Okay, there is a slim chance that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button(I feel soooo sleepy) will beat Slumdog Millionaireat the Oscars. But one race that is, surely, completely sewn up is that for best animated feature. Wall-E, the most consistently well-reviewed American film of the past year, has the statuette in the bag, doesn't it?

Don't be so sure. Last week, Kung Fu Panda– a smashing film, granted – beat the poor wee robot to the best animated feature prize at the International Animated Film Association Awards (the Annies). The folks from Pixar must have felt that an Acme anvil had just dropped on their unsuspecting heads.