Fact Finder - Movies

Before the 'Best Animated Feature' category existed, animated films had to compete directly with live-action movies for the top prize. In 1992, Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' became the first animated film in history to receive a nomination for Best Picture. It was a landmark moment that validated animation as a serious cinematic medium capable of the same emotional depth as live-action drama. The film won two Oscars that night for its music but lost the top prize to 'The Silence of the Lambs.' It would be another 17 years before another animated film ('Up') received a Best Picture nomination, following the Academy’s expansion of the nominee field from five to ten films.