Animation made Academy shortlist after New York festival jury prize win

A scene from
A scene from "Magic Candies" (BIFF)

"Magic Candies," the Japanese adaptation of South Korean author Baek Hee-na's beloved children's books, was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at this year's Academy Awards Thursday.

The 20-minute Toei Animation production, directed by Daisuke Nishio, weaves together two of Baek's works to tell the story of a boy who discovers magical candies that unlock the inner thoughts of people, pets and even objects around him. The film blends photorealistic backgrounds with stylized character animation, an approach that echoes Baek's signature technique of photographing handcrafted miniature sets under custom lighting.

The nomination follows the film's Jury Prize win at the New York International Children's Film Festival in March 2024. The festival's jury award automatically qualifies the winners for Oscar consideration. Earlier this month, "Magic Candies" made the Academy's shortlist of 15 entries from 13 countries before securing its spot among the final nominees.

In the broader Oscar race, Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Perez" emerged as the frontrunner with 13 nominations — the most ever for a non-English language film. The Netflix narco-musical about trans identity picked up nods including best picture, directing, and a historic best actress nomination for Karla Sofia Gascon, the first openly trans performer nominated in that category.

Two other films made strong showings with 10 nominations each: Jon M. Chu's "Wicked," starring Cynthia Erivo and first-time nominee Ariana Grande, and Brady Corbet's postwar epic "The Brutalist," featuring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

The nominations, announced Thursday morning at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, came amid ongoing wildfire challenges in Los Angeles, which had prompted two postponements. The Academy has scaled back related events, including the annual nominees luncheon.

Conan O'Brien is set to host the 97th Academy Awards ceremony on March 2, though this year's show will break tradition by foregoing performances of the nominated original songs.