Box office hits Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda are leading the early nominations for next year's Academy Awards.

Both films have been shortlisted for the best animated feature Oscar, in a category that will see 14 pictures battle it out to take the coveted gong.

Other nominees in the category include Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Horton Hears a Who, Bolt, Igor, Fly Me to the Moon 3-D and animated documentary Waltz with Bashir.

This year's awards saw the honor go to Pixar's Ratatouille.

The award will be announced at the annual ceremony in Hollywood on February 22.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)