The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the Academy Awards annually since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931â"32, to the present.
This category was known as "Short Subjects, Cartoons" from 1932 until 1970, and as "Short Subjects, Animated Films" from 1971 to 1973. The present title began with the 1974 awards. In the listings below, the title shown in boldface was the winner of the award, followed by the other nominees for that year. This category is notable for giving Walt Disney 12 of his 22 Academy Awards, including a posthumous 1968 award, and also 10 of the first 11 awards awarded in the category. Only American films were nominated for the award until 1952.
MGM's Tom and Jerry are the category's most lauded animated series, winning seven Oscars and being nominated for a total of 13. Among foreign studios, the National Film Board of Canada has the most wins in this category, with six Oscars. The biggest showing from Britain in this category is Nick Park, with three wins (for Creature Comforts and two for the Wallace and Gromit series.)
Awards were presented to the shorts' producers during the first five decades of the award's existence. Current Academy rules call for the award to be presented to "the individual person most directly responsible for the concept and the creative execution of the film. In the event that more than one individual has been directly and importantly involved in creative decisions, a second statuette may be awarded". The Academy defines short as being "not more than 40 minutes, including all credits".
1930s
- 1932 (5th) Flowers and Trees â" Walt Disney
- Mickey's Orphans â" Walt Disney
- It's Got Me Again!â" Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising and Leon Schlesinger
- 1933 (6th) Three Little Pigs â" Walt Disney
- Building a Building â" Walt Disney
- The Merry Old Soul â" Walter Lantz
- 1934 (7th) The Tortoise and the Hare â" Walt Disney
- Holiday Land â" Charles Mintz
- Jolly Little Elves â" Walter Lantz
- 1935 (8th) Three Orphan Kittens â" Walt Disney
- The Calico Dragon â" Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
- Who Killed Cock Robin? â" Walt Disney
- 1936 (9th) The Country Cousin â" Walt Disney
- The Old Mill Pond â" Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
- Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor â" Max Fleischer
- 1937 (10th) The Old Mill â" Walt Disney
- Educated Fish â" Max Fleischer
- The Little Match Girl â" Charles Mintz
- 1938 (11th) Ferdinand the Bull â" Walt Disney
- Brave Little Tailor â" Walt Disney
- Mother Goose Goes Hollywood â" Walt Disney
- Good Scouts â" Walt Disney
- Hunky and Spunky â" Max Fleischer
- 1939 (12th) The Ugly Duckling â" Walt Disney
- Detouring America â" Leon Schlesinger
- Peace on Earth â" Fred Quimby and Hugh Harman
- The Pointer â" Walt Disney
1940s
- 1940 (13th) The Milky Way â" Fred Quimby and Rudolph Ising
- Puss Gets the Boot â" Fred Quimby and Rudolph Ising
- A Wild Hare â" Leon Schlesinger
- 1941 (14th) Lend a Paw â" Walt Disney
- Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B â" Walter Lantz
- Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt â" Leon Schlesinger
- How War Came â" George Winkler
- The Night Before Christmas â" Fred Quimby
- Rhapsody in Rivets â" Leon Schlesinger
- The Rookie Bear â" Fred Quimby and Rudolph Ising
- Rhythm in the Ranks â" George Pal
