Harry Potter, Hugo shortlisted for visual effects Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 15 films that will compete for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Check out the list below:

Captain America: The First Avenger

Cowboys & Aliens

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Hugo

Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Real Steel

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sucker Punch

Super 8

Thor

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The Tree of Life

X-Men: First Class

This list will get narrowed down to 10 next month, and five will eventually be nominated for the Academy Award on Jan. 24. I don’t envy the people who have to choose the top five — as far as the effects are concerned, there’s not a clunker in the bunch. Will the visual effects branch just go for blockbusters like Harry Potter and X-Men, or will they make room for art-house entries like Hugo and Tree of Life? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.

Dave on Twitter: @davekarger