Early Oscar predictions - Part 3

We're taking a look at Best Animated Feature and three of the visual craft categories this week; Cinematography, Editing, and Effects. Next week we'll complete the visual crafts with Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup.

Best Animated Feature

Another unrequested Pixar sequel (well, prequel) doesn't have me all that titillated, but the steadily increasing quality of Disney's output these last few years has me excited for their upcoming musical fantasy Frozen, based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. If Pixar and Dreamworks disappoint, that might also open the doors to GKIDS' art house titles, which this year includes 2012 Cannes entry Ernest & Celestine.

We don't know how many submissions will qualify, but I may as well predict five titles:

Chris Wedge, Epic

Stephane Aubiervincent Patar & Benjamin Renner, Ernest and Celestine

Jennifer Lewis & Chris Buck, Frozen

Dan Scanlon, Monsters, University

David Soren, Turbo

Also consider: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Planes, The Suicide Shop

Best Cinematography

I don't wanna jinx it or anything, but given the Academy's tendency to award this category to effects-driven spectacles of late, it might provide the twice-overdue Emmanuel Lubezki his best opportunity yet to claim an Oscar (for Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity). He also has Terrence Malick's To the Wonder in play.

Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity

Simon Duggan, The Great Gatsby

Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis

Phedon Papamichael, The Monuments Man

Rodrigo Prieto, The Wolf of Wall Street

Also consider: Captain Phillips, The Counselor, Nebraska, To the Wonder, Twelve Years a Slave

Best Film Editing

Makes sense just to pick from the Best Picture lineup for this category. Obviously, room has to be made for legend Thelma Schoonmaker, while other previous winners Pietro Scalia and Christopher Rouse appear to have awards-friendly projects on their hands as well.

Christopher Rouse, Captain Philips

Pietro Scalia, The Counselor

Alfonso Cuaron & Matt Sanger, Gravity

???, The Monuments Men

Thelma Schoonmaker, The Wolf of Wall Street

Also consider: August: Osage County, Elysium, Foxcatcher, Inside Llewyn Davis, Untitled ABSCAM project

Best Visual Effects

Marvel has had three cracks at this category for films starring Iron Man (The Avengers counts), so why omit Iron Man 3 from my predictions? I have to confess the trailer has me more excited for this instalment than the second one did. Other franchise entries that boast previous nominations include The Hobbit and Star Trek.

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Iron Man 3

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Into Darkness

Also consider: After Earth, Elysium, Man of Steel, Oz the Great and Powerful, Thor: The Dark World