By Laura Harding, PA Deputy Entertainment Editor
Wolfwalkers, made by Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, has been nominated for an Oscar for best animated feature.
This is the Irish studio’s fourth nomination in the category and, locked in an apparent two-horse race with Pixar’s Soul, offers them their best chance yet to win the prize.
Tomm Moore from Cartoon Saloon told The Irish Times: “I’m delighted on behalf of all our Wolfpack here in Kilkenny and in France and Luxembourg – it’s a fantastic achievement for the studio. Ross and myself are delighted all our hard work on the three movies based on Irish folklore have been recognised by the academy.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Kaluuya scored an Oscar nomination for his performance as Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in the film Judas And The Black Messiah.
He is nominated for the best supporting actor prize alongside Sacha Baron Cohen for his turn as social activist Abbie Hoffman in The Trial Of The Chicago 7.
British actress Olivia Colman has also scored an Oscar nod for her supporting role in The Father.
Kaluuya (32) has already won a Golden Globe and scored Bafta and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for his stirring performance, and is considered a frontrunner to take home the Oscar.
He was previously nominated for the best actor prize in 2018 for his role in Get Out.
Baron Cohen has also scored a screenplay nod for his comedy Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Also nominated in the best supporting actor category are Leslie Odom Jr for One Night In Miami, Paul Raci for Sound Of Metal and LaKeith Stanfield for Judas And The Black Messiah.
The nominations for Academy Awards are being unveiled by husband and wife Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Olivia Colman (47) who won the best actress prize in 2019 for The Favourite, has been nominated in the supporting category for her role in The Father opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins.
The Oscars has significantly expanded its voting body over the past year, inviting more than 800 new members, after it once again faced criticism for the lack of diversity in its nominations for the 2020 ceremony.
Harriet actress Cynthia Erivo was the only non-white acting nominee.
Chadwick Boseman, Riz Ahmed, Frances McDormand and Carey Mulligan are among the performers likely to be nominated in the leading actor and actress categories.
Boseman died aged 43 last August due to complications related to colon cancer
The Academy Awards were delayed by the pandemic and are now scheduled to take place on April 25th.
