The Academy Awards are a glitzy, glamorous affair. But what goes on in the days leading up to Hollywood’s self-congratulatory extravaganza is anything but classy. Behind the scenes, studios aggressively campaign for their films and sometimes things can get a little, well, shameless. Not as shameless as some political campaigns, but still…pretty shameless. Recently the Academy announced the 11 films eligible for a nomination for Best Animated Film. Now mind you, only three of the 11 will actually be nominated. Hmm, only three spots for 11 films’ you know what that means. Expect lots of brown-nosing and bribery in Tinsel Town in the coming weeks. Here are the 11 films the illustrious Academy will consider, ranked in order of search popularity over the past month. The top seven had significant buzz, but the bottom four tied with virtually zip, meaning their gift baskets had better be extra nice. May the best ‘toon win.

1. Shark Tale — a big hit at the box office, this underwater tale is coolest thing this side of Nemo.
2. The Incredibles — Pixar makes hits for the adults, as well as the kids. This one has to considered a favorite for the Oscar.
3. Shrek 2 — the not-so-jolly green ogre and his new bride visit the in-laws in the highest grossing comedy of all-time.
4. Polar Express — the big budget adaptation of the famous children’s book features a new form of animation and a lot of Tom Hanks.
5. SpongeBob SquarePants Movie — a win for SpongeBob would be the biggest upset since Marisa Tomei.
6. Home on the Range — mostly forgettable flick is notable for being Disney’s last hand-drawn animated film.
7. Ghost in the Shell 2 — some love the anime, some find it completely nonsensical.
8. Disney’s Teacher’s Pet — this take on Pinocchio received solid reviews.
9. Clifford’s Really Big Movie — this one’s strictly for the kiddies.
10. The Legend of Buddha — yeah, we’d never heard of it, either.
11. Sky Blue — this Korean film bills itself as “a fantastic journey to the future.”

Mike Krumboltz
Yahoo! Buzz Index Editor