2011 - Best Animated Feature

I list the 'obvious' contenders, but there is always room for a surprise nominee (Persepolis, The Illusionist, The Triplets of Belleville etc.), I simply haven't heard of one so far.

1. The Adventures of Tintin
   Could Spielberg pull off best picture AND best animated feature ?
2. Cars 2
   The predecessor was good, not great and definitely not Pixar-great. And this is the sequel...bottom line : if there is a Pixar-film that won't rule this category, this might be it. Having said that...it's still Pixar.
3. Happy Feet 2
   Wow, Happy Feet-Cars race AGAIN ? Last time the penguins won making it a rare loss for Pixar (the only other time they failed to win this was 2001 – Shrek vs. Monster Inc.). Could Warner Bros. do it again ?
4. Kung Fu Panda 2
   The reviews are good, the international Box Office is excellent, the US Box Office is slightly disappointing but no biggie. It might get in – depends on how many nominees there will be this year – but it will probably not win.
5. Rango
   Excellent reviews, disappointing BO. Sure, it wasn't a flop considering it did deliver decent numbers, but considering the budget and marketing costs, it probably wasn't enough.
6. Rio
   Good reviews, excellent worldwide Box Office...maybe in a 5-slot-system ? I don't see it being one of three nominees.
7. Winnie the Pooh
   Winnie the Pooh : The Reboot ? Words I have never expected to come out of my mouth.
8. The Smurfs
   Well, it has to get excellent reviews otherwise the source material won't be taken seriously.
9. Puss in Boots
   It has a much more Academy-friendly release date than a lot other films on this list, but it still has to make a lot of money and get some good ink, before a Shrek-spinoff can be considered seriously.
10. Arthur Christmas
    It could be the big surprise of the category and it it is conveniently under the radar at the moment so if it turns out to be good or better than good, it can make a big splash in November, just when the Awards Season kicks into full gear.