In the seven years since that threequel set box office records and earned a Best
Picture nomination, the studio has had some
generally liked if not quite loved triumphs (Finding Dory, Brave, Monsters University), one film that most would agree is at least in contention of «masterpiece» status (Inside Out), and some perplexing, unprecedented misses (Cars 2 & 3 plus the aforementioned Good Dinosaur).
Sifting through the list above must be daunting for Academy voters, but it's
generally agreed that Affleck, Bigelow, and Spielberg's respective films are frontrunners for Best
Picture, and therefore safe bets for Best Director
nominations.