- Superman â" Max Fleischer
- Truant Officer Donald â" Walt Disney
- 1942 (15th) Der Fuehrer's Face â" Walt Disney
- All Out for 'V' â" Paul Terry
- Blitz Wolf â" Fred Quimby
- Juke Box Jamboree â" Walter Lantz
- Pigs in a Polka â" Leon Schlesinger
- Tulips Shall Grow â" George Pal
- 1943 (16th) The Yankee Doodle Mouse â" Fred Quimby
- The Dizzy Acrobat â" Walter Lantz
- The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins â" George Pal
- Greetings Bait â" Leon Schlesinger
- Imagination â" Dave Fleischer
- Reason and Emotion â" Walt Disney
- 1944 (17th) Mouse Trouble â" Fred Quimby
- And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street â" George Pal
- Dog, Cat and Canary â" Raymond Katz
- Fish Fry â" Walter Lantz
- How to Play Football â" Walt Disney
- My Boy, Johnny â" Paul Terry
- Swooner Crooner â" Leon Schlesinger
- 1945 (18th) Quiet Please! â" Fred Quimby
- Donald's Crime â" Walt Disney
- Jasper and the Beanstalk â" George Pal
- Life with Feathers â" Edward Selzer
- Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life â" Paul Terry
- The Poet and Peasant â" Walter Lantz
- Rippling Romance â" Raymond Katz
- 1946 (19th) The Cat Concerto â" Fred Quimby
- Musical Moments from Chopin â" Walter Lantz
- John Henry and the Inky-Poo â" George Pal
- Squatter's Rights â" Walt Disney
- Walky Talky Hawky â" Edward Selzer
- 1947 (20th) Tweetie Pie â" Edward Selzer
- Chip an' Dale â" Walt Disney
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse â" Fred Quimby
- Pluto's Blue Note â" Walt Disney
- Tubby the Tuba â" George Pal
- 1948 (21st) The Little Orphan â" Fred Quimby
- Mickey and the Seal â" Walt Disney
- Mouse Wreckers â" Edward Selzer
- Robin Hoodlum â" John Hubley and Raymond Katz
- Tea for Two Hundred â" Walt Disney
- 1949 (22nd) For Scent-imental Reasons â" Edward Selzer
Canary Row(nomination withdrawn)- Hatch Up Your Troubles â" Fred Quimby
- The Magic Fluke â" Stephen Bosustow
- Toy Tinkers â" Walt Disney
1950s
- 1950 (23rd) Gerald McBoing-Boing â" Stephen Bosustow
- Jerry's Cousin â" Fred Quimby
- Trouble Indemnity â" Stephen Bosustow
- 1951 (24th) The Two Mouseketeers â" Fred Quimby
- Lambert the Sheepish Lion â" Walt Disney
- Rooty Toot Toot â" Stephen Bosustow
- 1952 (25th) Johann Mouse â" Fred Quimby
- Little Johnny Jet â" Fred Quimby
- Madeline â" Stephen Bosustow
- Pink and Blue Blues â" Stephen Bosustow
- The Romance of Transportation in Canada â" Colin Low
- 1953 (26th) Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom â" Walt Disney
- Christopher Crumpet â" Stephen Bosustow
- From A to Z-Z-Z-Z â" Edward Selzer
- Rugged Bear â" Walt Disney
- The Tell-Tale Heart â" Stephen Bosustow
- 1954 (27th) When Magoo Flew â" Stephen Bosustow
- Crazy Mixed Up Pup â" Walter Lantz
- Pigs Is Pigs â" Walt Disney
- Sandy Claws â" Edward Selzer
- Touché, Pussy Cat! â" Fred Quimby
- 1955 (28th) Speedy Gonzales â" Edward Selzer
- Good Will to Men â" Fred Quimby, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- The Legend of Rockabye Point â" Walter Lantz
- No Hunting â" Walt Disney
- 1956 (29th) Magoo's Puddle Jumper â" Stephen Bosustow
- Gerald McBoing-Boing on Planet Moo â" Stephen Bosustow
- The Jaywalker â" Stephen Bosustow
- 1957 (30th) Birds Anonymous â" Edward Selzer
- One Droopy Knight â" William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- Tabasco Road â" Edward Selzer
