Superheroes, Bond, hobbits vie for effects Oscar

LOS ANGELES (AP) - James Bond, Snow White and a whole lot of hobbits and superheroes are in the running for the visual-effects prize at the Academy Awards.

The superhero blockbusters The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man are among 10 films that made the cut for visual-effects nominations for the Oscars on Feb 24.

The other seven contenders announced on Thursday include the Bond adventure Skyfall, Snow White And The Huntsman, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Cloud Atlas, John Carter, Life Of Pi and Prometheus. Members of the academy's visual-effects branch will view 10-minute excerpts from each of the films on Jan 3, and then pick five nominees for the Oscars.

Nominations for the 85th Oscars will be announced on Jan 10.