Animals, demon hunters and children battle for best animation Oscar

Netflix's viral hit "Kpop Demon Hunters" faces competition from Disney films "Zootopia 2" and "Elio", and French films "Arco" and "Little Amelie or the Character of Rain", as it competes for best animated feature at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15.

Having picked up awards for best animated film at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, "Kpop Demon Hunters" became a pop culture sensation last year with its heavily popular songs like "Golden" and "Soda Pop" 

Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film follows a trio of K-pop stars who moonlight as fabled demon hunters. Their adventures pit them against a rival boy band, the members of which are demons in disguise.

The film had emerged as a massive streaming hit, leading up to theatrical re-releases, a Mattel Barbie figurine line, and four of its songs making it to top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. 

Competing against "Kpop Demon Hunters" is the blockbuster "Zootopia 2" which reunites rabbit police officer Judy with fox con artist-turned-cop Nick as they investigate a case around a mysterious snake. Released nine years since the first film, the sequel was commercially successful, ending up as the second-highest earning film of 2025. The film is directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard who previously helmed the Oscar-winning "Encanto". 

Another Disney film in the competition is the Pixar release "Elio", a sci-fi comedy centred around the friendship of an eleven-year-old and a friendly alien as they navigate a space dimension called the "Communiverse". While "Elio" underperformed at the box office, it earned rave reviews. The film is directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, the latter having won her first Oscar in 2019 for the animated short "Bao". 

Other international productions in the category include "Arco", a French sci-fi fantasy directed by Ugo Bienvenu. The film follows a ten-year-old boy who time travels into the past and seeks the help of a young girl and her robot caretaker to return home. "Arco" picked up the European film award for best animated feature film earlier this January.

The coming-of-age tale "Little Amelie or the Character of Rain" is another French title in the category, taking inspiration from Amelie Nothomb's Belgian novella "The Character of Rain". Directed by Mailys Vallade and

Liane-Cho Han, "Little Amelie" focuses on the early years and childhood discoveries of a Belgian girl growing up in Japan. 

Production: Shaurya Thapa, Rollo Ross/Reuters