A former Ottery student will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Olivia Coleman next month after being nominated for an Oscar.

Theo Jones, 41, who attended The King’s School, will be gracing the red carpet in Hollywood after being nominated in the visual effects category of the Academy Awards for his work on Disney’s Christopher Robin.

He will attend the ceremony next month where he hopes to pick up his first Oscar.

Theo said: “It’s not the type of film you would normally get nominated for. Although there is a hell of a lot of visual effects in the film it’s not always seen.

“There is an enormous amount of work that goes into a film like this and it is fantastic to get that work recognised.”

The movie tells the tale of a now grown-up Christopher Robin as he gets a visit from old friend Winnie the Pooh.

In his role on the movie with visual effects company Framestore, Theo had a hand in creating 900 shots for the film, including characters Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Tigger.

To snap up the Academy Award, he will have to beat Avengers: Infinity War, First Man, Ready Player One, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Theo, who attended St Peter’s CofE Primary School, in Moor Lane, Budleigh Salterton, before moving on to Kings School, in Ottery St Mary, was first introduced to visual effects when the first Jurassic Park movie came out in 1993.

He went on to study computer animation at Bournemouth University before getting his first job with Framestore’s New York office, working on films like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two.

He spent 11 years in the company’s New York office before returning to England. Theo said he and his family, who live in London, are looking to buy a home in Budleigh and hope to bring an Oscar with them.

The winner will be announced at the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 24.

Among the British hopefuls, Olivia Coleman has a Best Actress nomination for The Favourite, with the film giving Rachel Weisz a nomination for her supporting role.

Christian Bale is tipped for Best Actor for his performance as Dick Cheney in Vice.