Academy Award for Best Animated Feature facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Academy Award for Best Animated Feature |
|
---|---|
|
|
Presented by | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) |
Country | United States |
First awarded | Shrek (2001) |
Currently held by | Flow (2024) |
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is a special prize given out every year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It celebrates the best animated feature film of the year.
What makes a movie an "animated feature" for this award? It needs to be longer than 40 minutes. Most of the main characters must be animated using a frame-by-frame technique. Also, at least 75% of the movie's total time needs to be animation. This award was first given out in 2002 for movies released in 2001.
For a long time, the Academy didn't have a regular award for animated movies. They thought not enough animated films were made each year. Instead, they sometimes gave special Oscars for amazing animated movies. For example, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs got an Academy Honorary Award in 1938. Later, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1989) and Toy Story (1996) received Special Achievement Academy Awards. Before this award existed, only one animated movie, Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991), was even nominated for Best Picture.
By 2001, more animation studios like DreamWorks Animation started making many great animated films. This meant there were enough animated movies each year to have their own award. So, the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was created. It was first presented at the 74th Academy Awards on March 24, 2002.
Contents
Winners and Nominees

When the award first started, the people most involved in making the film were nominated. This could be the producer, the director, or both. Over time, the rules changed. For the 76th Academy Awards in 2003, only the director(s) were nominated. Later, for the 86th Academy Awards, one producer and up to two directors could be nominated. For the 91st Academy Awards, up to four people could be nominated, including at least one director and one producer.
The Academy also has a rule that the award won't be given if fewer than eight eligible animated films are released in theaters that year. This helps make sure there are enough movies to choose from.
There's also a rule about "motion capture" films. Motion capture is when actors wear special suits to record their movements, which are then used to animate characters. Movies like A Christmas Carol (2009) and The Adventures of Tintin (2011) used this. The rule says that motion capture by itself isn't considered animation. A film must still have a significant number of animated characters and be at least 75% animation to qualify. This rule helps prevent live-action movies that use a lot of motion capture, like Avatar (2009), from being nominated in this category.
Only a few films have been disqualified for not meeting the 75% animation rule. For example, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) had to prove it had enough animation to be considered. It was a stop-motion film with live-action parts. The Academy decided it was eligible, and it was nominated!
Indicates the winner |
2000s Winners and Nominees
2010s Winners and Nominees
Year | Film | Nominees | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2010 (83rd) |
Toy Story 3 | Lee Unkrich | |
How to Train Your Dragon | Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois | ||
The Illusionist | Sylvain Chomet | ||
2011 (84th) |
Rango | Gore Verbinski | |
A Cat in Paris | Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli | ||
Chico and Rita | Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba | ||
Kung Fu Panda 2 | Jennifer Yuh Nelson | ||
Puss in Boots | Chris Miller | ||
2012 (85th) |
Brave | Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews | |
Frankenweenie | Tim Burton | ||
ParaNorman | Chris Butler and Sam Fell | ||
The Pirates! Band of Misfits | Peter Lord | ||
Wreck-It Ralph | Rich Moore | ||
2013 (86th) |
Frozen | Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and Peter Del Vecho | |
The Croods | Chris Sanders, Kristine Belson, and Kirk DeMicco | ||
Despicable Me 2 | Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, and Chris Meledandri | ||
Ernest & Celestine | Didier Brunner and Benjamin Renner | ||
The Wind Rises | Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki | ||
2014 (87th) |
Big Hero 6 | Don Hall, Chris Williams, and Roy Conli | |
The Boxtrolls | Travis Knight, Graham Annable, and Anthony Stacchi | ||
How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold | ||
Song of the Sea | Tomm Moore and Paul Young | ||
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura | ||
2015 (88th) |
Inside Out | Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera | |
Anomalisa | Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, and Rosa Tran | ||
Boy and the World | Alê Abreu | ||
Shaun the Sheep Movie | Mark Burton and Richard Starzak | ||
When Marnie Was There | Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura | ||
2016 (89th) |
Zootopia | Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Clark Spencer | |
Kubo and the Two Strings | Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner | ||
Moana | John Musker, Ron Clements, and Osnat Shurer | ||
My Life as a Zucchini | Claude Barras and Max Karli | ||
