Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences resisted creating a dedicated award for animated features for decades. They considered there simply too few produced to justify such consideration. Instead, the Academy occasionally bestowed special Oscars for exceptional productions. Walt Disney Pictures received an Academy Honorary Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938. A Special Achievement Academy Award went to Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1989. Toy Story earned another Special Achievement Award in 1996. Prior to the category's creation, only one animated film was nominated for Best Picture: 1991's Beauty and the Beast. By 2001, sustained competitors like DreamWorks Animation emerged. Jeffrey Katzenberg founded DreamWorks as a former Disney executive. The increase in significant annual releases prompted AMPAS to reconsider their stance. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first given out at the 74th Academy Awards on the 24th of March 2002.
An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes. Characters' performances must be created using a frame-by-frame technique. A significant number of major characters must be animated. Animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the running time. Motion capture by itself is not considered an animation technique. This rule prevented nominations of live-action films that rely heavily on motion capture. Avatar (2009) faced scrutiny under these new guidelines. Only three films have been disqualified for not meeting the 75 percent threshold. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On required documentation from director Dean Fleischer Camp and A24. They proved the stop-motion film had enough animation to meet minimum requirements. The AMPAS officially deemed it eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature category. The nomination went to the person most involved in creating the film initially. For the 76th Academy Awards in 2003, only directors received the nomination. By the 86th Academy Awards ten years later, rules included one producer and up to two directors. The 91st Academy Awards amended this to include up to four individuals. One must be a director and one must be a producer.
Pixar holds the most wins for a studio with 11 total victories. They also hold the most nominations with 19. Pixar achieved four consecutive wins between 2007 and 2010. Walt Disney Animation Studios has 4 wins and 14 nominations. Both studios are owned by the Walt Disney Company, which totals 15 wins for the category. DreamWorks Animation has 2 wins and 15 nominations. Shrek is the most-nominated franchise with 4 entries. Wallace & Gromit also holds 4 nominations. How to Train Your Dragon and Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy each have 3 nominations without winning. Laika has the most nominations without a win, totaling 6 films. Sony Pictures Animation secured 1 win and 6 nominations. Aardman won 5 times with their Wallace & Gromit series. Studio Ghibli has the most wins for a non-US studio with 2 victories. Seven of their films received nominations. Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron remain the only non-English language films to win. Toy Story is the only franchise to win this award twice.
Hayao Miyazaki became the oldest winner in 2024 at age 83 years and 65 days. He previously held the record between 2003 and 2023. Matīss Kaža became the youngest winner in 2025 at age 29 years and 183 days. Andrew Stanton held a 21-year streak as the youngest winner from 2004 until 2025. Pete Docter has the most wins of any individual with 3 victories. He ties with Hayao Miyazaki and Chris Sanders for the most nominations at 4. Brenda Chapman was the first woman to win for Brave. Peter Ramsey became the first black director to win for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The longest winning film runs 125 minutes as Spirited Away. The shortest winning film measures 84 minutes as Flow. The longest nominee reaches 140 minutes as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Flee stands as the first animated documentary film to be nominated. Anomalisa and Memoir of a Snail are the only R-rated animated films to be nominated.
Since 2019, each year has had at least one nominee released via streaming platforms. Klaus won in 2019 on Netflix. Soul won in 2020 on Disney+. Luca and The Mitchells vs. the Machines both won in 2021 across Disney+ and Netflix. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and The Sea Beast won in 2022 on Netflix. Turning Red also won that year on Disney+. Nimona won in 2023 on Netflix. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won in 2024 on Netflix. Flow marked the first independent film to win the award with a seven-figure budget. The consecutive wins of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, The Boy and the Heron, and Flow between 2022 and 2024 broke Disney and Pixar's streak. This was the first time non-Disney/Pixar films won three years in a row. Studio Ghibli displayed Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar statuette at Ghibli Park's Broadcast Room on the 20th of March 2024. The Flow statuette appeared at the Latvian National Museum of Art for a week in 2025.
Some members and fans criticized the award as intended to prevent animated films from winning Best Picture. DreamWorks advertised heavily during the holiday 2001 season for Shrek but received no Best Picture nomination. WALL-E won the award in 2008 without a Best Picture nomination despite widespread acclaim. Film critic Peter Travers stated it deserved such recognition. Up became the first film nominated for both categories since inception in 2009. Toy Story 3 repeated this feat the following year. Many pundits criticize snubbing non-Disney/Pixar films in favor of mainstream dominance. Animation historian Amid Amidi accused Academy voters of ignorance about the medium. Anonymous interviews revealed indifference towards animation treating it as children's fare. The category frequently snubs critically acclaimed Japanese films outside Studio Ghibli. Your Name, A Silent Voice, and In This Corner of the World were omitted. Mirai became the first non-Ghibli anime film to receive a nomination in 2018. A new rule in 2017 allowed any Academy voter to cast ballots regardless of background. This led to nominations like The Boss Baby and Ferdinand receiving significant criticism. Three actresses presenting the category at the 94th Academy Awards joked about kids singing songs repeatedly.
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Common questions
When was the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature first awarded?
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first given out at the 74th Academy Awards on the 24th of March 2002. The award replaced special Oscars that were previously bestowed on productions like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938.
What are the specific eligibility requirements for an animated feature film according to the Academy?
An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes where animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the total duration. Characters' performances must be created using a frame-by-frame technique, and motion capture by itself does not qualify as an animation technique.
Which studio holds the most wins and nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?
Pixar holds the most wins for a studio with 11 total victories and also holds the most nominations with 19 entries. Both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios are owned by the Walt Disney Company which totals 15 wins for the category combined.
Who are the oldest and youngest winners of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?
Hayao Miyazaki became the oldest winner in 2024 at age 83 years and 65 days while Matīss Kaža became the youngest winner in 2025 at age 29 years and 183 days. Andrew Stanton previously held the record for the youngest winner from 2004 until 2025.
How many times has the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature been won by non-Disney or non-Pixar studios consecutively?
The consecutive wins of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, The Boy and the Heron, and Flow between 2022 and 2024 broke Disney and Pixar's streak. This was the first time non-Disney/Pixar films won three years in a row.