The best animated film with a running time of more than 40 minutes, a significant number of the major characters animated, and at least 75 percent of the picture's running time including animation.
TheAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature is anAcademy Award presented annually by theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the bestanimatedfeature film. An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the running time.[1] The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first awarded in 2002 for films released in 2001.[2][3][4]
By 2001, the rise of sustained competitors to Disney in the feature animated film market, such asDreamWorks Animation (founded by former Disney executiveJeffrey Katzenberg), created an increase of film releases of significant annual number enough for AMPAS to reconsider.[5] The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first given out at the74th Academy Awards,[11] held on March 24, 2002.[12]
When the category was first instated, the nomination went to the person(s) most involved in creating the film. This could be the producer, the director, or both. For the76th Academy Awards in 2003, only the director(s) of the film received the nomination. For the86th Academy Awards ten years later, this was amended to include one producer and up to two directors. For the91st Academy Awards, this was amended once again to include up to four individuals, one of whom must be a director and one of whom must be a producer; an exception to this is that "[i]n the case of a TWO-PERSON TEAM with shared and equal director or producer credit, an additional statuette may be awarded."[13]
The Academy included a rule that stated that the award would not be presented in a year in which fewer than eight eligible films opened in theaters.[14] In regards of the Academy, it allows for all members to make voting for animated films more acceptable.[15]
At the same year, the Academy enacted a new rule regarding themotion capture technique employed in films such asA Christmas Carol (2009) andThe Adventures of Tintin (2011), directed byAcademy Award for Best Director winnersRobert Zemeckis andSteven Spielberg respectively, and how they might not be eligible in this category in the future.[16] The new rule now reads "An animated feature film is defined as a motion picture with a running time of greater than 40 minutes, in which movement and characters’ performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. Motion capture by itself is not an animation technique. In addition, a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75 percent of the picture’s running time."[16] This rule was possibly made to prevent nominations of live-action films that rely heavily on motion capture, such asAvatar (2009).[16]
Only three films (most arelive-action/animation hybrid) have been disqualified for not meeting the 75 percent of animation threshold undersubmission. With exceptions, it was unclear whetherMarcel the Shell with Shoes On would be eligible for the award at the95th Academy Awards due to being a stop-motion animated film with the use of live-action elements. DirectorDean Fleischer Camp said that he andA24 had to submit documentation in order to prove the film had enough animation to meet the award's minimum requirements.[17][1] The AMPAS officially deemed the film eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature category and was eventually nominated for said category.[18]
A number of non-English-language or non-dialogue films have been nominated or won. Almost all non-English language films on this list have also been released with English-language dubbing. Winners are highlighted inbold below.
Toy Story is the only franchise to win this award twice, for itsthird andfourth films. Additionally, the third and fourth films are so far the only two sequels to win this award.
Studio Ghibli (Japan) has the most wins (two) and nominations (seven) for a non-US studio;Spirited Away andThe Boy and the Heron are the only non-English language films to win.[44][45][46][47]
Due to being an independent film with a minimal budget,Flow is the only film with a seven-figure budget to win.[49]
There were only six non-Disney/Pixar films to win the category until 2022. The consecutive wins ofGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio,The Boy and the Heron, andFlow between 2022 and 2024 marked the first time that a non-Disney/Pixar film won the award three years in a row.[50]
Pete Docter has the most wins of any individual (3), and is tied withHayao Miyazaki andChris Sanders for the most nominations (4). Additionally, Miyazaki has the most wins and nominations for a non-US individual.
Chris Sanders has the most nominations without winning (4).
Hayao Miyazaki became the oldest winner in 2024 at the age of 83; he previously held the record between 2003 and 2023 (briefly being succeeded byMark Gustafson forGuillermo del Toro's Pinocchio).
Matīss Kaža became the youngest winner in 2025 at the age of 29, withGints Zilbalodis also the second youngest winner at the age of 30, beatingAndrew Stanton in a 21-year streak between 2004 (at the age of 38) and 2025.
In parallel ofJerome Robbins'sBest Director win forWest Side Story, Mark Gustafson (in 2023) was the only recipient to have won for his only career film directing credit before his death the following year.
The winners of non-Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks Animation films led its significant influence among animation studios for its aesthetics as well as displaying statuettes at museums, solidifying the animation's recognition in mainstream cinema.
On March 20, 2024,Studio Ghibli displayed Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar statuette for a limited time atGhibli Park's "Ghibli's Grand Warehouse" in the Broadcast Room.[51]
Some members and fans have criticized the award, saying it is only intended to prevent animated films from having a chance of winning Best Picture.DreamWorks had advertised heavily during the holiday 2001 season forShrek, but was disappointed when the rumored Best Picture nomination did not materialize.[53] The criticism of Best Animated Feature was particularly prominent at the81st Academy Awards, in whichWALL-E won the award but was not nominated for Best Picture, despite receiving widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike and being generally considered one of the best films of 2008.[54][55][56][57] This led to controversy over whether the film was deliberately snubbed of the nomination by the Academy. Film criticPeter Travers commented that "If there was ever a time where [sic] an animated feature deserved to be nominated for Best Picture, it'sWALL-E." However, official Academy Award regulations state that any movie nominated for this category can still be nominated for Best Picture.[58] In 2009, when the nominee slots for Best Picture were doubled to ten,Up was nominated for both Animated Feature and Picture at the82nd Academy Awards, the first to do so since the inception of the Animated Feature category.[59] This feat was repeated the following year byToy Story 3.[60]
Many pundits are critical of its category for snubbing non-Disney/Pixar animated films in favor of Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar films as a perennial frontrunner of the award season dominance, with animation historianAmid Amidi accusing Academy voters occasionally of ignorance about the animation medium. There have been complaints that the Best Animated Feature award is held in unfairly low regard by Academy members with many members refusing to vote for films they consider mere children's fare beneath them, or letting their own children see the films and go with their opinions instead. The dominance of Disney and Pixar allegedly as a result of this bias is suggested to be injuring the credibility of the award.[61]
Anonymous interviews with a selection of Academy voters in 2014 and 2015 revealed indifference towards the animation category, treating animation as being for children, and ignorance about international titles; although the biggest controversy was the omission of other animated films likeThe Lego Movie andThe Book of Life.[62][63][64]
Omissions of Japanese animated films outside of Studio Ghibli
In 2017, a new rule allowed any Academy voters to vote in the category regardless of background or connection to animation, which led to the nominations ofThe Boss Baby andFerdinand, a decision that received significant criticism from critics and audiences alike because of their lack of solid quality to make them worthy of being nominated, especially above snubbed, but better acclaimed films. Besides being viewed as highly ignorant of this category, it was seen as a move from the Academy to put aside small, foreign and/or independent movies in favor of mainstream ones to attract audiences to something they might know and to keep a Hollywood predominance; this allowed any members of the Academy other than the Animation Branch.[70][71][72][73]
Despite these changes, other Disney and Pixar films won again since 2019, these areToy Story 4,Soul, andEncanto, causing outrage among pundits of the category. With the latter at the94th Academy Awards in 2022, the Academy's decision for having three actresses (Halle Bailey,Lily James, andNaomi Scott) who played Disney princesses in their live-action remakes to present the category was heavily criticized. While presenting, the three actresses joked about kids singing their favorite songs from their favorite animated feature repeatedly, leaving its ignorance of animation as a medium that can also be for adults as well (as was the case for the documentaryFlee being nominated in said category).[74]
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