Every Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature

Yes, the movie that launched 1,000 memes was the first winner for Best Animated Feature. It’s become a bit of a joke, but “Shrek” was a true phenomenon back in 2001, not a piece of ironic kitsch. Mike Myers’ gruff ogre and Eddie Murphy’s chatty donkey were a beloved, dynamic duo that powered this film to an Oscar.

Hayao Miyazaki is a director that likely missed out on winning at least a couple of these awards because it did not exist earlier in his career. He did get to win one Oscar in this category, though, thanks to his film “Spirited Away.” It might not be most fans' favorite from the Japanese animation legend, but it was well received, which is true of basically every one of his films.

The first Pixar movie to win, but not the last. Andrew Stanton’s story of a lost fish was a beloved entry from the animation juggernaut. It also got a sequel eventually in 2016's  “Finding Dory,” but that movie didn’t even garner a nomination. All it got was more box office cash than 99 percent of movies could ever dream of.

Back-to-back wins for Pixar. We called them a juggernaut for a reason. Brad Bird has a reputation for being a bit of a taskmaster, but he tends to turn out quality work. This story of a superhero family is the favorite Pixar film of many.

A bit of a curveball. Going up against a film from Miyazaki (“Howl’s Moving Castle”) and a film from Tim Burton (“Corpse Bride”), the winner was yet-another film from Nick Park starring the odd cheese-loving Wallace and his dog Gromit. The stop-motion clay animation is impressive, but it’s all extremely British and an acquired taste.

“Happy Feet” is a perfectly fine little film about a dancing penguin. It probably took advantage of a weak year. There were only two other nominees, “Cars” and “Monster House.” The most notable thing about “Happy Feet” is that it was directed by George Miller. Yes, the “Mad Max” guy.

Not just another Pixar film, but another film from Bird. Like we said, he tends to turn out quality work. Somehow, he managed to make a movie about a rat who is a master chef that works by pulling the hair of a young man to make his body do what he wants into a beloved, classic animated film. Not everybody can do that.

Now, it’s Stanton’s turn to win his second Best Animated Feature Oscar. “Wall-E” really relies on its animation to tell the story. After all, it’s primarily built around two robots who can’t really talk. And yet, people fell for “Wall-E” hard. It manages to wring out some emotion, but it probably won on aesthetic merit.

If we mention the opening of this movie, will you start crying? We get it. If we’re being honest, we’d say that “Up” won based on that opening segment. The rest of the movie is fine, but it can’t hold a candle to that beginning. That – and Pixar’s reputation – carried this film to an Oscar.

That’s four Pixar movies in a row! This is also the first true sequel to win (the “Wallace and Gromit” films are more self-contained stories about the two main characters). People do love “Toy Story 3,” but this was also a chance to honor the whole franchise. The first two films came out before Best Animated Feature existed.

The Pixar run ends with this Gore Verbinski film about a lizard who stumbled into an Old West town. It has cinematography from the legendary Roger Deakins, a real coup for an animated movie. The look definitely helped this distinct animated film get the win here.

Perhaps the first time a Pixar win felt like an upset. “Brave” was kind of shrugged off, and perhaps won because of Pixar inertia. “Wreck-It Ralph” feels like a better-received film, and “Frankenweenie” would have allowed the Academy to honor Tim Burton. Instead, “Brave” got the win.

“Frozen” was such a phenomenon it felt destined to win. “Let It Go” got itself a win for Best Original Song as well. It feels like Best Animated Feature lines up with the popular opinion more than any other major award, so the rabid fandom for “Frozen” made this win feel inevitable, which is not to say it wasn’t deserved.

This is a shrug of a year. “Big Hero 6” was fine, but at no point did it scream “Oscar winner.” However, not every year has an animated movie like that, especially since the award does seem to shirk smaller animated films uniformly. They get nominations, but they never win. As such, something like Studio Ghibli's `“The Tale of Princess Kaguya” never stood a chance.

We wish “Anomalisa” had won. Not even necessarily because we like it best, or because we dislike the sweet, emotional “Inside Out.” No, it’s because “Anomalisa” is decidedly an R-rated film for adults. Best Animated Feature is dominated by family films. It’s nothing but PG and G winners. Having “Anomalisa” win could have signified something. Alas, it didn’t happen.

Disney’s “Zootopia” beat Disney’s “Moana.” This was without an offering from Pixar, which was owned by Disney at this time. Disney is, unsurprisingly, the bully on the block in this category. When a category comes down to “Which movie from the same studio is going to win?” it kind of loses some panache.

Hey, another Disney movie, though this one comes via Pixar. Well, at least “The Boss Baby” didn’t win. “Coco” left audiences emotionally exhausted, generating plenty of tears in the crowd. It definitely was the best-received animated movie of the year, and an easy call here.

The Disney monopoly is toppled! Plus, this isn’t some light family comedy, though it is still PG. Also, it’s a tour de force of animation. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” sticks out among Best Animated Feature winners, and we mean that in the best way possible.

It made sense when “Toy Story 3” won. The movie was good, and also it was a chance to acknowledge the franchise. “Toy Story 4” was less well-received than its predecessor, though still generally liked, and didn’t need the franchise acknowledgment. However, it still won. Probably because the competition was rather weak.

In the weirdest Oscar year ever, “Soul” won as a movie that basically was only seen on Disney+. Even in a normal Oscars year “Soul” was going to win, though. This Pixar film was the clear standout. On top of that, it gave Pete Docter his record-breaking third win, though he shares directing credit on “Soul” with Dana Murray.

So would the Disney film win or would the other Disney film win... or would the Pixar film win? It's the nature of the beast with Best Animated Feature these days, although other finalists "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" and "Flee" are worth noting. "Flee" also was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Foreign Feature. It didn't win any of them, and "Encanto" took home the win for Animated Feature, a win for Disney (plus a couple losses for them as well).

Two adaptations of "Pinocchio" came out in 2022. One came from Robert Zemeckis, and as is his want he turned it into an uncanny valley nightmare. Then there is Guillermo del Toro's version. A stop-motion musical, del Toro's film is, as is his style, is a referendum on fascism. This version worked for people, though, as del Toro won Best Animated Feature for his "Pinocchio."

Miyazaki has threatened to retire a few times, but it does truly seem like "The Boy and the Heron" will be his last film. The animation icon is in his eighties, and a director once known for doing as much of the work himself as possible was reportedly much more collaborative this time around. While Miyazaki already had one Best Animated Feature win, a director of his renown winning a second for possibly his final movie is a nice moment, even if he didn't show up to accept the award.

It seems like the Best Animated Feature landscape has changed. The Disneys and the Pixars and the major studios were winning year in and year out. "Pinocchio" and "The Boy and the Heron" hinted at a change, but del Toro is a famous director and Miyazaki is an icon of the form. "Flow," though, is a Latvian movie about animals that features zero dialogue.Truly, "Flow" winning this Oscar feels like a game changer.