The Academy Awards are the oldest awards given to achievements in film; the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was given the first time for the 2001 film year. It was introduced because the previous year, the people at the Academy Awards were disappointed that the hugely successful Chicken Run had not been nominated for Best Picture in 2000, so the Best Animated Feature category was introduced the following year. The creators of Chicken Run later went on to win Best Animated Feature in 2005 for The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

The award is only given if there are at least eight animated feature films (with a theatrical release in Los Angeles). If there are 16 or more films submitted for the category, the winner will be voted from a shortlist of five films, otherwise there will only be three films on the shortlist.

People in the animation industry and fans expressed hope that the prestige from this award and the resulting boost to the box office would encourage the increased production of animated features.

List of winners and nominees

• 2005: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
  • Howl's Moving Castle
  • Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

• 2004: The Incredibles
  • Shark Tale
  • Shrek 2

• 2003: Finding Nemo
  • Brother Bear
  • The Triplets of Belleville

• 2002: Spirited Away
  • Ice Age
  • Lilo & Stitch
  • Stallion of the Cimarron
  • Treasure Planet

• 2001: Shrek
  • Boy Genius (film)
  • Monsters, Inc.

Academy Awards

جائزة أفضل افلام الصور المتحركة في مهرجان الأوسكار | Oscar/Bester animierter Spielfilm | Marrazki bizidunetako film onenaren Oscar Saria | جایزه اسکار بهترین کارتون | Oscar za najbolji animirani film | Film Animasi Terbaik (Oscar) | Oscar al miglior film d'animazione | アカデミー長編アニメ賞 | Lista de filmes premiados com o Oscar de melhor filme de animação | Parhaan animaatioelokuvan Oscar-palkinto | 奥斯卡最佳动画片奖