Where We Stand: Original Score, Animated Film, and Visual Effects

I've decided to leave out Original Song, seeing as many contenders (unless they're performed in the film) are written after a film is completed, it's hard to know what films have original songs in their awards arsenal. So, with that category out of the way, we move onto score, VFX, and Animated. This will be the last installment of my July Predictions, seeing as sound categories aren't exactly the sort of categories that get people giddy with excitement over awards season (regardless of how important sound design is).

Best Original Score:

1. Tree of Life - Alexandre Desplat

2. Biutiful - Gustavo Santaolalla

3. Black Swan - Clint Mansell

4. Inception - Hans Zimmer

5. Rabbit Hole - Abel Korzeniowski

Other Contenders: True Grit, The Conspirator, Miral, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Get Low, Toy Story 3, Never Let Me Go, The King's Speech, Hereafter, Tron: Legacy

Best Animated Film:

1. Toy Story 3

2. How to Train Your Dragon

3. The Illusionist

Other Contenders: Legend of the Guardians, Tangled, Shrek the Fourth, Megamind, Despicable Me

Best Visual Effects:

1. Inception

2. Iron Man 2

3. Tree of Life/Voyage Through Time

4. Tron: Legacy

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Other Contenders: Salt, Let Me In, The Last Airbender, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Alice in Wonderland