A Shootout in Toon Town

A record 21 animated features have been submitted for Oscar Consideration, which should result in as many as five nominees. Computer-animated films continue to dominate, generating big box office: At the moment, four of the year's top 10 highest-grossing films are CG creations. Stop-motion, which can be traced back to the 1800s, also had a big year -- for the first time, more than one of the nominees in the feature animation category could be a stop-motion pic. Indie producers at home and overseas served up traditional, hand-drawn fare. And, of course, stereoscopic 3D movies were everywhere.