- Trees and Jamaica Daddy â" Stephen Bosustow
- The Truth About Mother Goose â" Walt Disney
- 1958 (31st) Knighty Knight Bugs â" John W. Burton
- Paul Bunyan â" Walt Disney
- Sidney's Family Tree â" William M. Weiss
- 1959 (32nd) Moonbird â" John Hubley and Faith Elliott Hubley
- Mexicali Shmoes â" John W. Burton
- Noah's Ark â" Walt Disney
- The Violinist â" Ernest Pintoff
1960s
- 1960 (33rd) Munro â" Jules Feiffer and William L. Snyder
- Goliath II â" Walt Disney
- High Note â" Chuck Jones
- Mouse and Garden â" Friz Freleng
- A Place in the Sun â" Frantisek Vystrecil
- 1961 (34th) Ersatz (The Substitute) â" DuÅ¡an VukotiÄ
- Aquamania â" Walt Disney
- Beep Prepared â" Chuck Jones
- Nelly's Folly â" Chuck Jones
- The Pied Piper of Guadalupe â" Friz Freleng
- 1962 (35th) The Hole â" John Hubley and Faith Hubley
- Icarus Montgolfier Wright â" Jules Engel
- Now Hear This â" David H. DePatie
- Self Defense ... for Cowards â" William L. Snyder
- A Symposium on Popular Songs â" Walt Disney
- 1963 (36th) The Critic â" Ernest Pintoff
- Automania 2000 â" John Halas
- The Game (Igra) â" DuÅ¡an Vukotic
- My Financial Career â" Gerald Potterton
- Pianissimo â" Carmen D'Avino
- 1964 (37th) The Pink Phink â" David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng
- Christmas Cracker â" Norman McLaren, Jeff Hale, Gerald Potterton and Grant Munro
- How to Avoid Friendship â" William L. Snyder
- Nudnik No. 2 â" William L. Snyder
- 1965 (38th) The Dot and the Line â" Chuck Jones and Les Goldman
- Clay or the Origin of Species â" Eliot Noyes, Jr.
- The Thieving Magpie (La Gazza Ladra) â" Emanuele Luzzati
- 1966 (39th) A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature â" John Hubley and Faith Hubley
- The Drag â" Carlos Marchiori
- The Pink Blueprint â" David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng
- 1967 (40th) The Box â" Fred Wolf
- Hypothese Beta â" Jean-Charles Meunier
- What on Earth! â" Les Drew and Kaj Pindal
- 1968 (41st) Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day â" Walt Disney (posthumous win)
- The House That Jack Built â" Ron Tunis
- The Magic Pear Tree â" Jimmy Murakami
- Windy Day â" John Hubley and Faith Hubley
- 1969 (42nd) It's Tough to Be a Bird â" Ward Kimball
- Of Men and Demons â" John Hubley and Faith Hubley
- Walking â" Ryan Larkin
1970s
- 1970 (43rd) Is It Always Right to Be Right? â" Lee Mishkin
- The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam: Part Two â" Robert Mitchell and Dale Case
- The Shepherd â" Cameron Guess
Name of award changed to Short Subjects (Animated Films)
- 1971 (44th) The Crunch Bird â" Ted Petok
- Evolution â" Michael Mills
- The Selfish Giant â" Peter Sander and Gerald Potterton
- 1972 (45th) A Christmas Carol â" Richard Williams
- Kama Sutra Rides Again â" Bob Godfrey
- Tup Tup â" Nedeljko Dragic
- 1973 (46th) Frank Film â" Frank Mouris
- The Legend of John Henry â" Nick Bosustow and David Adams
- Pulcinella â" Emanuele Luzzati and Guilo Gianini
Name of award changed to Short Films (Animated Films)
- 1974 (47th) Closed Mondays â" Bob Gardiner and Will Vinton
- The Family That Dwelt Apart â" Yvon Mallette and Robert Verrall
- Hunger â" Peter Foldes and René Jodoin
- Voyage to Next â" John Hubley and Faith Hubley
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too â" Wolfgang Reitherman
- 1975 (48th) Great â" Bob Godfrey
- Kick Me (film) â" Robert Swarthe
