This morning, the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced, and while it was expected thatOppenheimer,Poor Things, andKillers of the Flower Moonwould each walk away with 10+ nominations each, there were still plenty of surprises. This year’s nominations run the gamut from pleasant additions, shocking snubs, and major omissions (sorry toSaltburn,All of Us Strangers, andThe Iron Claw, which didn’t get any nominations). With Oscar season in full swing, let’s look at the biggest snubs and surprises at the 96th Academy Awards.
No Charles Melton in Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actor was a packed contest this year, asRobert Downey Jr.,Ryan Gosling,Robert De Niro, andMark Ruffaloseemed like obvious nominees for much of this award season. But the question of who would take that fifth spot remained a mystery. WouldPoor Thingstake up two spots with aWillem Dafoenomination, or couldDominic Sessapotentially sneak in forThe Holdovers? Instead,Sterling K. Brownenters the race for his performance inAmerican Fiction. But one performance that had been building steam wasCharles MeltoninMay December.Melton has been popping up in this category at other awards, including getting nominated at the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards, and winning at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. In fact,May Decemberwas entirely shut out of the acting categories, receiving its sole nomination forSamy Burch’s screenplay. Brown was certainly also an excellent choice in this category, andwe’ll likely see more award buzz for Melton in future projects.
‘Once Upon a Studio’ Absent From Best Animated Short
To celebrate Walt Disney Animation Studios turning 100 this year, Disney put outOnce Upon a Studio, a delightful celebration of Disney’s animation projects over the last century. The short sees all sorts of characters interacting that we’ve never seen before (Genie meets Olaf, while Moana tries to save Flounder, who is out of water), and culminates in a surprisingly touching and earnest conclusion.Once Upon a Studiowas easily the biggest name in the running for Best Animated Short, and it’s wonderful that smaller animation teams are getting a chance to shine in this category.But considering this is one of Disney’s best animated shorts in years, this snub is a bit unexpected.
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Left Out of Adapted Screenplay
The Adapted Screenplay category was also a tight contest this year, even before the Academy decidedBarbiedidn’t belong in the Original Screenplay category. The choices that did make the cut are solid options, from the massive undertaking ofOppenheimerto the unconventional adaptation ofThe Zone of Interest. And whilePoor Things,American Fiction, andBarbieall received nominations, notably absent wasEric RothandMartin Scorsese’sKillers of the Flower Moonscreenplay. The screenplay forKillers of the Flower Moondid receive some criticism for focusing more onLeonardo DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart than the book, but this shift absolutely felt necessary to explore this harrowing story in this way.Regardless, consideringKillers of the Flower Moonwas one of the most nominated films of the year, it’s an odd choice for it to be absent in this category.
Jon Batiste and Michael J. Fox Nowhere to be Seen in Best Documentary
In another case of too many great options and not enough spots, bothJon Batiste’sAmerican SymphonyandDavis Guggenheim’sStill: A Michael J. Fox Moviecouldn’t make the cut in Best Documentary. Batiste did, however, receive a Best Original Song nom for “It Never Went Away,” but even after being one of the most beloved documentaries of 2023,Stillcouldn’t eke out a position here against films likeBobi Wine: The People’s President,The Eternal Memory,Four Daughters,To Kill a Tiger, and20 Days in Mariupol.
America Ferrera Joins Best Supporting Actress for ‘Barbie’
Probably the biggest surprise in the acting categories this year came from the inclusion ofAmerica Ferreraearning a Best Supporting Actress nomination forBarbie. Ferrera has been mostly absent from award discussions, earning a nomination at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards. While the other four nominees were pretty much expected, Ferrera beat outJulianne MooreforMay December,Penélope CruzforFerrari, and another performance that had been gaining steam,Rosamund PikeinSaltburn.Considering how many major categoriesBarbiewas snubbed in (more on those later), Ferrera’s addition here is a welcome surprise.
The Academy Can’t Quit Diane Warren
Another year, another opportunity forDiane Warrento not win an Oscar. This year marks the 14th year Warren has been nominated in this category, this time for a song in the movieFlamin' Hot, and she’s lost all 13 previous nominations. In fact, this is the seventh year in a row that Warren has received a Best Original Song nomination. Once again, Warren likely doesn’t stand a chance, especially against the dual nominations forBarbie, anddespite giving Warren an Honorary Oscar in 2022, theystillcan’t stop nominating her for generic, uplifting songs that mean almost nothing to the film itself.
