"Beowulf" Ruled Eligible for Animated Feature Oscar

The controversy over whether or not Robert Zemeckis' motion capture feature Beowulf would be eligible for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award was dispelled today as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist of eligible films. The films are:

Alvin and the Chipmunks
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Meet the Robinsons
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie
Surf’s Up
Tekkonkinkreet
TMNT

Since there are less than 16 on the list, according to Academy rules only 3 films can be nominated, and from the looks of that list the final three will be Ratatouille, Persepolis (which could also find itself nominated for Best Foreign Film as it is the official French entry in the category), and Beowulf...depending on how many Simpsons fans there are in the Academy.

With advancing technologies the line between live action and animation is becoming increasingly blurred, with Beowulf representing the epitome of this evolution up until this point. This decision shows the Academy is keeping an open mind about these new technologies, at least for now.