Aligning with the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, the appropriately named Visual Effects Society will hand out several prizes with only the top two having much impact on this year’s Oscar race.

VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY AWARDS

Best Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

Alita: Battle Angel (RU:Thomas)
Avengers: Endgame (Wesley, Peter, Thomas, RU:Tripp)
Gemini Man
The Lion King (Tripp, RU:Wesley)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: The Oscars nominated three of these titles, which means it’s likely non-Oscar nominees Alita: Battle Angel and Gemini Man are out. Between the other three, the race really comes down to Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King with the former having the edge.
Peter J. Patrick: I have no idea how these folks think – just going with the seemingly most popular.
Tripp Burton: There are three Oscar nominees in this, but I’m guessing that, just like at the Oscars, the Disney train wins.
Thomas LaTourette: This award could go any direction, though I will go for Avengers as it is the Oscar favorite right now. Alita and Lion King are worthy contenders and either could sneak in. Star Wars is good but may not seem new enough to win. Gemini Man feels like the odd one out.

Best Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature

The Aeronauts
Ford v Ferrari (RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
The Irishman (Thomas, RU:Wesley)
Joker
1917 (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Two Oscar nominees in the bunch are also the most likely victors. 1917 might have the edge because of its chances at winning Best Picture, but The Irishman uses a lot of de-aging techniques, which could impress this body more than anyone else.
Peter J. Patrick: I don’t know how to distinguish lead from supporting visual effects, but these two films had lots of them.
Tripp Burton: The Oscar nominee wins here, right?
Thomas LaTourette: This feels like a battle between The Irishman and 1917, and I would not expect the others to be in the final mix. Both are Oscar nominated which the others are not. I am going with Irishman just because it has the flashier effects with the anti-aging technology.

Best Visual Effects in an Animated Feature

Frozen II (RU:Thomas)
Klaus (RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
The Lego Movie 2: the Second Part (RU:Wesley)
Missing Link (Peter)
Toy Story 4 (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: This is a rather uninspired category, but I’ll have to go with Toy Story 4 with The Lego Movie a potential spoiler. Though, I wouldn’t discount Frozen II or Missing Link either because they have several nominations from VES this year.
Peter J. Patrick: These were the most charming.
Tripp Burton: I have no idea how these things are decided on, but after the Annie awards last weekend, could we have another Klaus surprise?
Thomas LaTourette: Toy Story and Frozen are probably the favorites here, and I will go with Toy Story.

Best Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature

Alita: Battle Angel – Alita (Wesley, Thomas)
Avengers: Endgame – Smart Hulk (RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
Gemini Man – Junior
The Lion King – Scar (Peter, Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Smart Hulk and Alita were the tougher effects while Junior and Scar were a bit easier, with the latter having to be created out of whole cloth.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Animated Character in an Animation Feature

Frozen II – The Water Nokk (Wesley, RU:Tripp)
Klaus – Jesper (RU:Wesley, RU:Thomas)
Missing Link – Susan (Peter, Thomas)
Toy Story 4 – Bo Peep (Tripp, RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: I’m not certain, so I’m giving the edge to The Water Nokk because none of the other characters seem terribly complex in design.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature

Aladdin – Agrabah (Wesley, RU:Peter)
Alita: Battle Angel – Iron City (Thomas)
The Lion King – The Pridelands (Tripp, RU:Wesley, RU:Thomas)
Motherless Brooklyn – Penn Station (Peter)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Pasaana Desert (RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: Agrabah just seems like the more creative environment.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Created Environment in an Animated Feature

Frozen II – Giants’ Gorge (RU:Wesley)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – The Hidden World (Wesley, Tripp, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
Missing Link – Passage to India Jungle
Toy Story 4 – Antiques Mall (Peter, Thomas, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: Not sure here either, so I give the edge to the vibrant The Hidden World.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project

Alita: Battle Angel (Thomas, RU:Wesley)
The Lion King (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, RU:Thomas)
(TV) The Mandalorian – The Prisoner; The Roost (RU:Tripp)
Toy Story 4 (RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: If they are anything like the Academy, they love their exteriors, which probably gives The Lion King the best chance.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project

(TV) Lost in Space – The Resolute (RU:Wesley)
(TV) The Man in the High Castle – Rocket Train (RU:Peter)
(TV) The Mandalorian – The Sin; The Razorcrest (Wesley, Thomas, RU:Tripp)
Missing Link – The Manchuria (Peter, Tripp, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Three TV episodes and a film. I suspect they’ll go for The Mandalorian since it’s the only TV series that’s original rather than a continuation.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Effects Simulations in an Photoreal Feature

Dumbo – Bubble Elephants (RU:Tripp)
The Lion King (Tripp, Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter)
Spider-Man: Far from Home – Molten Man (Wesley)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Peter, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: I can’t really say for certain, but the complexity of Molten Man would seem more compelling than the others.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature

Abominable
Frozen II (Wesley, RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Water and Waterfalls (Peter, Tripp, RU:Wesley)
Toy Story 4 (Thomas, RU:Peter)

Wesley Lovell: Hard to say for sure, but the water and ice effects in Frozen are probably more impressive than the same effects in How to Train Your Dragon.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

Best Compositing in a Photoreal Feature

Alita: Battle Angel (RU:Thomas)
Avengers: Endgame (Thomas, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
Captain Marvel – Young Nick Fury
The Irishman (Wesley, Tripp)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Peter)

Wesley Lovell: This is surely a guess, but The Irishman is the more expansive of all of these films.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)

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

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

Wesley Lovell: I have absolutely no idea, so this is a complete guess.
Peter J. Patrick: (no commentary provided)
Tripp Burton: (no commentary provided)
Thomas LaTourette: (no commentary provided)