The Red Turtle | Michaël Dudok de Wit and Toshio Suzuki | ||
2017 (90th) |
Coco | Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson | |
The Boss Baby | Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito | ||
The Breadwinner | Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo | ||
Ferdinand | Carlos Saldanha and Lori Forte | ||
Loving Vincent | Dorota Kobiela, Ivan Mactaggart, and Hugh Welchman | ||
2018 (91st) |
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | |
Incredibles 2 | Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle | ||
Isle of Dogs | Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, and Scott Rudin | ||
Mirai | Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito | ||
Ralph Breaks the Internet | Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, and Clark Spencer | ||
2019 (92nd) |
Toy Story 4 | Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen, and Jonas Rivera | |
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Dean DeBlois, Bonnie Arnold, and Brad Lewis | ||
I Lost My Body | Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice | ||
Klaus | Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh, and Marisa Román | ||
Missing Link | Chris Butler, Travis Knight, and Arianne Sutner |
2020s Winners and Nominees
Year | Film | Nominees | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2020 (93rd) |
Soul | Pete Docter and Dana Murray | |
Onward | Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae | ||
Over the Moon | Glen Keane, Peilin Chou, and Gennie Rim | ||
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon | Will Becher, Paul Kewley, and Richard Phelan | ||
Wolfwalkers | Tomm Moore, Stéphan Roelants, Ross Stewart, and Paul Young | ||
2021 (94th) |
Encanto | Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino, and Clark Spencer | |
Flee | Charlotte de la Gournerie, Monica Hellström, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and Signe Byrge Sørensen | ||
Luca | Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren | ||
The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Mike Rianda, Kurt Albrecht, Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller | ||
Raya and the Last Dragon | Peter Del Vecho, Carlos López Estrada, Don Hall, and Osnat Shurer | ||
2022 (95th) |
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Alex Bulkley, and Gary Ungar | |
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | Dean Fleischer Camp, Andrew Goldman, Elisabeth Holm, Caroline Kaplan, and Paul Mezey | ||
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | Joel Crawford and Mark Swift | ||
The Sea Beast | Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger | ||
Turning Red | Lindsey Collins and Domee Shi | ||
2023 (96th) |
The Boy and the Heron | Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki | |
Elemental | Peter Sohn and Denise Ream | ||
Nimona | Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan, and Julie Zackary | ||
Robot Dreams | Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé, and Sandra Tapia Díaz | ||
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal | ||
2024 (97th) |
Flow | Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, and Gregory Zalcman | |
Inside Out 2 | Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen | ||
Memoir of a Snail | Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney | ||
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl | Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham, and Richard Beek | ||
The Wild Robot | Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann |
Award Records
This section shows some interesting facts and records about the award.
Most Wins and Nominations by Individuals
Most Wins and Nominations by Studios
Most Wins and Nominations by Franchises
Franchise | Wins | Nominations | Films |
---|---|---|---|
Toy Story | 2 | Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4 | |
Shrek | 1 | 4 | Shrek, Shrek 2, Puss in Boots, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish |
Wallace & Gromit | Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Shaun the Sheep Movie, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl | ||
The Incredibles | 2 | The Incredibles, Incredibles 2 | |
Inside Out | Inside Out, Inside Out 2 | ||
Spider-Verse | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | ||
How to Train Your Dragon | 0 | 3 | How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World |
Irish Folklore Trilogy | The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers | ||
Kung Fu Panda | 2 | Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 | |
Wreck-It Ralph | Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet |
Age Records
Record | Recipient | Film | Age |
---|---|---|---|
Oldest winner | Hayao Miyazaki | The Boy and the Heron | 83 years, 65 days |
Oldest nominee | 83 years, 18 days | ||
Youngest winner | Matīss Kaža | Flow | 29 years, 183 days |
Youngest nominee | 29 years, 145 days |
Film Length Records
Record | Film | Length |
---|---|---|
Longest winner | Spirited Away | 125 minutes |
Longest nominee | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | 140 minutes |
Shortest winner | Flow | 84 minutes |
Shortest nominee | A Cat in Paris | 65 minutes |
International Films
Many films from outside the United States, or films that don't have much dialogue, have been nominated or won this award. Winners are shown in bold. Most non-English films on this list have also been released with English voice-overs.
