The Visual Effects Society is a great predictor of the Visual Effects Oscar. Typically, if you combine their main and supporting visual effects categories together, you get the eventual Oscar nominees. To that in, Alita: Battle Angel, The Lion King, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker come out the best here with the most nominations. Alita and Lion with five each and Star Wars with four. Avengers: Endgame also did well with three. Among the remaining selections, Gemini Man, The Irishman, and 1917 are often cited, as is Joker. Joker is the only one that won’t show up at the Oscars since it didn’t make the shortlist, but the other seven did. Any five of them could pull out the nomination, though shortlisters Cats, Captain Marvel, and Terminator: Dark Fate are injured by these nominations.

Award Tallies

(5) Alita: Battle Angel, The Lion King, Toy Story 4
(4) Frozen II, Missing Link, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
(3) Avengers: Endgame

The Awards

Best Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Alita: Battle Angel
Avengers: Endgame
Gemini Man
The Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

The Aeronauts
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Joker
1917

Best Visual Effects in an Animated Feature

Frozen II
Klaus
The Lego Movie 2: the Second Part
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

Best Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature

Alita: Battle Angel – Alita
Avengers: Endgame – Smart Hulk
Gemini Man – Junior
The Lion King – Scar

Best Animated Character in an Animation Feature

Frozen II – The Water Nokk
Klaus – Jesper
Missing Link – Susan
Toy Story 4 – Bo Peep

Best Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature

Aladdin – Agrabah
Alita: Battle Angel – Iron City
The Lion King – The Pridelands
Motherless Brooklyn – Penn Station
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Pasaana Desert

Best Created Environment in an Animated Feature

Frozen II – Giants’ Gorge
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – The Hidden World
Missing Link – Passage to India Jungle
Toy Story 4 – Antiques Mall

Best Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project

Alita: Battle Angel
The Lion King
(TV) The Mandalorian – The Prisoner; The Roost
Toy Story 4

Best Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project

(TV) Lost in Space – The Resolute
(TV) The Man in the High Castle – Rocket Train
(TV) The Mandalorian – The Sin; The Razorcrest
Missing Link – The Manchuria

Best Effects Simulations in an Photoreal Feature

Dumbo – Bubble Elephants
The Lion King
Spider-Man: Far from Home – Molten Man
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature

Abominable
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Water and Waterfalls
Toy Story 4

Best Compositing in a Photoreal Feature

Alita: Battle Angel
Avengers: Endgame
Captain Marvel – Young Nick Fury
The Irishman
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project

Aladdin – Magic Carpet
(TV) Game of Thrones – The Bells
Terminator: Dark Fate
(TV) The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance – She Knows All the Secrets

Visual Effects Society Data

First Awards: 2002 (18)