With the announcement today of the Academy's Oscar-qualifying animated films (list below), Variety is on the beat with a number of stories in yesterday's "Eye on the Oscars: Animated Preview" Special Issue.

Some of the stories:

•  David Cohen on "action-cartoon hybrids" forcing the Academy to "define animation." [Variety]

•  Ellen Wolff ponders the valid question of whether animated films are stuck in an "Oscar ghetto." [Variety]

•  And Iain Blair talks to insiders about casting voice talent for popular animated endeavors. [Variety]

•  Oh, and for those who dig pictures over words, we have a photo gallery! [Variety]

Here's the list of Oscar-qualifying films in the category:

"Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters," "Bee Movie," "Beowulf," "Meet the Robinsons," "Persepolis," "Ratatouille," "Shrek the Third," "The Simpsons Movie," "Surf's Up," "Tekkonkinkreet" and "TMNT."

I think we can expect the nominees to be "Persepolis," "Ratatouille" and "The Simpsons Movie" to be the final three.  The crowd is over "Shrek," though the branch qualified it, I don't think "Beowulf" will make it through just as "The Polar Expressed" missed in 2004.  And this is a great way for a true animation hero, Matt Groening, to get his due.

"Persepolis" deserves the win in spades, however.  We'll see if the Academy agrees.