A formal vote by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is required to activate the category for the 77th Academy Awards, but the 11 films were accepted as eligible to compete by the executive committee of the Short Films and Feature Animation branch of the Academy, which will recommend to the board of governors on December 14 that the Award be given for this year.
The eligible films are:
"Clifford’s Really Big Movie"
"Disney’s Teacher’s Pet"
"Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence"
"Home on the Range"
"The Incredibles"
"The Legend of Buddha"
"The Polar Express"
"Shrek 2"
"Shark Tale"
"Sky Blue"
"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"
Under the rules for this category, a maximum of three films can be nominated in a year in which the field of eligible entries numbers at least eight but fewer than sixteen.
Films submitted in the Best Animated Feature category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other areas, including Best Picture, provided they meet the rules criteria governing those categories.
The eligibility of all the films is subject to receipt of the Official Screen Credits form, and for four of the films—"The Incredibles," "The Polar Express," "Sky Blue" and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"— eligibility is subject to their opening in Los Angeles prior to December 31. All four films are scheduled to open within the eligibility period.
The 77th Academy Award® nominations will be announced at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Tuesday, January 25, 2005.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2004 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland®. The Oscars® will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST, beginning with a half-hour arrival segment.
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