2024 Oscar Snubs and Surprises (Yes, 'Barbie' Is Among Them)

America Ferrera

The Oscars giveth and the Academy Awards taketh away. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (or "The Academy" to most) announced their 2024 nominations bright and early on Tuesday morning, honoring the films of 2023. And while plenty of the nominees (like Oppenheimer and Poor Things' hauls) were fairly predictable based on precursor awards, there were still plenty of snubs and surprises. Since there are only five nominees in most categories, every surprise almost inherently signals a snub on the other end. Every nominee that sneaks into the five bumps someone else off the podium.

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While the 2024 nominations were largely dominated by the Best Picture nominees cleaning up across the board, there were plenty of oddities in the mix. Here aretam the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2024 Academy Awards nominations: 

2024 Oscar snubs and surprises

Snub: No Leonardo DiCaprio

While Killers of the Flower Moon scooped up 10 nominations including noms for Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, Leo was bumped out of a competitive Best Actor lineup. This follows a similar snub for Don't Look Up several years ago, which makes you wonder if the Academy isn't taking the legendary actor for granted.

Surprise: America Ferrera in Best Supporting Actress

Perhaps the most exciting surprise of the morning was America Ferrera sneaking into Best Supporting Actress (likely at the expense of Rosamund Pike or Julianne Moore). Ferrera's nomination was likely helped by her impassioned Critics Choice Awards speech that came right in the middle of the Oscar voting period.

Snub: Strange Way of Life misses in Live Action Short

While the shorts categories are usually not a place for instantly recognizable snubs and surprises (most people never watch them, after all), Strange Way of Life, Pedro Almodovar's gay western starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke earned plenty of buzz this year and even screened widely (which is rare for a short). But it was left off the list. Conversely, Wes Anderson's Netflix short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar did make the cut.

Surprise: Sterling K. Brown gets a Best Supporting Actor nom

It was a great morning for the American Fiction team, who snagged five nominations including unexpected pickups in Original Score and Best Supporting Actor. Sterling K. Brown, who plays the gay brother of Jeffrey Wright in the film, likely bumped out the likes of Charles Melton and Willem Dafoe to earn his first Oscar nomination.

Snub: No nominations for Saltburn

Emerald Fennell's campy thriller was completely shut out on Tuesday morning. While the movie certainly wasn't perceived as a frontrunner, it had picked up nominations at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs, making it seem like it would at least gain one or two nominations. Alas, Jimmy Kimmel will no longer be able to make jokes about Barry Keoghan's penis at the Oscars.

Related: The Complete List of 2023 Primetime Emmy Winners and Nominees

Surprise: Nimona and Robot Dreams beat out heavy hitters in Best Animated Feature

In the Best Animated Feature category, which is usually dominated by the likes of Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks, two smaller films, Nimona and Robot Dreams were able to grab nominations. Left out were far more popular movies like Disney's Wish and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Snub: Willem Dafoe for Poor Things

While Poor Things earned just about every nomination if could feasibly earn, coming in second only to Oppenheimer with its 11 nominations, Willem Dafoe was left off the Best Supporting Actor Lineup. His cast mate Mark Ruffalo, however, did earn a spot in that same category.

Surprise: El Conde gets a nomination

A Chilean vampire movie that arrived on Netflix with little fanfare and has been nominated sparingly this awards season showed up on the Best Cinematography lineup. El Conde beat out heavy hitters like Barbie, The Zone of Interest and Napoleon to grab the nom. With stunning black and white shots, however, it was certainly well-deserved.

Snub: The Color Purple gets very little love

One of the biggest losers this morning was The Color Purple, which walked away with just one nomination for Danielle Brooks in Best Supporting Actress. The Oprah-backed project was a hit at the box office and has been nominated elsewhere this season, but it does seem as if the Academy has been shying away from recognizing musicals in recent years.

Surprise: International films scoop up plenty of noms

If the Academy is avoiding musicals, it's leaning more and more into international films as the international arm of the Academy expands. Both Anatomy of a Fall and Zone of Interest earned five nominations this year, including Picture, Director, Acting and Screenplay nominations, something that would have been unheard of just a decade ago. El Conde's nomination in Cinematography, Society of the Snow in Makeup and Hairstyling and Godzilla Minus One in Visual Effects also speak to the more global nature of film these days.

Snub: No Past Lives acting nominations

While the Academy is growing more international, however, there is still certainly a bias against less well known actors. None of the trio at the center of Past Lives were nominated despite that film earning rave reviews and a Best Picture nomination. With the exception of a few high-profile "discoveries" like Lily Gladstone and Danielle Brooks (who have delivered consistently strong work for years), most of the acting nominees were celebrities prior to 2023.

Surprise: Indiana Jones is a nominee

The fairly lackluster fifth Indy movie, this summer's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, earned a surprise nomination in the Best Original Score category. The score was written by Oscar legend John Williams, who announced and then unannounced his retirement, so it does make sense that the Academy would honor him for a new take on his iconic Indiana Jones music. But hearing Dial of Destiny named was a gag on Oscar morning no less.

Snub: Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig both miss

Nothing was quite as confusing on Oscar morning as the set of nominations earned by Barbie. While the movie performed well, garnering eight nominations including the surprise nom for America Ferrera, neither Margot Robbie nor Greta Gerwig were nominated in Best Actress or Best Director respectively. Since Greta and Margot were the faces of Barbie, it's surprising that they were blanked while so many of their teammates earned nominations.

Another concerning fact for Barbie lovers is its omissions in Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Film Editing. Editing in particular is a harbinger of bad things to come, as the Best Picture winner is almost always an Editing nominee, with few notable exceptions. If you're looking for the Best Picture winner, it's likely going to be Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon or Poor Things now.

Surprise: Godzilla Minus One in Best Visual Effects

The cult hit Japanese Godzilla movie, which has slowly been growing a devoted fanbase in the US, is now an Oscar nominee joining big-budget juggernauts like Mission: Impossible and Guardians of the Galaxy in the race.

Snub: Nothing for Origin

Another total snub this morning was Ava DuVernay's Origin. Despite a last-minute push, the movie failed to earn nominations for its screenplay, director or lead actress, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Origin was quietly one of the best movies of 2023 and it's a shame it didn't get nominated.

Snub: May December only gets one nomination

Perhaps the biggest snub of the year, however, was May December, which despite numerous precursor awards, walked away with just a single nomination, in the fairly weak Original Screenplay category. The Netflix film launched a strong campaign for all three of its actors, but Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton were all snubbed. Todd Haynes's film also missed out on Best Picture, presumably yielding its spot to The Zone of Interest or Past Lives.

Surprise: The Cheetos movie gets an Oscar nomination

Remember the Hulu movie about Flamin' Hot Cheetos, directed by Eva Longoria that came out earlier this year? Well, now it's an Oscar nominee. The song "The Fire Inside" was nominated in the Best Original Song category, earning its writer Diane Warren her 15th Oscar nomination. Despite her massive haul of nominations, Warren has never won the category (and most likely will lose again this year to one of the Barbie songs). She has been nominated nine out of the past 10 years, though, so hopefully her time is coming!

Next, And the 2024 Oscar Nominees Are...