Disney Leads Animation Nominations at 77th Golden Globes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has officially revealed their full list of nominees for the 77th Golden Globes Awards. Of course, Netflix ended up with most nominations of 17, with Marriage Story and The Irishman being standouts. But for the sake of us animation fans, we’ll focus on the animation nominations.

In the Best Motion Picture – Animated category, all five of the nominations are mainstream wide releases. Three of these were released by Disney, consisting of Disney Animation’s Frozen II, the “live-action” remake of The Lion King, and Pixar’s Toy Story 4. The other two films nominated in the category are DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Laika’s Missing Link.

The one unusual standout of all the animated nominations is Disney’s successful, yet redundant remake of The Lion King. Considering Disney’s efforts to push it as a live-action production, and abstaining it from Best Animated Feature consideration for the 92nd Oscars, it’s an interesting take of the Globes to acknowledge the remake’s true medium choice as “animated”. Additionally, the remake lacks the critical praise earned by the other four nominations with its lukewarm reception.

Now you might be wondering; Why is The Lion King remake nominated in Best Motion Picture – Animated despite Disney’s stance on it as “live-action”? Truth is, it was revealed by Cartoon Brew that HFPA disqualified the remake from their live-action categories. The Golden Globe Award Consideration Rules state that “Animated motion pictures are not eligible for the Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, or Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language awards”.

Two of the nominated animated features gained a song nomination in Best Original Song – Motion Picture. These include the signature hit of Frozen II “Into the Unknown”, and Beyoncé’s “Spirit”, the new original song exclusive to The Lion King remake. The other three spots were given to Taylor Swift’s “Beautiful Ghosts” from Cats, Elton John and Taron Egerton’s “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from Rocketman, and Cynthia Erivo’s “Stand Up” from Harriet.

Below lists the 77th Golden Globe categories featuring animated nominations, both in alphabetical order and with recipients. The full list of nominations can be viewed here.

Best Motion Picture – Animated

• Frozen II  (Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World  (DreamWorks Animation; Universal Pictures)
• The Lion King [2019] (Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Missing Link (Laika /Annapurna Pictures; United Artists Releasing)
• Toy Story 4 (Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• “Beautiful Ghosts” – Cats (Music and Lyrics by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Taylor Swift)
• “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” – Rocketman (Music and Lyrics by: Elton John, Bernie Taupin)
• “Into the Unknown” – Frozen II (Music and Lyrics by: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez)
• “Spirit” – The Lion King [2019] (Music and Lyrics by: Timothy McKenzie, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Beyoncé)
• “Stand Up” – Harriet (Music and Lyrics by: Joshuah Brian Campbell, Cynthia Erivo)

The 77th Golden Globe Awards is being hosted by English comedian Ricky Gervais (Valiant) and will take place on Sunday, January 5, 2020, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. The ceremony will broadcast live on NBC at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.

Which animated feature are you rooting for to win at the 77th Golden Globes? How do you feel about The Lion King remake being nominated as an animated feature?