The Wallace and Gromit film is a likely Oscar contender for 2006

"Animated features have become an important component of the studio line-up," said Philip Berk of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

"There was an overwhelming consensus that this new category be added." The award will be handed out next January.

The category will be open to feature-length animated films of 70 minutes or more. An Oscar for best animated film was introduced in 2002.

If fewer than eight films qualify in any given year, the award will not be given, Mr Berk said. The category will feature a maximum of three nominees.

Animated films were previously included in the best musical or comedy film category at the Golden Globes, with The Incredibles nominated in 2004 and Finding Nemo in 2003. Neither film won the award.

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain won four globes earlier this month

Film like Shrek and The Incredibles have triumphed at the box office in recent years, with both films winning an Academy Award.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the first feature-length film from Britain's Aardman Animation, is expected to be among the nominees for the best animated Oscar on Tuesday.

The Golden Globes are handed out every January by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.