Laika’s “Wildwood” is currently the film to beat in Variety’s updated predictions for the 2027 Oscar for animated feature. The Nov. 3 assessment describes this year’s race as unusually competitive and points to a growing range of animated films aimed at adult audiences as well as children.

Directed and produced by Travis Knight, “Wildwood” is Laika’s first feature to receive a PG-13 rating. Its 130-minute runtime ties the record for the longest English-language animated film, according to Variety. The film has drawn strong acclaim, though its box office performance has been weaker. Knight was previously nominated for an Oscar for “Kubo and the Two Strings.”

Other contenders include “Ray Gunn,” directed by Brad Bird; Daniel Chong’s “Hoppers”; “Forgotten Island,” from Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado; and Leah Nelson’s “Tangles.” The field also features Louis Clichy’s “Iron Boy” and Andrew Stanton’s “Toy Story 5.”

“Tangles” is based on Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir about her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease in the late 1990s. Nelson, making her feature directorial debut, co-wrote the adaptation with Leavitt. Abbi Jacobson voices Sarah, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices her mother and is also a producer, alongside Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen.

Both “Tangles” and “Wildwood” are being submitted in the Golden Globes’ drama categories rather than animation’s customary comedy category. Variety notes that the choice reflects how their creative teams want the films to be seen, while acknowledging that adult-oriented animation has a longer history, including past Oscar nominees “Persepolis” and “Anomalisa.”

The animated feature Oscar has also become less dominated by Disney and Pixar. Since “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won at the 95th Academy Awards, the prize has gone to “The Boy and the Heron,” “Flow” and “KPop Demon Hunters.” Variety raises the possibility of an animated film joining the best picture lineup, a category that has so far included just three animated nominees: “Beauty and the Beast,” “Up” and “Toy Story 3.”

The Academy’s preliminary voting for Oscar shortlists in 12 categories is scheduled for Dec. 7–11, 2026, with the shortlists due Dec. 15. Nominations voting is set for Jan. 11–15, 2027, and nominations will be announced Jan. 21. The 99th Oscars are scheduled for March 14, 2027, hosted by Conan O’Brien.

Sources: Variety.