Predictions - Sound Editing & Mixing

As many people do not really know what the difference between these two awards is, I feel the need to provide some explanation:

SOUND EDITING - Also called "sound design." Sound editing involves the creation of sounds.
SOUND MIXING - The combining of all the recorded sounds (dialogue, ambiance/atmosphere, effects, & music) into one mix.

Now that that's cleared up, onto the predictions!



BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITINGHow to Train Your Dragon
Inception
Salt
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
Other Possibilities: Alice in Wonderland, Black Swan, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Despicable Me, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, Iron Man 2, 127 Hours, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Red, Shrek Forever After, Shutter Island, The Social Network, Tangled, The Town, True Grit, Unstoppable


BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUNDInception
Iron Man 2
Salt
The Social Network
Tron: Legacy
Other Possibilities: Alice in Wonderland, Black Swan, Burlesque, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Despicable Me, The Fighter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, How to Train Your Dragon, 127 Hours, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Red, Shrek Forever After, Shutter Island, Tangled, The Town, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Unstoppable

In these two categories, Academy voters tend to favor action films, animated films, and musicals. As action and animated are two of Hollywood's favorite genres, and as there aren't many precursors for sound, predicting what will be nominated here can be tough. This year, Inception feels like the only sure thing.