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Academy Awards Revises Animated Feature Rule

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday that it is revising the definition of what qualifies as an animated feature. The definition now states that animated movies that are longer than 40 minutes but shorter than 70 minutes can be considered in the animated feature film category.

In addition, the revised rules state that "motion capture by itself is not an animation technique." As a result, movies that use motion-capture alone are not eligible for the Academy Awards' animation categories, as animated works must be created "frame-by-frame."

The academy also announced that it will nominate five films in its best visual effects Oscar category rather than three. The category have been limited to three nominees since 1996.

Each year, the Academy's board of governors review the rules that run the Oscars. The 83rd Academy Awards are set to air on February 27, 2011.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Update: Animated films longer than 70 minutes in length are still eligible for the Animated Feature category under the revised rules.