France Is Out of International Feature as ‘The Taste of Things’ Doesn’t Get Nominated
Earlier this year, France had a difficult choice to make in what film their country submitted: do they go withJustine Triet’sAnatomy of a Fall, or should they submitTrần Anh Hùng’s equally critically-acclaimedThe Taste of Things? France decided to go with the latter, and whileAnatomy of a Fallreceived five nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress forSandra Hüller,The Taste of Thingswas noticeably absent in the International Feature category. Again, this was a tight year in this category, withThe Zone of Interest,The Teachers' Lounge,Society of the Snow,Perfect Days, andIo Capitanoall deserving of their nominations, but given the difficult choice France had to make this year, it’s a bit of a surprise that they came up empty-handed in this category.
Godzilla Is Now an Oscar Nominee
After seventy years as one of the most iconic movie creatures ever, Godzilla is finally an Oscar nominee, asGodzilla Minus Onereceived a nomination for Best Visual Effects. The nomination received cheers from the crowd, and rightfully so, asGodzilla Minus Oneis arguably one of the best Godzilla films in his seven decades. The surprise hit has some major competition, withThe Creator,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, andNapoleonalso nominated in this category, butfingers crossed that this year, the Academy will be handing Godzilla a giant trophy after all these years.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Performance Missing in Best Actor
Leonardo DiCapriois no stranger to getting left out of the acting categories, even for some of his greatest roles. Previously, DiCaprio was left out of the nominations forThe Departed,Gangs of New York,Django Unchained, and evenTitanic. Once again, DiCaprio was absent in Best Actor in another extremely tight race of great options.Cillian Murphy,Paul Giamatti, andBradley Cooperalways seemed like locks, whileJeffrey WrightandColman Domingohad been potential possibilities for a while as well, so DiCaprio missing out here isn’t amajorsurprise. At the very least,Robert De NiroandLily Gladstoneeach did receive acting nominations—both deserving in their own right.
Sorry ‘Barbie,’ No Best Actress for You
If Ferrera’s nomination was the biggest acting surprise,the clear winner for biggest snub goes toMargot Robbienot getting nominated in the eponymous role inBarbie. The entire film centers around this character, obviously, and Robbie has been campaigning for this movie for months. If Ken was going to get a nomination, certainly Barbie would too, right? Wrong. Robbie has been nominated for acting in previous years forI, TonyaandBombshell, but given that this is easily her biggest film yet, and a performance thatBarbiehinges on, this lack of a nomination was a real shocker.
Greta Gerwig and Alexander Payne Aren’t Nominated for Best Director
Again, Best Director was another packed category where some major filmmakers were going to get left out.Yorgos Lanthimos,Martin Scorsese, andChristopher Nolanwere always obvious picks, and it’s great to see international features getting nominations here, withJonathan Glazer’sThe Zone of Interestand Justine Triet’sAnatomy of a Fallpopping up. But given the disappointing lack of a directing nomination forGreta GerwigforLittle Women, it’s a shame the Academy didn’t try to right this wrong with a nomination forBarbie. And while the Academy has always struggled to nominate comedies in this category, they’ve also proven they loveAlexander Payne, who has been nominated here forSideways,The Descendants, andNebraska—but not for his latest,The Holdovers. This year, the Oscars decided to spread the love to first-time nominees like Glazer and Triet, but it doesn’t make the lack of Gerwig and Payne nominations here any easier.
Some Major Releases Barely Get Recognized
As we’ve said several times in this list, with so many sure thing nominations and only a few spots available outside of those, some big titles were bound to get left behind.One of the biggest disappointments came fromPast Lives, which did manage a nomination for Best Picture and Original Screenplay, but certainly deserved more than just those nominations—especially considering this meansPast Livesreceived as many nominations asThe Creator, Nyad, andMission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. After being considered a major player at this year’s Oscars,The Color Purpleonly received one nomination, forDanielle Brooks' excellent performance.The Boy and the HeronandSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseseemed like the rare animated films that could break out into other categories beyond Animated Feature, but each film received their sole nominations in that category.
Regardless of what was snubbed and what surprised at this year’s Oscar nominations, the Academy Awards are always good for some shocks when it comes to the best of the year. You have to take the good with the bad at any award show, and this year’s Academy Awards already have plenty of both with these nominations.
