(Mike Scott, New Orleans Times-Picayune) Eighteen feature films have been submitted for consideration in the race for the Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.

And while all the expected entries are there — Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh,” Disney/Pixar’s “Cars 2,” Dreamworks’ “Kung Fu Panda 2” — there are a few surprises as well, including the joint Czech and German entry “Alois Nebel,” the Spanish charmer “Chico & Rita” and the French “A Cat in Paris.”

Several of the films have yet to book their qualifying Los Angeles theatrical runs but are expected to by year’s end. Assuming at least 16 meet the qualifying criteria, the field for this year’s Oscar for animated feature could be expanded to include five nominees.