Gold Standard: And the nods for animated feature, original score and original song will be ...?

Only three animated movies have been nominated for best picture at the Oscars — “Beauty and the Beast” and, since the film academy established the medium’s own award in 2002, “Up” and “Toy Story 3.” Can Pixar’s “Inside Out” ride a wave of audience tears to become the fourth? Or will it have to content itself with simply being the favorite in the animated feature category? Let’s take an early look at that race as well as the contests for original song and score.

ANIMATED FEATURE

“Inside Out”

“Anomalisa”

“The Good Dinosaur”

“Shaun the Sheep Movie”

“The Peanuts Movie”

Prime contenders: “The Prophet,” “When Marnie Was There,” “Minions”

Bubbling under: “Home,” “The Boy and the World,” “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water”

Analysis: I’m confident that the above group of five predicted nominees will make it to the finish line. After that, it will likely come down to a battle between the beloved “Inside Out,” a movie that academy members have embraced in large numbers, and “Anomalisa,” the cerebral Charlie Kaufman stop-motion-animated tale of loneliness and alienation. “Anomalisa” has already scored big at the Spirit Awards, earning nominations for best feature, director (Kaufman and stop-motion virtuoso Duke Johnson), screenplay (Kaufman) and, remarkably, supporting female (Jennifer Jason Leigh in a dazzling vocal turn). It’s a deeply odd movie, but its contemplation of the human need for connection strikes an emotional chord with many. Going up against Pixar, “Anomalisa” remains a long shot. But it has a chance.

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ORIGINAL SCORE

John Williams, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Ennio Morricone, “The Hateful Eight”

Thomas Newman, “Bridge of Spies”

Michael Giacchino, “Inside Out”

Alexandre Desplat, “The Danish Girl”

Prime contenders: Carter Burwell, “Carol”; Ryuichi Sakamoto, “The Revenant”; Harry Gregson-Williams, “The Martian”; Howard Shore, “Spotlight”; Daniel Pemberton, “Steve Jobs”

Bubbling under: Michael Brook, “Brooklyn”; Junkie XL, “Mad Max: Fury Road”; Jóhann Jóhannson, “Sicario”; Michael Giacchino, “Joy”

Analysis: The academy’s music branch is small and not exactly known for welcoming new talent with nominations. That means even though Dutch composer Junkie XL’s brilliant, wall-to-wall, driving cacophony of lunacy helped make “Mad Max” one of the year’s most immersive moviegoing experiences, we probably won’t be seeing him Oscar night. It would be nice, though, if voters could give Burwell his first nomination for his gorgeous, hushed score for “Carol.” After all, the 61-year-old Burwell has been delivering consistently great work since the Coens’ 1984 debut, “Blood Simple.” But then if they honor Burwell, they might not be able to hand Williams his 50th Oscar nomination or Newman his 13th or Desplat his ninth. You get the picture. With so many deserving composers, it’d be nice to see more than one newcomer break through from year to year. But I don’t think this is the year it’s going to happen.

ORIGINAL SONG

“One Kind of Love” (“Love & Mercy”)

“Til It Happens to You” (“The Hunting Ground”)

“Writing’s on the Wall” (“Spectre”)

“Simple Song #3” (“Youth”)

“See You Again” (“Furious 7”)

Prime contenders: “Love Me Like You Do” (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), “Earned It” (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), “Salted Wound” (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), “Flashlight” (“Pitch Perfect 2”), “So Long” (“Concussion”)

Bubbling under: “Cold One” (“Ricki and the Flash”), “Hands of Love” (“Freeheld”), “Story to Tell” (“He Named Me Malala”), “I’ll See You in My Dreams” (“I’ll See You in My Dreams”), “Phenomenal” (“Southpaw”)

Analysis: Chances are good we’ll be seeing Lady Gaga follow this year’s Oscar “Sound of Music” medley with a performance of one of her own songs, the powerful ballad “Til It Happens to You,” which she wrote with seven-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren for the campus rape documentary “The Hunting Ground.” The song’s biggest competition will probably come from Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, who has been making the rounds promoting the movie about his life, “Love & Mercy.” Look for “Simple Song #3” too, as “Youth” spends its running time building toward the unveiling of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang’s beautiful, profoundly emotional song.

glenn.whipp@latimes.com