Biggest Snubs of the 2026 Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nominations have come and gone in advance of this year’s Academy Awards on March 15th. While most of the nominees are more than deserving of their awards, there are a handful of big movies that missed out on the year’s biggest awards show this year. Here’s a handful of highlights that should’ve made the cut.

No Other Choice (International Feature Film)

Director Park Chan-Wook seems to have made an enemy of the academy as none of his excellent films have ever made the cut. From the classic revenge thriller Oldboy to 2022’s blend of mystery and romance Decision To Leave, the Korean director’s filmography has always been snubbed. This year it felt like his darkly comic thriller No Other Choice had a serious chance. Its focus on Korean class dynamics feel reminiscent of 2019’s awards season darling Parasite so it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that No Other Choice had a fair shot. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case and yet again Park Chan-Wook flies under the radar.

Wicked: For Good (Production Design, Costume Design)

Wicked: For Good is pretty unanimously considered a mediocre movie especially compared to the first film. While some aspects might not be award worthy, For Good’s production design and costume design are truly incredible. Everything from the detail packed set of the Wizard’s backstage to the fantastical uniforms of the Emerald City guard show the work of artists at the peak of their craft. To be fair to the academy, the first film won both of these categories so I understand it is not nominated. I just can’t help but feel it’s a worthy film for at least one of these awards. Where For Good fails on a story level it excelled in these technical awards.

Jesse Plemons (Best Actor)

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia walked out with a lot of strong nominations (adapted screenplay, best picture, Emma Stone for best actress, and score) but it does have one notable snub. Jesse Plemons’ performance as obsessive conspiracy theorist Teddy is the anchor to the movie and one of the best of the year. Plemons is manic in the role but simultaneously makes Teddy easily relatable to the audience through gentler moments such as a backstory rooted in family tragedy and a surprisingly tender relationship with his cousin Don. This fine line expertly sells the character and makes the entire concept of the film work. 

Warfare (Best Sound)

Alex Garland’s recent filmography has been controversial among both critics and general audiences. Despite this, both Warfare and 2024’s Civil War (also snubbed at last year’s ceremony) have standout qualities namely the sound design. Warfare’s immersive soundscape does the job it needs to– transport the viewer into a live warzone for the duration of the movie. Especially on a theatrical sound system, the sound is frighteningly realistic. In a year that nominated Frankenstein for sound when it didn’t do much, Warfare’s snub is shocking. Speaking of sound snubs…

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (Best Sound)

Mary Bronstein’s tense arthouse drama about motherhood If I Had Legs I’d Kick You relies heavily on sound design for the film to work. Since it lacks a traditional score, every scene is punctuated with the sounds of this surrealist world. Where Warfare’s sound design excels in transporting you into the world of the film. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You aims to intentionally disorient the viewer with its sound. The aggressive beeping of hospital monitors to the cries of a child are all realistic sounds that are intentionally distorted to keep the viewer on edge. Like Warfare, watching If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is not a pleasant experience but by the end of it I was deeply moved in large part because of the overstimulating nature of the sound design. It’s incredible that the two clearest winners in my eyes weren’t even nominated.

The Life of Chuck (Adapted Screenplay)

The adapted screenplay nominees are a particularly strong category here so I can understand why Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Life of Chuck missed the cut. Despite this I can’t help but wish that it was in the running anyhow. The Life of Chuck was one of the most moving experiences I had in a theater this year and I think the screenplay is one of its strongest aspects. A lot of the work is lifted from King’s prose but overall The Life of Chuck has a tight script that effortlessly delivers the absurd premise of the film. There are other nominations I personally would give to it (such as best director and best score) but this one is the most egregious to me.

Eddington (Original Screenplay)

Eddington is another divisive movie that 100% deserved recognition at this year’s ceremony. Ari Aster has proved himself to be one of the most unique working directors. From horror masterpieces like Midsommar and Hereditary to… whatever, Beau is Afraid is Aster’s unique voice soars through both his writing and his directing. Eddington is no exception to this and its topical tale of small town local politics during the COVID-19 pandemic is as topical as it is darkly funny. The fact that none of Aster’s movies have been nominated makes Eddington’s miss even more astounding. If I had to take a guess, indie distributor A24 only had the budget for one film’s campaign and they threw their weight behind Marty Supreme since it’s a bit more of a crowd pleaser. Still a nomination to recognize Eddington’s excellent screenplay would have been nice to see.

The Phoenician Scheme (Production Design, Cinematography)

Wes Anderson films and beautiful production design and cinematography. Is there more of a match made in heaven than that? Apparently the academy doesn’t think so and that’s a shame because The Phoenician Scheme is incredible. Anderson’s traditional pastel color scheme and diorama esque sets are all present here but it also has some slightly more grounded elements. While films like Asteroid City lean all the way into the aesthetic to the point of feeling like a parody, Anderson dials it back a bit here to massive success. It’s undeniably his film but also feels fresh and reinvention. For example, the many black and white scenes are an enormous change in form. For most films production design and cinematography would be separate disciplines but in a Wes Anderson film they go hand in hand. The bright pastels of his cinematography would fall flat without the quirky sets and vice versa. Overall The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson’s best movie in years and these two nominations would have been perfect for it 

Are there any movies from this year that deserved their shot on the Oscars stage? Let us know dowin in the comments.