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As the awards season begins to gain steam several prestigious events have announced their nominations, including the Visual Effects Society (VES). In early January 2025, the VES announced the nomination for the 23rd edition of the ceremony that honors outstanding work in the visual effects department across movies, television, commercials, and other mediums.
After the nomination for Best Live-Action Visual Effects was announced, fans quickly took to social media and voiced their outrage. Most fans were confused by the category nominatingDune: Part 2andKingdom of the Planet of the ApesalongsideMufasa: The Lion King. Here is what fans had to say about the 2025 VES Award nominations.
Fans react toMufasabeing nominated for Best Live Action Visual Effects
The Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards announced the nominations for its 23rd edition on June 03, 2025. The main attraction of the nominations was the Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature category, otherwise known as the Best Live Action Visual Effects category.
In the category, the visual effects teams of the critically acclaimed 2024 blockbusterDune: Part 2received a nod. At the same time,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apeswhich did moderately well at the box office was also nominated. However,Mufasa: The Lion Kingdirected byBarry Jenkinswas also included in the same category.
On the social media platform X, cinema buffs reacted to the nominations, and here is what they had to say about it.
Mufasa ain’t really live action bruh
Gladiator misses over Mufasa?
Yo… Mufasa is not even live action, it’s pure CG, Sonic would be a better candidate than that 🤣🤡
Mufasa isn’t a live action film…
Mufasa is an animated film tho 😂😂
As the tweets suggest, most fans were unhappy withMufasabeing nominated for visual effects in the live-action category, primarily because it is mostly considered a CGI animated movie despite its photorealistic nature.
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Furthermore, unlikeDune 2orKingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the film also does not include any live-action characters. Therefore, some fans felt thatSonic 3orGladiator 2would’ve been far better choices for a nod in the category overMufasa, which is performing well at the box officedespite mixed reviews.
Fans feelDune 2should win the award for Best Live Action Visual Effects
AlthoughMufasalikely only made it into the final nominations on a technicality, fans do not feel it has any chance of winning the award for Best Live Action Visual Effects. Instead, fans onXfeel theDenis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi epicDune 2should bethe clear frontrunner for the award.
The team of Paul Lambert, Brice Parker, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer have been nominated for their work onDune 2. Aside from the three aforementioned movies, the category also gave nods to the surprise box office hitTwistersand the biographical musical filmBetter Manwhich emerged as a major box office disappointment.
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Meanwhile,The Wild RobotandInside Out 2are the two top contenders for the animated feature, a category thatMufasashould ideally have been nominated in. Nonetheless, given the critical acclaim of the former and the box office success of the latter, it is hard to argue thatMufasawould’ve won the award even if it were placed in the right category as per the fans.
Mufasa: The Lion Kingis currently in theatres.
Pratik Handore
Content Writer
Articles Published :1773
With a keen interest in comic book movies and blockbuster franchises, Pratik usually covers news and updates on the DCU, MCU, Star Wars, and more.A die-hard fan of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Pratik spends most of his time exploring different storytelling mediums that invoke a sense of wonder and adventure. Other filmmakers whose works have deeply influenced him include Alfred Hitchcock, James Gunn, and Guillermo del Toro.
