The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has narrowed down the contenders for the Visual Effects category to seven: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, Hereafter, Inception, Iron Man 2, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Tron: Legacy.  Given the face replace magic and impending Oscar dominance of The Social Network, I'm a bit surprised David Fincher's movie didn't get a nod.  But I'm glad Scott Pilgrim has the chance represent the relatively smaller-scale films in a big-budget category.  (Basically Scott must battle six evil FXes to win the heart of Oscar.)

The voting members will be invited to view 15-minute segments from each film on January 20th, then vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.  Hit the jump for the press release.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 83rd Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Alice in Wonderland”

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”

“Hereafter”

“Inception”

“Iron Man 2”

“Scott Pilgrim vs the World”

“Tron: Legacy”

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Thursday, January 20. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.