Japanese Nominees
Studio Ghibli Films
- Spirited Away
- Howl's Moving Castle
- The Wind Rises
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
- When Marnie Was There
- The Boy and the Heron
Other Japanese Films
- Mirai
French Nominees
Les Armateurs Films
- The Triplets of Belleville
- Ernest & Celestine
Other French Films
- Persepolis
- The Illusionist
- A Cat in Paris
- My Life as a Zucchini
- I Lost My Body
Other Languages
- Chico and Rita (Spanish)
- Boy and the World (Portuguese)
- Flee (Danish)
Films with No Dialogue or Fictional Languages
- Shaun the Sheep Movie
- The Red Turtle
- A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
- Robot Dreams
- Flow
Important Milestones and Records
Film Studios and Companies
- Pixar has won the most awards (11) and received the most nominations (19). They also had the longest winning streak, winning four years in a row from 2007 to 2010.
- Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios are both owned by the Walt Disney Company. Together, they have won 15 awards in this category.
- Laika has the most nominations (6) without ever winning the award.
- DreamWorks Animation has received 10 nominations since their last win.
- The Toy Story series is the only film franchise to win this award twice, with Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4. These two are also the only sequels to have won the award so far.
- The Shrek and Wallace & Gromit series have the most nominations (4 each), with one win each.
- The "Irish Folklore Trilogy" by Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and Wolfwalkers) and the How to Train Your Dragon series are the most nominated franchises without a win, with three nominations each.
- The Triplets of Belleville was the first PG-13 rated film to be nominated. Anomalisa and Memoir of a Snail are the only R-rated animated films to be nominated. The Boy and the Heron was the first PG-13 rated film to win.
- Studio Ghibli from Japan has the most wins (two) and nominations (seven) for a non-U.S. studio. Their films Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron are the only non-English language films to win.
- Flee was the first animated documentary film to be nominated.
- Since 2019, at least one nominated film each year has been mainly released on streaming services. Two of these films have won: Soul (on Disney+) in 2020 and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (on Netflix) in 2022.
- 2005 and 2011 are the only years when no Disney or Pixar film was nominated in this category.
- Flow is the first independent film to win the award.
- The wins of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, The Boy and the Heron, and Flow from 2022 to 2024 mark the first time a non-Disney/Pixar film won the award three years in a row.
People Records
- Pete Docter has won the most awards as an individual (3). He is also tied with Hayao Miyazaki and Chris Sanders for the most nominations (4).
- Hayao Miyazaki has the most wins and nominations for someone not from the U.S.
- Chris Sanders has the most nominations (4) without winning the award.
- Hayao Miyazaki became the oldest winner in 2024 at 83 years old.
- Matīss Kaža became the youngest winner in 2025 at 29 years old. Gints Zilbalodis was the second youngest winner at 30 years old.
- Brenda Chapman was the first woman to win for Brave.
- Peter Ramsey was the first Black director to win for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Award's Impact

When films from studios other than Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks Animation started winning, it showed how much animated movies were growing. These wins also helped animation get more recognition in mainstream cinema. Sometimes, the Oscar statuettes are even displayed in museums!
- On March 20, 2024, Studio Ghibli displayed Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar statuette for a short time at Ghibli Park in Japan.
- In 2025, after Flow won the Best Animated Feature award, its Oscar statuette was displayed at the Latvian National Museum of Art for a week. The Golden Globe and European Film Award it also won were displayed alongside it.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Óscar a la mejor película de animación para niños
- List of submissions for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
- Lists of animated films
- List of animation awards
- List of animated feature films nominated for Academy Awards
- List of Academy Award–nominated films