'Mahavatar Narsimha' enters Oscars Best Animation race against 'Demon Slayer' and 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Highlights:

• Mahavatar Narsimha added to Oscars consideration list
• Best animation Oscar pool includes 35 titles
• Homebound competing in international film race
• Final nominees confirmed in January

Mahavatar Narsimha has entered the Oscars 2026 race in the Best Animation category. The update lands in the same week Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound made the cut for the international film entry list.

Mahavatar Narsimha joins Oscars Best Animation contenders in India’s strongest awards season push yet Instagram/MahavatarNarsimha

Why the best animation Oscar slot matters for Mahavatar Narsimha

The Academy confirmed 35 eligible titles for this year’s animation race. Only five will survive voting. The list includes Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, Zootopia 2, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, and Netflix’s streaming big-hitter KPop Demon Hunters.

Ashwin Kumar’s film sits there as the lone breakout from India. The animation space has always been tough territory for Indian cinema. So, the reaction across crew was cautious but proud. One publicist said it felt “bigger than a nomination, just visibility changes things.”

Demon Slayer’s global earnings crossed £583 million, compared with Mahavatar Narsimha’s roughly £31 million worldwide. But the Academy doesn’t vote by box office alone. Story and craft carry weight. That’s what the film’s team is banking on.

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Box office history and the long road to recognition

When Mahavatar Narsimha opened in Indian cinemas earlier this year, nobody expected that surge. Four languages, packed holiday screenings, and £23.8 million net from India alone. The best ever for an animated film from the country. A run like that usually ends with streaming and quiet fade-out. Instead, the Oscars door opened.

The film is based on the myth of Prahlada; devotion, power, ego, and the final intervention of Narasimha. Old epic storytelling told through a modern format. It’s also the first chapter in an animated universe Hombale Films is building out through 2037.

How the Oscars race looks for Indian cinema

Homebound faces its own fight in the international feature category, an 86-film field with heavy festival winners from Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The nominations are due 22 January. The ceremony takes place 15 March.