Pixar's moving adventure Up!, the creepy stop-motion Coraline and the post-apocalyptic 9 are among the record 20 animated feature films Oscar organizers have received for Academy Award consideration.

The U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled on Wednesday an eclectic list of animated movies competing to be among the five finalists considered for the best animated film trophy at the 2010 Oscar gala. The category was first introduced in 2002.

Studio behemoths such as Disney's recent computer-animated revamp of A Christmas Carol and the sleek revival of mid-century Japanese manga character Astro Boy will compete against indie features like the Australian-made claymation tale Mary and Max.

The films submitted are:

  • Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
  • Astro Boy
  • Battle for Terra
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
  • Coraline
  • Disney's A Christmas Carol
  • The Dolphin - Story of a Dreamer
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox
  • Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
  • Mary and Max
  • The Missing Lynx
  • Monsters vs. Aliens
  • 9
  • Planet 51
  • Ponyo
  • The Princess and the Frog
  • The Secret of Kells
  • Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
  • A Town Called Panic
  • Up!

Seven of the films — including the anticipated Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Princess and the Frog — must still fulfill the requirement of a Los Angeles theatrical run in order to qualify for Oscar competition.

The Academy will announce the five nominees for the animated film Oscar on Feb. 2. The 82nd annual Academy Awards gala will take place March. 7.