The Oscar nominees for animated feature this year reflect shifts in an art form that has become an increasingly crucial part of the movie business.
There is the return of an industry giant, Walt Disney Animation Studios, which saw its blockbuster musical "Frozen" collect nominations both for animated feature and original song; the validation of a younger studio player, Los Angeles and Paris-based Illumination Entertainment, which secured its first Oscar nominations for "Despicable Me 2" and that movie's original song, "Happy"; the omission of a category stalwart, Pixar Animation, which was passed over for its prequel "Monsters University"; and the end of an august career, that of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, who was nominated for what he has said will be his final film, "The Wind Rises."
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"The Croods," the DreamWorks Animation caveman comedy, and "Ernest & Celestine," the hand-drawn French-Belgian adaptation from independent distributor GKIDS, rounded out the category.
For the makers of "Frozen," directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and producer Peter Del Veccho, the Oscar nomination is the culmination of weeks of very good news, including their film becoming the studio's highest grosser since "The Lion King," its soundtrack sitting atop the Billboard charts and the announcement that Disney will adapt a Broadway musical from the film.