

Imagen Awards 2022 Photos: ‘Love, Victor’ Star Michael Cimino, Ana De La Reguera, Alfonso Herrera, Judy Reyes & More On Red Carpet

Television producer and Imagen Awards co-founder Norman Lear, who turned 100 years old this year, was honored with sincere and emotional messages from select audience members. Lear captivated the audience with a heartfelt recorded message over the video monitors.

Winners of the Imagen Awards were determined by an independent panel of...

Click here to read the full article.

Disney’s Encanto and Hulu’s Love, Victor were the big winners at the 2022 Imagen Awards, held Sunday at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown Los Angeles.

Encanto was named best feature film and Love, Victor was a repeat winner for best primetime comedy at the 37th annual awards, which were established in 1985 from a suggestion by veteran television producer Norman Lear to encourage and recognize positive portrayals of Latinos in the media. Today, The Imagen Foundation aims to serve as a bridge between the Latino community and the entertainment industry in providing access, education, and resources for Latinos in the industry, as well as those seeking careers in entertainment.

The Imagen Awards were handed out Sunday at an afternoon gala, which marked the in-person return of the ceremony after a two-year live hiatus due to the pandemic.

Encanto also won best director for Jared Bush,...

The Imagen Awards on Monday unveiled the full list of nominees for its 37th annual gala honoring Latino storytelling, performances, writing and creative expression in television and film. This year’s awards show is set for October 2 in Los Angeles at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

Walt Disney Studios’ West Side Story was among the most nominated alongside Disney’s animated movie Encanto. Eugenio Derbez scored several nods including Best Actor in a Feature Film for Apple TV+’s Coda and Best Actor in a Comedy (Television) for Hulu’s The Valet.

Derbez’s 3Pas Studios is also behind Apple TV+’s comedy Acapulco, which also received several mentions in the noms, which were revealed today by What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén and actress-writer-producer Karrie Martin Lachney.

“After two years of streaming celebrations, we are ecstatic to be back in person and to honor those...

Exclusive: Jessica Alba has closed a deal to executive produce and headline a series based on Lisa Unger’s international bestseller Confessions on the 7:45, which is in development at Netflix, sources tell Deadline. Charise Castro Smith, co-writer and co-director of Disney’s Oscar-winning Encanto, is attached to adapt Unger’s novel. She also serves as showrunner and executive produces with Alba and 3 Arts’ Michael Rotenberg and Oly Obst.

Confessions on the 7:45 is a psychological thriller in which a working mom (Alba) meets a stranger on a train as she is commuting home who upends her life. As her life unravels and betrayals are revealed, she questions whether we can ever truly know the people closest to us.

Alba, a working mom herself, had a strong reaction when she read Confessions on the 7:45, leading to her involvement in the project.

“I could not put this book down. The moment I read the line,...

The 2022 Oscar Winners and Nominees Winners & Nominees Actor In A Leading Role Winner Will Smith King Richard Nominees Javier Bardem Being the Ricardos Benedict Cumberbatch The Power of the Dog Andrew Garfield tick, tick…Boom! Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth Actor In A Supporting Role Winner Troy Kotsur Coda Nominees CIARÁN Hinds Belfast Jesse Plemons The Power of the Dog J.K. Simmons Being the Ricardos Kodi Smit-mcphee The Power of the Dog Actress In A Leading Role Winner Jessica Chastain The Eyes of Tammy Faye Nominees Olivia Colman The Lost Daughter PENÉLOPE Cruz Parallel Mothers Nicole Kidman Being the Ricardos Kristen Stewart Spencer Actress In A Supporting Role Winner Ariana Debose West Side Story Nominees Jessie Buckley The Lost Daughter Judi Dench Belfast Kirsten Dunst The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis King Richard Animated Feature Film Winner Encanto Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer Nominees Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen,...

Well… Oscar night 2022 was certainly one to remember. Many obituaries will have received their first lines last night, and there’s a few moments that will appear half way down for some of them.

But – here’s the good news: Sian Heder’s Coda won Best Picture, and genuine living legend Troy Kotsur took home the Best Supporting Actor award. It may have been a surprise for some, as Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog was hotly favoured. In the second piece of excellent news it was Campion herself who took home the Best Director gong, many would argue it’s long overdue.

Elsewhere Encanto, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain all took to the stage to collect their awards, and it’s pleasing to see another year when the awards were well spread out. It’s a sign of an industry in fine fettle, which is just as well given,...

