Popularity and Clout

So there is some yelling and shouting about the lack of diversity in the live-action races for a Little Gold Man, but the media notes with approval that animation has spread its nominations around:

For true diversity at the Oscars, look at the animation nominees

... In the animated feature category, Academy voters rewarded as warm a use of CGI as you’ll see (Pixar’s “Inside Out”), Aardman’s always colorful stop-motion (“Shaun the Sheep Movie”), stunning stop-motion puppetry (“Anomalisa”), crayon-warm 2D with a live-action sequence (“Boy and the World”) and Studio Ghibli’s legendary hand-drawn beauty (“When Marnie Was There”). ...

The thing to keep in mind: the Academy Awards are (generally speaking) a popularity contest and a demonstration of the leverage owned by our fine entertainment conglomerates.

From the beginning of the AMPAS, artistic merit has been only one consideration among the commercial ones. And of course in the 21st century, tub-thumping for your nominees in the mainstream and social media also counts for a lot.

It's all about getting a Little Gold Man, so your entry can collect more gold on the back end of the award ceremony.