It’s no secret that anime doesn’t have the best track record at the Academy Awards. While Spirited Away was one of the first films to win the award for Best Animated Feature, in the decades to follow, not a single anime film has ever won the award again, with Disney and Pixar dominating the category almost every year.
Anime has rarely ever had success at the Academy Awards, but it goes even further than some people might think. It’s one thing to be nominated for an award and lose, but numerous anime films, despite their high quality, have never even gotten past the submission phase.
It’s unknown why these films and others never managed to secure a nomination, but even so, they all have plenty to offer in terms of story and visuals that perfectly justify why they would have been considered in the first place.
10 Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020)
Submitted To The 93rd Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
The first notable anime film to not receive an Academy Award nomination was 2020’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train perfectly capitalized on the anime’s success with its incredible animation and direction, and among the various records it set, its two biggest were being the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time and the first foreign film to be the highest-grossing film of its year. Box office success doesn’t always factor into awards, but in addition to the more technical aspects of the film, make its lack of a nomination all the more noticeable and harder to explain.
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9 The First Slam Dunk (2023)
Submitted To The 96th Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
Another notable anime film to not receive an Academy Award nomination was 2023’s The First Slam Dunk. The film was the long-awaited conclusion to the legendary sports anime of the same name, and with a combination of incredible storytelling, animation, and direction, all of which came from series creator Takehiko Inoue, it more than lived up to the legacy of the story it was adapting. Considering how the film was in contention the same year as The Boy and the Heron, it makes sense that it would lose out on a nomination, but it’s still disappointing to see it be passed over, either way.
8 Paprika (2006)
Submitted To The 79th Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
For a standalone anime film that missed out on an Academy Award nomination, one that truly stands out is 2006’s Paprika. Paprika was the final film by legendary director Satoshi Kon, and just like Satoshi Kon’s other projects, Paprika utilized surrealism in both its animation and its writing to tell a story that’s just as bizarre as it is thought-provoking. It would have been great if Paprika had received an Academy Award nomination, especially with Satoshi Kon passing away not long after its release, but his legacy as a director has managed to persist without it, and that’s what truly matters.
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7 Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Submitted To The 76th Academy Award For Best Animated Feature
Another great Satoshi Kon film that failed to secure an Academy Award nomination was 2003’s Tokyo Godfathers. With its focus on homelessness and a wonderfully handled transgender character, Tokyo Godfathers‘ unique story still manages to stand out 20 years later, and it makes sense why people thought it deserved an Academy Award, even if it never got an actual nomination. While comparatively more down-to-earth than Satoshi Kon’s other projects, Tokyo Godfathers still managed to tell a goofy, yet heartwarming story with impressive music and visuals to go along with it, and that makes it a more than worthy addition to Satoshi Kon’s stellar filmography.
6 Summer Wars (2010)
Submitted To The 83rd Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai is the only non-Studio Ghibli film to be nominated for Best Animated Feature, but a film of his that never even got that far was 2010’s Summer Wars. Summer Wars was a major hit with fans and critics alike thanks to its stellar animation and family drama, but even with all of that, it wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award. That being said, Summer Wars‘ success played a big part in Hosoda becoming such a big name in anime, so it’s safe to say that Mirai‘s nomination might never have happened if it weren’t for Summer Wars.
5 Belle (2021)
Submitted To The 94th Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
Another great Mamoru Hosoda film that missed out on an Academy Award nomination was 2021’s Belle. With striking visuals and animation in both 2D and 3D, a soundtrack that perfectly complemented the musical aspect of the film, and some of the best character writing of any Mamoru Hosoda film, Belle could easily be seen as Mamoru Hosoda’s best film to date, even more than Mirai, which actually was nominated for an Academy Award. Belle‘s lack of a nomination is another one that’s hard to explain, but fortunately, that’s done nothing to detract from how great a film it truly is.
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4 Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2018)
Submitted To The 91st Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
Masaaki Yuasa is another anime director who’s received incredible acclaim over the years, and a truly noteworthy film of his was 2018’s Night Is Short, Walk On Girl. Adapted from the novel of the same name, in Masaaki Yuasa’s hands, Night Is Short, Walk On Girl became a surrealist masterpiece in terms of story and visuals and easily one of his best projects to date. With Mirai releasing in the same year, it’s understandable that Night Is Short, Walk On Girl wouldn’t get an Academy Award nomination, but that doesn’t make it any less of a fantastic film.
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3 Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion (2013)
Submitted To The 86th Academy Awards For Best Animated Feature
Another surreal anime film that failed to secure an Academy Award nomination is 2013’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion. A sequel to the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime, Madoka Magica: Rebellion has gorgeously surreal animation and brilliant writing, and it still stands out as one of the best anime films to be released in the past decade. Madoka Magica is known for revolutionizing the magical girl genre, and this movie managed to not only live up to the high expectations set by the series, but even surpass them.
2 Princess Mononoke (1997)
Submitted To The 70th Academy Awards For Best International Feature Film
Despite Studio Ghibli’s frequent appearances at the Academy Awards, a notable film of theirs that was passed over was 1997’s Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke is often heralded as one of Studio Ghibli’s best films for its writing and animation, and when it was released, Princess Mononoke was considered so good that it was submitted for Best International Feature Film. The fact that Princess Mononoke would be seen as good enough for that honor is a perfect representation of its success, and sure enough, its legacy has more than endured throughout all the decades since its release.
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1 Weathering With You (2019)
Submitted To The 92nd Academy Awards For Best International Feature Film
Another anime film that was seen as good enough for Best International Feature Film, and one of the best films to lose out on a nomination, was 2019’s Weathering with You. Makoto Shinkai has become one of the biggest anime directors of recent years, and Weathering with You is easily the best representation of Makoto Shinkai’s talents with its gorgeous visuals and direction and heartwarming storytelling. Few anime films are as worth someone’s time as Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering with You, and that makes it stand out as one of the best anime films to not receive an Academy Award nomination.
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