Women at the 94th Academy Awards won 10 of the 43 individual Oscar statuettes handed out on Sunday night, the worst showing for female winners since the 2018 Academy Awards.

That’s 23% of the overall individual winners across the Oscars’ 23 competitive categories, bolstered by wins for Best Director Jane Campion, as well as others for Sian Heder for Best Adapted Screenplay and Billie Eilish for Best Original Song. This tally, however, does not include the International Feature category, which is awarded to the film’s country of origin — in this case, Japan for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car.”

That total was a drop from last year when we saw Chloé Zhao win Best Director for “Nomadland,” just the second woman to ever do so, as well as Emerald Fennell picking up Best Original Screenplay for “Promising Young Woman.” Their wins in 2021 helped women secure 17 wins out of 47 individual winners from the 23 competitive categories,...

Coda won Best Picture tonight at the 94th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, becoming the first film from a streamer to win the marquee prize at the Academy Awards.

‘Coda’s Troy Kotsur An Inspiration To Deaf Stars Of Oscar-Nominated Doc ‘Audible’

The Apple Original Films drama about the hearing daughter of deaf adults who pursues a singing career also won Adapted Screenplay for Siân Heder, and its Troy Kotsur took Best Supporting Actor. It’s also the first Sundance-debuting pic to win Best Picture; Apple acquired it for a record $25 million at the festival.

Jessica Chastain took Best Actress for the title role in MGM/Uar’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and an emotional Will Smith won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in Warner Bros’ King Richard. His win came after he slapped presenter Chris Rock onstage over a remark about Jada Pinkett Smith.

Will...

The computer-animated musical fantasy comedy film ‘Encanto’ grabbed the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film at the 94th Oscars, held at the Dolby Theatre. The film beat the likes of ‘The Mitchells vs The Machines’, ‘Luca’ among others to claim the honour. With this, Byron Howard, the Co-director of the film, got his second Oscar […]...

Encanto won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature tonight, beating out Flee, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and two other Disney animated features, Luca and Raya and the Last Dragon.

This is Jared Bush and Yvett Merino’s first Oscar nomination and win, as well as the second win and third nomination for both Byron Howard and Clark Spencer. Howard and Spencer won for Best Animated Feature in 2017 for Zootopia.

“I am so proud to be a part of a film that puts beautiful diverse characters front and center,” says Merino, “and that people everywhere are seeing themselves in the film.”

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, this Disney musical animated film features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Encanto takes place in a magical town sheltered by mountains. As she is fleeing from her home, Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) loses her husband...

To the surprise of absolutely no one, “Encanto” – the Disney musical from directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard – has taken home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The win comes in an otherwise-crowded year for animated films, which included Netflix‘s breakout hit “The Mitchells vs The Machines,” Pixar‘s “Luca,” and Jonas Poher Rasmussen‘s highly regarded refugee film “Flee.”

View Our Complete List of 2022 Oscar Winners

Since the Best Animated Feature category was created in 2001, Disney has been a successful distributor of Oscar-winning films.

Continue reading ‘Encanto’ Wins Best Animated Feature at The Playlist.

Updated for March 15: The race has tightened with “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” winning best feature at the 49th annual Annie Awards on March 12. In fact, “The Mitchells” dominated with eight prizes, while “Encanto” earned three for character animation, music, and storyboarding. However, despite the impressive outpouring of support for “The Mitchells” by the animation community, “Encanto” has garnered too much adulation and buzz to be denied the Oscar this late in the season.

Updated for February 8: The Oscar nominations are out and Disney dominated with “Encanto” and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and Pixar’s “Luca.” This marks the first time that Disney has had two in contention since 2016 and the first time it’s had three since 2012. The other two slots were taken by “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Netflix/Sony), and the acclaimed documentary “Flee” (Neon/Participant), which also scored historic noms in the doc and international categories.

The 75th Ee British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards took place Sunday March 13. Over 7,000 voting members submitted their ballots, voting from nominees that looked a bit more like those for the Oscars than in some years past. The entire winners list has now been revealed.

The awards ceremony is airing as of 3:00pm Et Sunday on a one-hour delay for U.S. viewers on Britbox, can you still tune in. And a note on the streamer says it will replay in full there at 7:00pm Et.

“Dune” scored the most BAFTA nominations with 11, followed by “The Power of the Dog” with eight, and “Belfast” with six. “West Side Story,” “No Time to Die,” and “Licorice Pizza” followed with five each.

