The 98th Academy Awards has unveiled 35 films under consideration for its Animated Feature Film category, which also includes six anime movies.
The 2026 Oscars has revealed its full list of animated films that are eligible for consideration for the Animated Feature Film category. The list includes 35 titles, five of which are anime films!
Although the final list of nominees have yet to be revealed, the increase of Japanese animated films being considered in major awards is no small feat. Compared to 2024, which included only the film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s “Look Back”, the six titles include two films in a series franchise, two original films, a movie based on a game franchise, and an adaptation from a manga. They are:
100 Meters (Hyakuemu)
This sports-themed film is based on the manga by Uoto, who is also known for his award-winning work on Orb: On The Movements of The Earth. It opened in Japan in September, before being released globally in October.
The movie was directed by Kenji Iwaisawa at Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountain Studio. The story is described as:
100 METERS follows Togashi, a track star who is born to run. As a kid, he is naturally gifted and wins every 100-meter race without effort. But in sixth grade, he meets Komiya, a transfer student who is full of determination but lacks technique. In teaching him, Togashi gives Komiya a new purpose: to win no matter what. Years pass by, and Togashi and Komiya meet again as rivals on the track and reveal their true selves.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Chainsaw Man’s Reze Arc is a direct sequel to the first season of the anime, which aired in 2022. The movie opened in Japanese theatres in September, followed by a staggered global release.
Reze Arc climbed both domestic and global box offices, at some point even dethroning Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. It has earned a whopping JPY8.7 billion in its first two months, and has reaped numerous positive reviews from critics and viewers alike.
Tatsuya Yoshihara stepped in to direct the movie at MAPPA. The story follows Denji, who is also Chainsaw Man, as he encounters a mysterious young woman named Reze. While a probable romance begins to form between the two, Denji must grapple with his conflicting feelings, his desire for Makima, and a mysterious and dangerous new devil who is dead-set on blowing it all away.
ChaO
A unique original romantic comedy by STUDIO4°C, ChaO is a modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale, “The Little Mermaid”. The movie premiered in Japanese theatres in August, and premiered globally in 16 countries.
Created and directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, ChaO won the Jury Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival back in June. GKIDS describes the story as:
In a futuristic world where humans and mermaids coexist, ChaO follows Stephan, a mild-mannered office worker at a shipbuilding company, whose life is upended when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao — a princess from the mermaid kingdom. With no time to make sense of what’s happening, Stephan soon finds himself living with the unpredictable, wholehearted Chao. As her sincere love begins to break down his emotional barriers, an unexpected and touching romance begins to unfold.
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing is the feature film for the hit gacha rhythm game Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! The mobile game was developed by Colorful Palette and Crypton Future Media, and published by Sega. It was produced by Yuichiro Kondo, and was first released in Japan on 30 September, 2020.
The film boasts an original storyline, and is directed by Hiroyuki Hata at Studio P.A Works, and opened in Japan last January, before being globally screened in April. The movie is described as:
One day after performing, Ichika meets a new Hatsune Miku. No matter how hard this Miku tries to sing, she cannot reach her listeners. With the help of others, Miku must find a way to sing again.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle
The first of a trilogy of movies, the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle film covers the first few chapters of the final arc of the ultrapopular manga series by Koyoharu Gotouge, and is a direct sequel to the anime’s fourth season, the Hashira Training Arc. The film was released in Japan in July 2025, and was slowly released globally throughout the following months. The film reached critical success, becoming one of the top-earning movies of the year, as well as breaking various box office records both domestically and globally.
Series director Haruo Sotozaki directed the film at studio ufotable, and has also previously won the International Animation Award by the Critics Choice Association for its fourth annual Celebration of AAPI Cinema & Television.
Scarlet
Director Mamoru Hosoda boasts his second Oscar nomination for his time-bending animated feature film Scarlet, which opened in Japanese theatres just this 21 November, after premiering in various foreign film festivals in New York, Venice, and Toronto.
Animated by Hosoda’s own Studio Chizu, the story of Scarlet is officially described as:
From visionary Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda (MIRAI) comes a powerful, time-bending animated adventure about Scarlet, a medieval-era, sword-fighting princess on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. After failing at her mission and finding herself gravely injured in the “Otherworld,” she encounters an idealistic young man from our present day who not only helps her to heal but shows her the possibility of a future free of bitterness and rage. When confronted again by her father's killer, Scarlet faces her most daunting battle: can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge?