Snubs & Surprises in the 2025 Oscar Shortlists: Music Edition

There were snubs and surprises aplenty in the Oscar shortlists that were announced on Tuesday (Dec. 17). Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences releases shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, best original score and best documentary feature. These shortlists constitute an early holiday present for those who made it, and a “sorry, it’s not going to be your year” to those who didn’t. (At least the ones who aren’t shortlisted can get their disappointment out of the way now rather than carry false hope all the way through to the reveal of the nominations on Jan. 17.)

Many things in the shortlists went as expected. Of the five songs that were nominated for best original song at both the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, four made the Oscar shortlist — “Compress/Repress” from Challengers, “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot, and “El Mal” and “Mi Camino,” both from Emilia Pérez.

Also shortlisted is “Forbidden Road” from Better Man, which was nominated for a Golden Globe, and “Harper and Will Go West” from Will & Harper, which was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award.

Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part 2 was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award but didn’t make the Oscar shortlist. But you can’t really call it a snub. The Academy had ruled that it wasn’t eligible on the grounds that it contains too much music that was in Zimmer’s Oscar-winning score for the first Dune. That’s bound to be a disappointment for the two-time Oscar winner, but it’s not really a snub. (Happily, Zimmer is shortlisted for another score, Blitz.)

Diane Warren made the Oscar shortlist for best original song for “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight. Warren has been nominated (not just shortlisted) in that category the last seven years in a row. If she’s nominated again this year, she’ll tie midcentury lyricist Sammy Cahn for the most consecutive nominations (eight) in the history of the category.

Here are the biggest snubs and surprises in the 2025 Oscar shortlists – music edition.