-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When it comes to the Academy Awards , Hollywood has some biases . The late Heath Ledger won a Golden Globe for his performance as The Joker in `` The Dark Knight . '' Summer blockbusters get short shrift . Comedies are n't taken seriously . And animated features ? They almost never get drawn . Which , on the surface , does n't bode well for three of the biggest movie stories of the year : `` The Dark Knight , '' Robert Downey Jr. 's performance in `` Tropic Thunder , '' and Pixar 's latest marvel , `` WALL-E . '' Each earned critical plaudits and box office success . And each faces an uphill struggle nabbing major-category Oscar nominations when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces its shortlists Thursday morning . Awards expert Tom O'Neil , who follows the Oscars for the Los Angeles Times ' TheEnvelope.com , says the best-picture front-runners are `` Frost/Nixon , '' `` The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , '' `` Milk '' and Golden Globe best drama winner `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' Barring a completely out-of-the-box surprise , that leaves `` Dark Knight , '' `` The Reader , '' Clint Eastwood 's fast-gaining `` Gran Torino '' and possibly `` Doubt '' or `` Revolutionary Road '' to battle for the final slot . Watch who took home the Globes '' O'Neil believes `` Dark Knight , '' the year 's top box office draw , has `` an excellent shot '' of making the best-picture list . `` We know that because Oscar voters belong to guilds that have their own awards , ` Dark Knight ' has a strong chance , '' he says , noting that the Directors Guild , Producers Guild and Writers Guild have all nominated `` Dark Knight '' for their top awards . Read what EW 's Dave Karger has to say about that `` WALL-E , '' however , is almost certainly out of the best-picture race , he says . Animated features , no matter how successful , have fared poorly in general categories . Indeed , only one animated feature -- 1991 's `` Beauty and the Beast '' -- has ever been nominated for best picture . With the addition of the best animated feature category in 2001 , it 's doubtful that even the best Pixar has to offer will cross over to best picture , particularly since the Academy ignored classics including `` Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , '' `` Fantasia '' and `` Toy Story . '' `` Oscar voters like reality , '' says O'Neil . Either way , the Oscars could probably use the ratings help a box office success can bring to its broadcast . In recent years , the Academy has nominated several independent or low-budget films for top awards , many of which did n't crack the $ 100 million mark at the box office . Oscar ratings have tumbled ; last year 's numbers for `` the Super Bowl for women '' -- as the Oscar broadcast is known by advertisers -- were the lowest on record and a far cry from 1998 , when more than 55 million people watched all-time box office king `` Titanic '' take home the top prize . That 's not to downgrade the expected front-runners , especially since the Oscars ' intention is to honor some of the year 's best films and performances -LRB- though critics have carped they 've often not done so -RRB- . Still , it might behoove the Academy to pay attention to box office as well as prestige , particularly when several films have garnered both . Almost three-quarters of the respondents to an unscientific USA Today Internet survey have said they 'd be more likely to watch the Oscar ceremony February 22 if `` The Dark Knight '' is nominated for best picture . `` If a film is very successful , it should n't be automatically relegated to the minor leagues , '' producer Peter Guber told The Associated Press . -LRB- Ironically , Guber co-produced the 1989 `` Batman , '' which , despite big box office and Jack Nicholson 's Joker , was nominated for just one Oscar -- for Anton Furst 's set design . It won . -RRB- Historically , summer blockbusters have n't always been ignored . `` Jaws , '' considered the first of the modern summer blockbusters , was nominated for best picture , as were `` Star Wars , '' `` Raiders of the Lost Ark '' and `` The Fugitive . '' And there 's something to be said for giving visibility to smaller films , says John Martin , president and CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas , an upscale theater chain based in Austin , Texas . iReport.com : Share your thoughts on Oscar nominations `` As an exhibitor , we would love to see those -LSB- smaller niche -RSB- films make it as well , '' he says . `` They would have legs -LSB- box office longevity -RSB- if nominated . '' Martin , a former film executive , was pleased that `` Slumdog '' and `` The Wrestler '' -- two films his chain got behind -- fared so well at the Golden Globes , and he has high hopes for both films at the Oscars . `` The Wrestler 's '' lead , Mickey Rourke , earned a Globe for best dramatic actor , and is now a leading candidate to win best actor at the Oscars . O'Neil sees Rourke as the front-runner in the category , which should be `` a real slugfest , '' he says . `` Milk 's '' Sean Penn was considered the early leader , with his main competition `` Frost/Nixon 's '' Frank Langella . But now Rourke is in the picture , which could mean trouble for Brad Pitt -LRB- `` Benjamin Button '' -RRB- , Leonardo DiCaprio -LRB- `` Revolutionary Road '' -RRB- , Clint Eastwood -LRB- `` Gran Torino '' -RRB- and Richard Jenkins -LRB- `` The Visitor '' -RRB- . Watch Eastwood talk about `` Gran Torino '' '' And Kate Winslet , a double winner at the Globes , could fall between the cracks in the Oscar balloting , O'Neil adds . Other awards let the performers or studios designate whether roles are leading or supporting ; the Academy decides on its own , which means that Winslet 's performances in `` Revolutionary Road '' and `` The Reader '' could split her support , whether for lead or supporting actress . Heath Ledger should have no such problems . The late actor , whose performance as The Joker in `` The Dark Knight '' has been considered Oscar material since the film came out in July , is believed to be a shoo-in for best supporting actor . Ironically , he could be competing against Downey -- 2008 's big comeback story -- for a performance as an actor who takes his Method a little too seriously in `` Tropic Thunder . '' Though comedies have n't received much nomination recognition , comedic performers have received some recognition , including `` Blazing Saddles ' '' Madeline Kahn , `` Heaven Can Wait 's '' Dyan Cannon and `` A Fish Called Wanda 's '' Kevin Kline , which ca n't hurt Downey . There 's also his personal story , says O'Neil : After drug abuse nearly killed his career , he starred in `` Thunder '' and `` Iron Man , '' two of 2008 's biggest hits . `` He 's a hopeful spin on the Ledger story , '' O'Neil says . Martin believes Ledger is a lock . `` I would n't be surprised if he wins -LSB- outright -RSB- , '' he says . But `` Dark Knight '' ? Hollywood will have to get past its disdain for `` comic-book movies . '' Which , O'Neil says , it should . `` This is n't just a superhero movie , '' says O'Neil . `` It 's come to the rescue of Hollywood during a dark time . ''