Oscar Predictions: Animated Feature — Is There Room for ‘Demon Slayer’ and Can ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Defy BAFTA-Oscar History?

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Oscars Best Animated Feature Commentary (Updated Dec. 18, 2025): Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” has emerged as an Oscar frontrunner this season, but its path to the best animated feature trophy has a significant obstacle when the British Academy of Film and Television Arts ruled it ineligible for BAFTA consideration.

The decision hinges on BAFTA’s theatrical release requirements. While the organization’s rules allow for “exceptional circumstances” that permit films distributed through alternative models like event cinema, the Film Committee ultimately determined that “KPop Demon Hunters” didn’t qualify for such an exception.

BAFTA snub aside, “KPop Demon Hunters” continues to dominate the cultural conversation. The film’s breakout track “Golden,” performed by K-pop sensation Huntr/x, recently secured three Grammy nominations, including the prestigious Song of the Year category.

Since both institutions began recognizing animated features, every Oscar winner in the category has first earned at least a BAFTA nomination. This unbroken precedent raises a crucial question: Can “KPop Demon Hunters” become the first film to win the Academy Award without BAFTA validation?

That could present an uphill battle. BAFTA’s exclusion could provide oxygen for competing contenders, including Disney’s highly anticipated “Zootopia 2,” Neon’s critically acclaimed “Arco,” and GKids’ “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain.”

And then there’s the wild card: Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” secured an animation lineup spot at the Golden Globes, putting forth another test of the Academy’s longstanding reluctance to embrace anime. While the technical achievement and fanbase are undeniable, history hasn’t been kind to anime at the Oscars.

We’ll see where it lands in January.

NOTE: All titles, release dates, studios and listed and credited producers and artisans are subject to change and are ultimately determined by the Academy.

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• Eligible Films (Animated Feature)