Nominations for the ‘New and Improved’ 81st Golden Globes Are Announced!

The nominations for the  81st Golden Globes were revealed this morning, adding more suspense to the unpredictable awards race this year.

The following six films were nominated in the Best Animated Feature category:

• The Boy and the Heron (GKIDS/Studio Ghibli)
• Elemental (Disney/Pixar)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation)
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal/Illumination)
• Suzume (Crunchyroll/Sony)
• Wish (Disney)

Most of the six titles nominated in the Best Animated Feature category seemed to match the recently announced year-end critics categories. Historically, the Golden Globes have a tendency to throw in a few wild cards in the awards race. Perhaps, that’s why we see Nimona, Migration, Leo, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Trolls Band Together shut out in this category and their spots taken by titles that perhaps were not on everyone’s lists — Suzume, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Wish. 

But wait, there’s more! The Globes have introduced a new category this year,

In the new category of  Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which has ten nominees. This new award honors  films that achieved “a box office receipt total/gross of $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership recognized by trusted industry sources.”

Two of the titles are animated features: Sony’s Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros Movie are competing against eight other live-action titles: Barbie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Oppenheimer and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour!

The song category has one solo nominee from an animated feature, and no, it’s not any of the songs from Disney’s Wish, DreamWorks Trolls: Band Together or Sony’s Spider-Verse. It’s Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker who managed to impress the voters with their super catchy song from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, “Peaches.”

Animation did well in the original score race, with Daniel Pemberton and Joe Isahishi nominated for their memorable music for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Boy and the Heron respectively.

Barbie and Succession lead the nominations for the 2024 Golden Globes, with each title nominated in nine different categories.

This will be the first year the Golden Globes are voted by 300 journalists from around the world, representing 76 countries, and not by the original Hollywood Foreign Press, which was plagued by criticisms for its dubious voting standards and lack of diversity. The HFPA’s assets, rights and properties are now owned by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge (a powerful media org that owns Billboard, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and Variety.)

The 81st annual Golden Globe Awards will air live from the Beverly Hilton on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. A host has not been announced yet.  For more info, visit goldenglobes.com

Analysis: The Golden Globes have a strong correlation record for best animated feature with the Academy Awards, only misaligning their top choices four times since both races have been part of the awards season animation circuit.

Best Animated Feature: Oscars vs. Golden Globes