Avengers: Endgame Performances Lead Disney’s Award Season Considerations

Disney has announced which Oscars they are campaigning for on their awards site, confirming award campaigns for five separate movies.

Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King lead the charge, with Avengers being putting forward for 14 awards, and The Lion King for 13. Disney is asking that Aladdin be considered for a single award (Best Original Song for “Speechless”), while Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2 are both seeking 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Animated Feature, and Best Director. Curiously, The Lion King is seeking a Best Picture nomination but not a Best Animated Feature one, despite being the highest grossing animated feature of all time.

Perhaps most interesting is how many actors Disney is putting forward for supporting roles. Disney is campaigning for Avengers: Endgame actors Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Paul Rudd, and Don Cheadle for Best Supporting Actor. It’s seeking Best Supporting Actress nominations for Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, and Brie Larson. Disney is also asking to be considered for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and several other awards.

The Lion King is asking for Donald Glover to be considered for Best Actor for his portrayal of Simba. The Best Supporting Actor consideration list consists of Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Eric Andre, Keegan-Michael Key, and JD McCrary. Disney seeks Best Supporting Actress nominations for Alfre Woodard, Florence Kasumba, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Beyonce Knowles-Carter.

‘For Your Consideration’ lists for Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker are not included as of yet. 2017’s Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi was nominated for four Oscars, though, so it’s likely that Disney is planning a campaign following The Rise of Skywalker’s release.

Oscar nominees are typically announced in January, so we’ll have to wait to see how many–if any–of these performances make the cut. If history repeats, Disney’s best odds are in the Animated Feature category and in the technical and styling categories, such as Visual Effects and Best Costume Design, and the sound categories.