There were snubs and surprises aplenty in the Oscar shortlists that were announced on Tuesday (Dec. 17). Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences releases shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, best original score and best documentary feature. These shortlists constitute an early holiday present for those who made it, and a “sorry, it’s not going to be your year” to those who didn’t. (At least the ones who aren’t shortlisted can get their disappointment out of the way now rather than carry false hope all the way through to the reveal of the nominations on Jan. 17.)
Many things in the shortlists went as expected. Of the five songs that were nominated for best original song at both the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, four made the Oscar shortlist — “Compress/Repress” from Challengers, “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot, and “El Mal” and “Mi Camino,” both from Emilia Pérez.
Also shortlisted is “Forbidden Road” from Better Man, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, and “Harper and Will Go West” from Will & Harper, which was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award.
Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part 2 was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award but didn’t make the Oscar shortlist. But you can’t really call it a snub. The Academy had ruled that it wasn’t eligible on the grounds that it contains too much music that was in Zimmer’s Oscar-winning score for the first Dune. That’s bound to be a disappointment for the two-time Oscar winner, but it’s not really a snub. (Happily, Zimmer is shortlisted for another score, Blitz.)
Diane Warren made the Oscar shortlist for best original song for “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight. Warren has been nominated (not just shortlisted) in that category the last seven years in a row. If she’s nominated again this year, she’ll tie midcentury lyricist Sammy Cahn for the most consecutive nominations (eight) in the history of the category.
Here are the biggest snubs and surprises in the 2025 Oscar shortlists – music edition.
“Beautiful That Way,” which Cyrus, Lykke Li and Andrew Wyatt wrote for The Last Showgirl, was nominated for best original song at both the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, but failed to make the Oscar shortlist in that category.
We all know that Joker: Folie à Deux missed the mark with both critics and audiences, but some thought Academy voters would basically give Gaga an “A for effort” by shortlisting “Folie à Deux” for best original song. After all, Gaga is a three-time nominee (and one-time winner) in that category. It didn’t happen.
John is no doubt pleased that “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late, which he cowrote with Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin, made the best original song shortlist. But he was probably disappointed that the film was passed over on the best documentary feature shortlist.
The Greatest Night in Pop, the Netflix film about the recording session that produced “We Are the World,” failed to make the shortlist for best documentary feature. The filmmakers, including song co-writer Lionel Richie and Harriet Sternberg, a former executive in the company headed by event organizer Ken Kragen, will just have to be content with their Grammy nomination for best music film and Primetime Emmy nod for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special.
Celine Dion has introduced two best original song winners, “Beauty and the Beast” from the film of the same name, and “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic. She even sang both songs on the Oscar stage. So, Oscar voters are very familiar with her. And her valiant battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, chronicled in this film, gives the film a compelling emotional element. Still, the film failed to make the shortlist for best documentary feature.
Twisters has been one of the year’s top soundtrack success stories. Twisters: The Album reached No. 3 on Top Country Albums and No. 7 on the all-genre Billboard 200. So, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that two songs from the film might make the Oscar shortlist for best original song. It didn’t happen. “Out of Oklahoma” by Lainey Wilson, Luke Dick and Shane McAnally made the shortlist, but “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” by Jessi Alexander, Luke Combs and Jonathan Singleton did not.