Once the awards were presented Sunday, “The Power of the Dog” emerged winner of Best Film and Best Director for Jane Campion.

“Dune” scored the...

Updated with winners list: Netflix’s The Power of the Dog was named the Best Film on Sunday at the Ee British Academy Film Awards. The victory in BAFTA’s marquee category, along with a win by Jane Campion as Best Director, helped cement the Western as a front-runner in the race for the Oscar.

The in-person ceremony at Royal Albert Hall in London and hosted by Rebel Wilson saw Warner Bros’ Dune dominated in the crafts categories, finishing with a leading five trophies: for Production Design, Special Visual Effects, Cinematography, Sound and Original Score. No other film had more that two wins.

Dune, thought, lost out to Dog in the Best Film race that also included Focus Features’ Belfast, which won the Outstanding British Film award tonight; Licorice Pizza, which took the Original Screenplay prize for Paul Thomas Anderson; and Netflix’s satire Don’t Look Up.

“Everyone has the right to be seen,...

Dune leads the way with 11 nominations, followed by The Power Of The Dog on eight and Belfast on six.

The 2022 Bafta Film Awards show is taking place today (March 13) from London’s Royal Albert Hall.

The show started at 17:00 UK time, finishing at approximately 19:30, and will be broadcast with a time delay on BBC One starting at 19:00, finishing at 21:00. Rebel Wilson is hosting for the first time.

The ceremony returns as a full physical event, following last year’s edition which was mostly virtual.

Screen will be posting all the winners on this page as they...

Sony Animation/Netflix’s innovative, 2D-inspired “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” led the 49th annual Annie Awards Saturday with eight wins, including best feature, direction and writing, character design, production design, editorial, FX, and voice acting (Abbie Jacobson as Katie). Asifa-Hollywood’s animation version of the Oscars was held virtually at UCLA’s Royce Hall for the second consecutive year because of the pandemic.

Disney’s Oscar frontrunner, “Encanto,” the animated musical set in Colombia, followed with three awards for character animation, music, and storyboarding. It went into the awards ceremony with nine noms. Disney’s other Oscar contender, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” however, was shut out after leading the pack with 10 noms, as was Pixar’s “Luca,” which had eight noms.

Meanwhile, the Oscar-nominated animated doc, “Flee,” the Afghan refugee drama from Danish director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, earned best indie feature honors. Additionally, live-action character animation went to...

The hustle and bustle of awards season is nearing an end, with Oscar voting getting underway on March 17. So naturally, every contender is looking to gain an advantage, and the BAFTA and Critics Choice ceremonies, which take place March 13, provide that opportunity.

At Cca, Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” lead the tally with 11 nominations apiece, including best picture. Still, with a group of more than 500 North America-based broadcast journalists and writers doing the voting, we shouldn’t expect either to triumph unequivocally.

Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub

At BAFTA, “Belfast’s” six-nom tally isn’t as robust as Focus Features would have liked, but prospects look strong for the film to pick up wins for original screenplay, outstanding British film and possibly supporting actor Ciarán Hinds, who is a legend across the pond. However, the momentum for “Coda” has been palpable...

Imagine standing by yourself in a room and having a conversation that needs to sound like it’s taking place on a bumpy bicycle ride. Or in the midst of a heavy lift, or during an epic battle. Imagine this all because unlike performing in a live-action film with other actors, props and thoroughly designed and decorated sets or locations, voicing an animated character means not just visualizing it, but convincingly vocalizing it.

Animated films take a notoriously long amount of time so actors return to the recording booth, sometimes over a period of years, as scripts evolve. In between sessions, great chunks of the movie may have been rewritten, but the actors need to jump back into character as though they never left.

“Encanto” director Byron Howard remembers working with Stephanie Beatriz (who plays Mirabel) over a period of years and at least 15 recording sessions for the film’s dialogue alone.

Warner Bros’ Dune and Disney’s Encanto scored a leading four wins each at the 20th annual Ves Awards, which were handed out tonight at the Beverly Hilton.

Denis Villeneuve’s epic starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya won the marquee Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature prize — presented by Villeneuve himself. Dune also took trophies for Model, Effects Simulations and Compositing & Lighting. Even though the film opened day-and-date on HBO Max, it still was able to thrive in theaters with a $41 million opening weekend that exceeded expectations and led to a quick greenlight for a sequel weeks later.

