MUMBAI: The Academy has shortlisted ten films to compete for the Oscar in the visual effects category at the 85th Academy Awards.

The films are, The Amazing Spider-Man, Cloud Atlas, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, John Carter, Life of Pi, The Avengers, Prometheus, Skyfall and Snow White & the Huntsman.

Two films like Men in Black 3 and Battleship that were among the hopefuls, didn‘t make the cut. Neither did the final installment of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn -- Part 2.

Franchise films figured heavily in the selection. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of three Hobbit films that will make up a prequel to Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy. All three LOTR films had earlier won Oscars for visual effects.

Sony Pictures Imageworks‘ work on the Spider-Man franchise has also previously been recognized by the Academy. Both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 were nominated, with the second film taking home the Oscar.

Another sequel that has some history in the category is The Dark Knight Rises. The Dark Knight was nominated for a VFX Oscar in 2009. Double Negative returned as the lead VFX house for the series‘ finale.

Skyfall‘s inclusion is notable since 007 has made only two previous appearances in the VFX category, scoring one win, for 1965‘s Thunderball, and an additional nomination for 1979‘s Moonraker.

The convincing tiger that‘s featured in Life of Pi helped Ang Lee‘s movie secure a spot. Rhythm & Hues was the lead VFX house on Pi.

If any of the short-listed films also earns a best picture nomination when the Academy Awards nominations are announced on 10 January that could boost its chances in the VFX category.