Brisbane's own Dave Clayton, made famous for his visual effects work in high profile movies including Avatar, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, I, Robot and others, has been overlooked in all the excitement heading towards the Oscars, and yet the world class visual artist has earned a much deserved nomination and stands a good chance of coming home with the gold.

While the Australian media has been hyping for more than a month the Oscar chances of Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Jacki Weaver and make-up artist and hairstylist Rick Findlater, nobody bothered to check if Clayton was an Aussie.

Somehow the 34-year-old visual effects wizard, born in Brisbane, educated at the Queensland University of Technology and with a resume that includes some of the great spectacle films of the last decade - Avatar, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, King Kong and I, Robot - fell through the cracks.

It's official.

Australia has five, not four, nominees at Monday's AEDT 85th Academy Awards, with Clayton a good chance at winning a gold statuette in the visual effects category for his work on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

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