Encanto, from directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, danced away with the top toon honor — Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature — and also won for Animated Character, Created Environment and Virtual Cinematography.

Dune and Encanto came into the ceremony tied with six nominations to lead the field. The other winning...

Director Byron Howard joined producer Yvett Merino and composer Germaine Franco on a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees event to discuss Encanto, the Disney movie that is nominated for three Oscars.

Encanto takes place in a magical town sheltered by mountains in Colombia. As she is fleeing from her home, Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) loses her husband and prays for a miracle to save her three children. The candle she was holding becomes magical and builds an “encanto” around the refugees, blasts away the invaders, and builds a sentient house for her family to live in. The candle gave magical gifts to Alma’s family for 50 years, until her granddaughter Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) mysteriously receives no gift. Mirabel starts to notice cracks forming in the house and goes on a quest to fix the magic of the candle, without the aid of any special gifts herself.

As Disney’s “Encanto” continues to break music chart records, a much more personal moment stands out to composer Germaine Franco. It’s a viral moment, captured on social media, of a little boy who lights up at realizing that he looks just like the young character Antonio. “It’s so beautiful because he sees himself on screen,” she tells Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast.

“Encanto” features eight original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, while Franco’s score cuts in and out of the songs, evoking a sense of magical realism. On the latest episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Franco talks about working with Miranda, the film’s success and landing an Oscar nomination. Listen below:

When Germaine Franco began the scoring process on “Encanto,” she says the whole film wasn’t completely animated and the songs were still being worked on. “I met with [filmmakers] Byron Howard and...

The best picture Oscar race is in a dead heat, with any number of paths to victory. But there’s another fierce competition, years in the making, to be the first streaming giant to win the Academy Awards’ most coveted honor.

On the television side, Netflix and Amazon each made a play to become the first streamer to win the Emmy Award for either of the top series categories, but Hulu shattered the glass ceiling with “The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2017. On the film side, could Apple Original Films be the surprise streaming giant to take home the Oscar statuette for best picture with the delightful family drama “Coda”?

Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub

Directed and written by Oscar nominee Siân Heder, “Coda” has captured the hearts of many industry voters. Starting its journey at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, where it was purchased for a record-setting $25 million,...

The View Conference, in partnership with Ogr, presents a full slate of free virtual PreVIEW panels in March featuring an array of Oscar nominees.

First, on Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. Pt, will be a talk with the filmmakers behind the five nominees for animated feature. Speakers are Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith of Disney’s “Encanto”; Jonas Poher Rasmussen and Charlotte De La Gournerie of the animated documentary “Flee”; Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren of Pixar’s “Luca”; Mike Rianda, Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”; and Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada of Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

“This year’s list of Oscar contenders is truly breathtaking,” says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I have been blown away by the depth of creative thinking that has gone into their production, and...

The team behind Disney Animation’s “Encanto” gave themselves a high degree of difficulty: In a development/production process that took five years of constant rewrites, they insisted on a film with a family of 12 principals, while most animated films center on half that number.

The film is about 15-year-old Mirabel Madrigal (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) and her family; the breakout star for fans and social media is Bruno, the exiled uncle voiced by John Leguizamo. “Encanto” was written by Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith from a story credited to six writers, including those two. Castro Smith and Bush directed alongside Byron Howard.

“We knew he was someone people would gravitate towards,” Bush says on Bruno. “John was so spectacular: funny, lovable and weird — and in not a lot of screen time!”

Bruno is part of a long line of family outcasts, starting with Greek tragedies through Shakespeare to Buster Keaton,...

We need to talk about Bruno, even if “Encanto” won’t!

Chart-topping song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is not the official 2022 Oscars submission for the Disney film, and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is just fine with that.

“I’m still proud of ‘Dos Oruguitas’ as the submission,” Miranda told Variety. “When those are the parameters, you have to pick the thing that best exemplifies the spirit of the movie, and it contains all of it inside this song — as opposed to a journey of a particular character. It’s the foundational story, but I’m not going to say it wasn’t hard [to choose].”

The decision to nominate “Dos Oruguitas” over “Bruno” was required by November 1, when the animated film had not yet opened in theaters. However, the soundtrack was already making waves. The “Encanto” album spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, with “We Don’t Talk...

