‘Mirai’ Earns Academy Awards Nomination For Best Animated Feature

The Oscar nominees and there’s anime this time around!

Mamoru Hosoda‘s Mirai is nominated for Best Animated Feature, but it’s facing stiff competition. It’ll be competing against Incredibles 2, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and the Japanese influenced Isle of Dogs.

The whimsical movie follows the sibling relationship between Kun and Mirai. As an only-child, Kun has been spoiled by his parents, but the four-year-old is in for a rude awakening following the birth of Mirai. Kun quickly becomes jealous…until he meets a teenage Mirai in the garden. Why did she come from the future and what will their journey reveal about their family?

Hosoda’s mastery over family dynamics, personal growth, and soft humor is in full display in Mirai — and is arguably his best film since Wolf Children. Mirai is Hosoda’s first Oscar-nominated film and is the first anime to be nominated for an award since 2015’s When Marnie Was There.

Fans should expect to see either Incredibles 2 or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to win, but it’s still nice to see an anime film recognized by the mainstream.

Want to know more about Mirai? You can check out the official synopsis for the project below:

“From acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children) and Japan’s Studio Chizu comes Mirai, a daringly original story of love passed down through generations. When four-year-old Kun meets his new baby sister, his world is turned upside down. Named Mirai (meaning “future”), the baby quickly wins the hearts of Kun’s entire family. As his mother returns to work, and his father struggles to run the household, Kun becomes increasingly jealous of baby Mirai… until one day he storms off into the garden, where he encounters strange guests from the past and future – including his sister Mirai, as a teenager. Together, Kun and teenage Mirai go on a journey through time and space, uncovering their family’s incredible story. But why did Mirai come from the future?

Are you excited to see anime make a return to the awards ceremony? Let me know in the comments