Now that the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards were revealed, one film was noticeably absent. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle did not appear under Best Animated Feature, a category many expected. While the film had an opportunity, it was ultimately skipped over.
So, here’s my take on why this might have happened.
Hollywood doesn’t like anime.
It’s an open secret in Hollywood where anime is looked down by the Academy elite. Since 2001, of the six anime films nominated for Best Animated Feature, only two have ever claimed the coveted statuette — Spirited Away in 2001 and The Boy and the Heron, both works by Studio Ghibli in 2024.
Anecdotal accounts chalk the snub up to any number of reasons: lack of understanding of the medium, misconceptions that the style is “cutesy” or “shallow” or “gory,” and, with preference to other animated titles pushed by larger more established studios which have deeper wallets for marketing (Disney has two films in contention this year: Elio and Zootopia 2).
Compared to the shift in styles to three-dimensional computer-generated animation, anime has been derided due to tight production budgets, animator burnout, “bizarre” plots, unintended audience direction, and content considered objectionable outside Japan.
Up until 2025, Academy voters did not even need to watch a movie before casting their ballot. Before this, voters would engage in what’s called “coattail voting,” where they could select a film based on its popularity without even watching it on the big screen. Requiring voters to actually fully view films and document where and when they saw it, aims to increase the equity for productions that might otherwise be overlooked.
Dozens of anime films are released annually in Japan, many of which cross over to cinemas here in Canada, the United States and the wider world. Of those films, it’s almost guaranteed most will never acquire a nomination for an Oscar. But, it may not be long before another grabs the iconic award.
Demon Slayer is too hard to get into.
In all fairness, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle is not a film one just jumps into headfirst to understand what’s going on. It’s the first in a trilogy closing out the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Viewers going into the movie who have never watched the series, much less read the source manga, would be left confused being thrust into the heart of action. The movie is not independent of the main story and thus anyone who’s never even heard of Demon Slayer would be lost the minute seeing the Demon Slayer Corps fall into an ever growing Japanese castle.
Coming back to the Academy’s recent implementation of watching a movie prior to voting for its inclusion as a potential nominee is a possible reason why. A bored voter sitting through the full two-hour-and-35-minute-long film with no clue behind Tanjiro Kamado’s backstory, or his previous encounter with Akaza, would be less inclined to include it in their nomination.
Executives from Crunchyroll, the subsidiary of Sony which distributed the picture, went on the record last September with their plan to increase the movie’s exposure. Through interviews, red carpet galas and even where the Academy uploaded a video exploring behind-the-scenes at animation studio ufotable, was all part of a bold plan to boost a hopeful Oscar nomination.
One could argue as part of a trilogy, this same logic could be applied to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, but even then, they (mostly) don’t require separate knowledge to understand the main plot. But, there are still two further movies where it’s plausible one (or both) could snag a nomination.
Anime is a rising global star.
Some 30 years ago, anime was a niche market. Fans would acquire, subtitle and trade VHS tapes of shows in college club rooms or at conventions. Fast forward to 2026 and anime permeates corners of streaming services, where spiky-haired characters make routine appearances in events like Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and theme parks from Japan to China to the United States and to France.
Now, there are monthly screenings of films from Japan, further opening the medium to those who wish to make it part of a night out. As cinemas nationwide report a drop in attendance, these films aim to fill more seats as moviegoers gravitate towards more foreign language entries over traditional Hollywood flicks.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle proved remarkably successful, raking in over $787 million USD in worldwide ticket sales, outpacing How to Train Your Dragon, F1, Superman and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. But ticket sales don’t always translate into an Oscar nod; just look at the highest-grossing animated film Ne Zha 2 which topped $2.2 billion USD, was omitted altogether.
Finally, anime films are not made to be Oscar contenders. They are made to invite fans into the world of their creator’s intention. They are made to make us laugh. They are made to make us cry. They are made to make us believe. They adapt traditional folklore, recreate concerts, transport us to fantastical worlds, and, take us into the future. An award is just a nicety, a cherry on top of a successful perspective into the creators’, directors’, animators’, writers’, designers’ and composers’ vision, if you will.
It is hard to ignore the medium as demand grows and production companies look to minimize piracy by offering more ways to enjoy anime legitimately and affordably. The Academy would be well to consider anime a serious candidate in the theatrical sphere as production quality and accessibility improves.
©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
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