When he began working on the music for Disney’s animated film Encanto five years ago, Lin-Manuel Miranda admits he didn’t know all that much about Colombian music. “I had a beginner’s understanding, or a layman’s understanding, of Colombian music going into this project,” he says. “I knew Shakira, I knew Carlos Vives, and I knew Joe Arroyo, who is just an incredible salsa musician from Colombia. That alone is three totally different genres, and so I just knew it was an incredibly diverse part of Latin America,...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective

Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub

Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive

Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub

2022 Oscars Predictions:

Best Animated Feature

Updated: Feb 17, 2022

Awards Prediction Commentary:

Walt Disney Pictures’ “Encanto,” directed by Jared Bush...

Lin-Manuel Miranda is ecstatic about the success of the animated feature “Encanto,” and for his second Oscar nomination for original song — this time, for the emotional number “Dos Oruguitas.” However, the performance of the movie’s soundtrack on the music charts has been getting all the headlines, specifically the hit song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Miranda doesn’t regret submitting “Dos Oruguitas” rather than “Bruno” for consideration for this year’s Academy Awards. The decision had to be done by Nov. 1, which the film had yet opened in theaters despite its performance on the charts.

“I’m still proud of ‘Dos Oruguitas’ as the submission,” Miranda says. “When those are the parameters, you have to pick the thing that best exemplifies the spirit of the movie, and it contains all of it inside this song – as opposed to a journey of a particular character. It’s the foundational story,...

Lin-Manuel Miranda is ready to talk about Bruno.

The ridiculously talented multihyphenate had an incredible 2021, which saw (amongst other things) an adaptation of his beloved musical “In the Heights” released, a long-gestating animated musical called “Vivo” finally come out, and his debut feature as a writer/director, “Tick, Tick … Boom!” hit Netflix.

And then there’s “Encanto.”

Miranda’s second feature for Walt Disney Animation Studios after “Moana,” “Encanto” tells the story of a family in Colombia at the turn of the 20th century, each of whom is gifted with a magical ability … all except awkward Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). While it was released into theaters at Thanksgiving, it really made a splash at Christmas, when it debuted on Disney+. Since then, it has been nominated for three Oscars (including one for Best Original Song), the soundtrack has dominated the Billboard charts, and it has been immortalized in countless TikTok videos,...

The View Conference in association with Baobab Studios and Ogr is presenting free virtual panels with the creatives behind some of the season’s most critically acclaimed animated films.

First up is a free virtual screening and conversation with the filmmakers behind “Namoo,” the shortlisted animated short by Oscar-nominated Erick Oh. In addition to Oh, speakers will include Baobab Studios’ co-founders Maureen Fan and Eric Darnell, who produced “Namoo,” art director Eusong Lee and lead Quill artist Nick Ladd. Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey will moderate.

The panel will take place Friday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m. Pt.

“Namoo,” which means tree in Korean, follows one man’s journey from birth to death, touching on beautiful and heartbreaking moments throughout his life. The film, which was created in VR and 2D, was produced by Baobab Studios and executive produced by John Cho, and produced by Baobab’s Fan, Darnell, Larry Cutler and Kane Lee.

This morning, nominees in the Best Animated Feature Oscar got some very good news. And they responded, well, animatedly. TheWrap got on the phone to congratulate the filmmaking teams from “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and to hear about what this magical morning was like for them. As “Luca” director Enrico Casarosa said, “It’s so hard to make these movies, especially through the pandemic, so I think everyone in the 2021 batch of movies should be so proud.” Yes they should.

“Encanto” Disney

While “Encanto” is set in sunny Colombia, director Byron Howard found himself in a far chillier predicament this morning. “They announce these things so early and I am not good at getting up in the morning. I am freezing. My house was built in the 1950s and has no insolation. So I am buried under blankets. We have this...

Disney’s Encanto received three nominations today for Best Animated Feature, Best Score, and Best Original Song. Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard spoke to Deadline shortly after their nominations were announced, with Howard stating the feeling “is overwhelming and fantastic and wonderful.”

Jared Bush and Byron Howard won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2016 for Zootopia, but this is their first nomination for a musical movie. “Jared and I really wanted to do a musical together,” says Byron Howard, “cause we loved working together on Zootopia. And then teaming up with Lin[-Manuel Miranda] so early on was huge for the movie.”

Although “Dos Oruguitas” secured the nomination, many wonder why “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” wasn’t the choice. “I’m not surprised that a lot of people have gravitated towards it because it’s just so fun,” says Howard. “When Lin first delivered that, it was infectious...