“The Mandalorian” led all television and film projects with 13 nominations for the 19th annual VES Awards, the Visual Effects Society announced on Tuesday. The Disney+ series scored multiple nominations in several categories, including three of the four noms for Outstanding Compositing in an Episode.
HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” finished a distant second in the television categories with four nominations, while Pixar’s “Soul” landed five to lead all films.
Among live-action features, “Mulan,” “Project Power” and “The Witches” led with three nominations each. In the Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature category, the VES category that most closely corresponds to the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, the nominees were “Jingle-Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” “The Midnight Sky,” “Project Power,” “Tenet” and “The Witches.”
The film nominations reinforced what a strange year 2020 was, with the kind of large-scale, effects-driven films that often do well at the box office and in VFX nominations largely missing in action because of COVID-driven theater closings. Of the five nominees in the photoreal visual-effects category, which usually supplies about 75% of the Oscar nominees, only two of the five nominees even made the 10-film Academy shortlist. “The Midnight Sky” and “Tenet” are still in the running for Oscars, while “Jingle-Jangle,” “Project Power” and “The Witches” are not.
Another two shortlisted films, “Mank” and the documentary “Welcome to Chechnya,” were nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature category.
Of the 10 films that made the Oscar shortlist, two of them – “Birds of Prey” and “Love and Monsters” – did not receive a single nomination from the VES.
Nominees in the 25 categories were chosen by members of the VES after 32 virtual nomination events. The awards ceremony itself will also be virtual and will stream around the world on April 6 or 7, depending on the time zone.
The full list of individual nominees in each category is available at the VES website.
The nominees:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
“Jingle-Jangle: A Christmas Journey”
“Project Power”
“Tenet”
“The Midnight Sky”
“The Witches”
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
“Da 5 Bloods”
“Extraction”
“Mank”
“News of the World”
“Welcome to Chechnya”
Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Soul”
“The Croods: A New Age”
“Trolls World Tour”
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
“Lovecraft Country”: Jig-A-Bobo
“Star Trek: Discovery”: Su’Kal
“The Mandalorian”: The Marshal
“Timmy Failure”
“Westworld”: Crisis Theory
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
“I Know This Much Is True”: Episode 1
“Mrs. America”: Shirley
“Survive”
“The Crown”: Gold Stick
“Vikings”: Best Laid Plans
“Warrior”: Learn to Endure, Or Hire a Bodyguard
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla”
“Cuberpunk 2077”
“Ghost of Tsushima”
“Spider-Man: Miles Morales”: Reactor Finale
“The Last of Us Part II”
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
Arm & Hammer: Once Upon a Time
Burberry: Singin’ In The Rain
Hornbach: It Seems Impossible Until You Do It
Playstation: The Edge
Walmart: Famous Visitors
XBOX: Us Dreamers
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
“Asteroid Hunters”
“The Bourne Stuntacular”
“Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway”
“The March”
Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature
“Die Kanguru-Chroniken”: Kangaroo
“Jingle-Jangle: A Christmas Journey”: Don Juan Diego
“The One and Only Ivan”: Ivan
“The Witches”: Daisy
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature
“Onward”: Dad Pants
“Over the Moon”: Chang’e
“Soul”: Terry
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run”: SpongeBob
Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
“The Crown:” The Balmoral test; Imperial Stag
“The Mandalorian”: The Jedi; The Child
“The Mandalorian”: The Marshal; Krayt Dragon
“Timmy Failure”: Mistakes Were Made; Total
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial
AFK Arena: Toilet; Uzgahk
Arm & Hammer; Once Upon a Time; Tuxedo Tom
Far Cry; Legacy; Anton
Legends of Runeterra; Breathe; Darius
TK Maxx; The Lil Goat
Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
“Bloodshot”: Neuralspace
“Mulan”: Imperial City
“The Eight Hundred”: 1937 Shanghai Downtown
“The Eight Hundred”: Shanghai Warehouse District
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature
“Onward”: Swamp Gas
“Soul”: You Seminar
“Trolls World Tour”: Techno Reef
“Trolls World Tour”: Volcano Rock City
Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
“Brave New World”: New London
“Cyberpunk 2077”: Night City
“Lovecraft Country”: Tulsa 1921
“The Mandalorian”: The Believer; Morak Jungle
“The Mandalorian”: The Siege; Nevarro Canyon
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project
“Ghost of Tsushima”: A Storm is Coming
“Soul”
“The Mandalorian”: The Believer
“The Mandalorian”: The Siege
Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
“The Mandalorian”: Boba Fett’s Ship
“The Mandalorian”: The Rescue; Light Cruiser
“The Midnight Sky”: Aether
“The Witches”: Rollercoaster
Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
“Bloodshot”
“Greyhound”
“Monster Hunter”
“Mulan”
“Project Power”
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
“Onward”
“Over the Moon”
“Soul”
“Trolls World Tour”
“The Willoughbys”
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
“Lovecraft Country”: Strange Case; Chrysalis
Playstation: The Edge
“Tales From the Loop”: Loretta’s House
“The Mandalorian”: The Marshal; Krayt Dragon
Outstanding Compositing in a Feature
“Greyhound”
“Mulan”
“Project Power”
“Underwater”
Outstanding Compositing in an Episode
“Lovecraft Country”: Strange Case; Chrysalis
“The Mandalorian”: The Believer
“The Mandalorian”: The Marshal
“The Mandalorian”: The Passenger
Outstanding Compositing in a Commercial
Burberry: Singin’ In the Rain
Perrier: Heat
Playstation: The Edge
Walmart: Famous Visitors
Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project
“Fear the Walking Dead”: Bury Her Next to Jasper’s Leg
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
“Time’s Down”
“Aral”
“Strands of Mind”
“Migrants”