The Oscars, also known as The Academy Awards, are one of the biggest and most famous awards given to movies. This year, the Oscars will occur on March 2,2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. This year will be the 97th Academy Awards ceremony and it will be hosted by popular comedian Conan O’Brien. Some of the awards given out include Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Animated Feature, Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay (Oscars). The most sought-after award at the Oscars is Best Picture. Emilia Perez has the most nominations with 13 nominations, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with ten nominations. Some other movies that are nominated are A Complete Unknown, Anora, and Dune: Part Two, along with a few others. (Times). Who will take with them the grand prize,and who will be left empty handed? Here are my predictions for the four main categories.
Actor in a Leading Role: Timothée Chalamet-A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet has been in the spotlight a lot these days and is one of the most popular young actors currently. He recently starred in the acclaimed Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, playing the famous folk singer/songwriter who is the subject of the movie. In my opinion, both his singing and acting in the movie are some of his best and he embodied the persona of Bob Dylan very well. If Chalamet does win, it will be his first Oscar.
Actress in a Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo-Wicked
I think both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande did amazing in their roles and have a good chance of winning, but it is Cynthia’s role as Elphaba that really stood out to me. She is also a fabulous vocalist and her performance lives up to the original Elphaba, Idina Menzel. In particular, her performance of “Defying Gravity”, the most famous song from the musical, was iconic. Although Erivo has been nominated for the Oscar before, she has never won one and if she does win it will be her first.
Animated Feature Film: The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot is adapted from the children’s book written by Peter Brown that shares the same name as the film. It tells the story of a robot that is shipwrecked on an island who has to learn how to survive in the wilderness,befriending many animals along the way. It has a star-studded cast with Kit Connor,Pedro Pascal,and Bill Nighy all making appearances. While Inside Out 2 and Flow are very strong contenders, I think The Wild Robot has the largest chance of winning for multiple reasons. The animation is beautiful and really well-done. The messages of friendship and courage in the movie resonate with both kids and adults and it’s a movie that everyone can enjoy.
Best Picture: Wicked
The story of Wicked is based off of The Wizard of Oz and tells the origin story of the wicked witch of the west and how she became ‘wicked’. Out of all of the films made in 2024, Wicked is the one that defines this year the most. Wicked inspired many products and trends and became a cultural phenomenon. While Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown are also strong contenders, I think Wicked will take the grand prize. The music, cast, and special effects were all amazing. It managed to stay true to the Broadway musical it was based on while also adding its own spin to the story. Although the film was nearly three hours long, it was not hard to sit through and every moment was entertaining and added something valuable to the story. I found that the movie can be enjoyed whether or not you are a fan of the original Broadway musical and it overall has a massive appeal to all audiences.
