Nicole Kidman declared “Woo Hoo!” as she received her fourth Oscar nomination.

The Australian star, who won in the best actress category for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours in 2003, is nominated for the best supporting actress gong for Lion.

Nicole plays the adoptive mother of Saroo Brierley, a young man separated from his family in India who uses Google Earth to find his way home, in the film based on a true story.

Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel
Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel (Ian West/PA)

The film, directed by Garth Davis, has racked up six nominations, including best picture and best supporting actor for Dev Patel, who plays a grown-up Saroo.

Nicole said: “I want to thank the Academy for all of the acknowledgements you have given this heartfelt film.

“But, most importantly, I want to thank the Brierley family for putting themselves in such a vulnerable place and sharing their story with the world.

“And thanks to Garth Davis for putting his heart and soul into all of us. Woo Hoo!”

Travis Knight, the director and producer of Kubo And The Two Strings, which has scored nods for best animated film and best visual effects, said: “I’m over the moon! An Academy Award nomination is an extraordinary and cherished gift.

“Two nominations is more than anyone could hope for. Every filmmaker dreams of a moment like this.

“But the truth is, I already lived my dream by making this film. Movies have always given me great joy. They enriched my life. They inspired me to dream.

“That’s the kind of film our team at Laika sought to make with Kubo And The Two Strings.

“A film is a slice of a hundred souls. In this case, many more. An incredible, immense community of artists gave ceaselessly and selflessly to breathe life into this story.

“I’m so thankful for their talents and efforts and so proud of what we’ve done together.

“I’m profoundly grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who somehow saw fit to include us among the finest storytellers in film.

“It is a tremendous honour to stand alongside them.”