dailyvarietyupcoverThe Animation Blog reports that Disney bought the cover of Daily Variety last week to promote Up not only for Best Animated Feature, but for Best Picture as well. The L.A. Times says Fantastic Mr. Fox’s impressive showing during it’s qualifying run and it’s critical success may make it a strong contender for an animated nod. Screen International has a look at three of the directors who may be looking at the animated Oscar this year. And the Irish Times wonders if studios aren’t “flinging second-rate material into cinemas as a way of boosting their prestige releases’ chances of getting an Oscar nod” by increasing the nominees to five.