An animation film created by a South Korean animation company has been nominated for the Academy Awards.

According to Sidus Animation production company, on February 9th, 'Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs' was selected as one of the nominees of the first round of candidates of the 93rd Academy's feature animation category.

A total of 27 works, including 'Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs,' Disney Pixar's 'Soul' and Dreamwork's 'The Croods 2: A New Age,' have been selected as candidates. Director Yeon Sang Ho's 'The Fake' was selected in the first round of candidates during the 86th Academy Awards but was not selected as a final candidate.

This is the second time that a Korean animation film has been named as a candidate in the first round of selections in the Academy's feature animation category. This is because the qualifications and procedures for the selection are difficult, and it is rare for a South Korean animation film to attract attention, mainly because the U.S. is a powerhouse for animation works.

'Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs' is a 3D animation film directed by Hong Sung Ho and was released in South Korea in 2019. The film attracted over 820,000 viewers that year and received the Presidental Award, which is the highest award for animation in Korea.

The film was also released in 123 countries around the world, including Europe and Australia. In September of 2020, the film entered the U.S. market through six major film distributors such as Lions Gate.

Although there have been cases in which Koreans participated in the production of an animation film, 'Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs' is the first time that a featured animation created entirely by a South Korean team entered the U.S. market.

Producer Hong Soo Jin of Sidus Animation stated, "It's an honor to be able to be nominated for the first round of candidates of the Academy since it is so difficult to enter into the U.S. market."