Oscar hope for animation financed by Hong Kong actor Louis Koo

The Mitchells vs The Machines, an animation film backed financially by Hong Kong actor Louis Koo Tin-lok, looks a solid bet to win an Oscar on March 28 after it scooped eight awards at the 49th annual Annie Awards in Los Angeles.

The Annies are rated the benchmark for animation and a preview for the Oscars. For seven of the past 11 winners also figured among winners of Oscars.

Competing against Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon from Walt Disney, Luca from Pixar and Sing 2 from Illumination, the nearly two-hour-long film took home the best feature award.

The animation also won top prizes for editorial, writing, voice acting, production design, direction, character design and special effects.

The Mitchells vs The Machines has been nominated for best animated feature in the 94th Academy Awards, or the Oscars.

The Sony Pictures Production is about the Mitchell family fighting a robot apocalypse to save humanity, though it's classed as a science fiction comedy.