Ten pictureshave made the Academy Awards' animated feature shortlist and will vie for thethree coveted nominee slots to be unveiled on Jan 31 2006.

The pictures areChicken Little, Gulliver's Travel, Hoodwinked, Howl's Moving Castle,Madagascar, Robots, Steamboy, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Valiant and Wallace & Gromit: The CurseOf The Were-Rabbit.

Of these, onlyGulliver's Travel andHoodwinked are yet toopen in North America.

To qualify forconsideration they will need to have played in a greater Los Angeles theatrefor one continuous week before Dec 31.

Hoodwinked is set to open through The WeinsteinCompany on Dec 23. Gulliver's Travel was produced by India's Mayajaal Entertainment andPentamedia Graphics and its selection for the Oscar shortlist marks a coup ofsorts for the vibrant Indian animation community.

Under Academyrules a maximum of three pictures can contest the animated category where thereare between eight and 16 submissions.

Animated entriesare also eligible for best feature and other consideration provided they meetthe criteria of these other categories.

The 78th Oscarswill take place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Mar 5 2006.