The Only Three Animated Movies Ever Nominated For Best Picture At The Oscars

Animation is as viable as any other storytelling medium. This is a rich realm abundant in compelling stories and artists that has delivered a deluge of glorious motion pictures, including the most beautiful stop-motion animated films ever. However, that doesn't mean animated features automatically get the respect they deserve in many corners. During the annual award season race especially, it becomes clear that many view animation as simply something for children. Thus, there have been countless instances of animated features getting snubbed in major categories, including at the Oscars, that are always dominated by live-action motion pictures.

This has resulted in, among other facets of the status quo, only a handful of animated titles getting into the best picture Oscar category. More specifically, only three animated motion pictures have ever broken into this particular Academy Awards domain. These features are an esteemed trio of projects that remain aspirational for any animated movie looking to break into Oscar categories beyond the best animated feature and best original song realms. To boot, each of these three animated best picture Oscar nominees were part of larger narratives related to award season that are fascinating to unpack.

No film exists in a vacuum, and all three of these animated best picture nominees represented historic turning points for the Academy Awards and the studios behind these titles. There may be only three animated films in history to score best picture Oscar nods, but each one provides plenty to talk about.

In an interview with The Look Back Machine podcast, "Beauty and the Beast" director Gary Trousdale recalled how his fondest memory of working at Walt Disney Animation Studios was the morning that the 64th Academy Award nominations were announced. He desperately hoped "Beauty and the Beast" would make history as the first animated motion picture to get nominated in the best picture category. When it turned out this animated gem actually scored a nomination here, Trousdale and the other Disney animators went wild celebrating in a morning the filmmaker would never forget.

Part of the untold truth of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is that, thanks to the insistence of then-Disney Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney's marketing team, the film had an unprecedented push into the best picture Oscar category for an animated feature. Even the most acclaimed titles among the best Disney movies of all time were often perceived as too kid-skewing to get Oscar recognition. "Beauty and the Beast," though, scored a level of immense acclaim (not to mention a professional award season campaign) that put it on the radar of Oscar voters. This wasn't just a new Disney movie; it was something special, worthy of tremendous recognition.

This feat was extra impressive given that "Beauty and the Beast" debuted in the 64-year period (from 1945 to 2009) when the Academy only had five best picture nominee slots. Even with fewer nomination spaces, "Beauty and the Beast" made Oscar and animated cinema history.

The award season saga of "Up" begins with the previous year's Pixar film, "Wall-E." "Wall-E" isn't just one of 16 near-perfect sci-fi movies according to Metacritic; it also scored so much universal acclaim in its 2008 theatrical run that Disney launched a For Your Consideration campaign for the film to secure a best picture Oscar nomination. Its eventual failure to get into the category that year was seen as a dispiriting reflection of how the Academy viewed animated films. The blowback to the best picture exclusion of "Wall-E" preceded both the Academy ballooning the best picture category to 10 nominees and the premiere of another summertime Pixar gem, "Up."

Considered among the best Pixar movies, "Up" eventually parlayed its outstanding reviews and the expanded number of best picture nominee slots into becoming only the second animated film ever to get into this Oscar category. To boot, "Up" was the first computer-animated feature to snag a best picture Oscar nod. 18 years after "Beauty and the Beast" set a precedent for animated movies getting into this category, "Up" proved that nomination was no fluke. Additionally, this was the first time Pixar Animation Studios got one of its releases into the biggest Academy Awards category.

While "Up" lost to "The Hurt Locker" when Oscar Sunday finally arrived, getting nominated was a major feat for the entire animation medium. This wouldn't be the last time that Pixar got a seat at the prestigious best picture Oscar table.

The first two "Toy Story" installments did mighty well when it came to Oscar recognition. The first "Toy Story," for example, scored three high-profile Oscar nominations (including one for best original screenplay) and a special achievement award. "Toy Story 2," meanwhile, made it into the category for best original song. "Toy Story 3" had a massive legacy to live up to when it came time for its Academy Award nominations. Luckily for this title's creative team, though, "Toy Story 3" wasn't just one of the biggest Pixar movies of all time. It was also a critical darling that scored enough adulation to propel it to a best picture nominee.

This was one of five Oscar nominations "Toy Story 3" secured at the 83rd Academy Awards, alongside other categories like best adapted screenplay and best animated feature. Buzz and Woody were now rubbing shoulders with the likes of "The Social Network" and "Winter's Bone." This momentous achievement is, in historical hindsight, bittersweet for animation fans. To date, "Toy Story 3" is the last animated feature to crack the best picture category. Even other acclaimed animated titles like "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "Flee" failed to get into a category that Pixar snagged a nomination in for two consecutive years.

Hopefully, more animated motion pictures will join this trio of productions someday. For now, though, "Toy Story 3" is the last word in animated best picture Oscar contenders. What a momentous achievement for this Oscar darling franchise.