- Monsieur Pointu â" René Jodoin, Bernard Longpré and André Leduc
- Sisyphus â" Marcell Jankovics
- 1976 (49th) Leisure â" Suzanne Baker
- Dedalo â" Manfredo Manfredi
- The Street â" Caroline Leaf and Guy Glover
- 1977 (50th) The Sand Castle â" Co Hoedeman
- Lucas, the Ear of Corn â" Bill Plympton
- The Doonesbury Special â" John Hubley (posthumous nomination), Faith Hubley and Garry Trudeau
- Jimmy the C â" James Picker, Robert Grossman and Craig Whitaker
- 1978 (51st) Special Delivery â" Eunice Macauley and John Weldon
- Oh My Darling â" Nico Crama
- Rip Van Winkle â" Will Vinton
- 1979 (52nd) Every Child â" Derek Lamb
- Dream Doll â" Bob Godfrey and Zlatko Grgic
- Elbowing â" Paul Driessen
1980s
- 1980 (53rd) The Fly â" Ferenc Rófusz
- All Nothing â" Frédéric Back
- History of the World in Three Minutes Flat â" Michael Mills
- 1981 (54th) Crac â" Frédéric Back
- The Creation â" Will Vinton
- The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin â" Janet Perlman
- 1982 (55th) Tango â" Zbigniew RybczyÅski
- The Great Cognito â" Will Vinton
- The Snowman â" Dianne Jackson
- 1983 (56th) Sundae in New York â" Jimmy Picker
- Mickey's Christmas Carol â" Burny Mattinson
- Sound of Sunshine â" Sound of Rain â" Eda Hallinan
- 1984 (57th) Charade â" Jon Minnis
- Dry Noodles â" Dan Collins
- Paradise â" Ishu Patel
- 1985 (58th) Anna & Bella â" Cilia Van Dijk
- The Big Snit â" Richard Condie and Michael Scott
- Second Class Mail â" Alison Snowden
- 1986 (59th) A Greek Tragedy â" Linda Van Tulden and Willem Thijsen
- The Frog, The Dog and The Devil â" Bob Stenhouse
- Luxo, Jr. â" John Lasseter and William Reeves
- 1987 (60th) The Man Who Planted Trees â" Frédéric Back
- George and Rosemary â" National Film Board of Canada â" Eunice Macaulay
- Your Face â" Bill Plympton
- 1988 (61st) Tin Toy â" John Lasseter and William Reeves
- The Cat Came Back â" Cordell Barker
- Balloon Guy â" Chris Wedge
- 1989 (62nd) Balance â" Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein
- The Cow â" Aleksandr Petrov
- The Hill Farm â" Mark Baker
1990s
- 1990 (63rd) Creature Comforts â" Nick Park
- A Grand Day Out â" Nick Park
- Grasshoppers â" Bruno Bozzetto
- 1991 (64th) Manipulation â" Daniel Greaves
- Blackfly â" Christopher Hinton
- Strings â" Wendy Tilby
- 1992 (65th) Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase â" Joan C. Gratz
- Adam â" Peter Lord
- Reci, Reci, Reci... â" Michaela Pavlátová
- The Sandman â" Paul Berry
- Screen Play â" Barry Purves
- 1993 (66th) The Wrong Trousers â" Nick Park
- Blindscape â" Stephen Palmer
- The Mighty River â" Frédéric Back and Hubert Tison
- Small Talk â" Bob Godfrey and Kevin Baldwin
- The Village â" Mark Baker
- 1994 (67th) Bob's Birthday â" Alison Snowden and David Fine
- The Big Story â" Tim Watts and David Stoten
- The Janitor â" Vanessa Schwartz
- The Monk and the Fish â" Michael Dudok de Wit
- Triangle â" Erica Russell
- 1995 (68th) A Close Shave â" Nick Park
- The Chicken from Outer Space â" John Dilworth
- The End â" Chris Landreth and Robin Barger
- Gagarin â" Alexiy Kharitidi
- Runaway Brain â" Chris Bailey
- 1996 (69th) Quest â" Tyron Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach
- Canhead â" Timothy Hittle
- La Salla â" Richard Condie
- Wat's Pig â" Peter Lord
- 1997 (70th) Geri's Game â" Jan Pinkava
- Famous Fred â" Joanna Quinn
- Mermaid â" Aleksandr Petrov
- Redux Riding Hood â" Steve Moore
- La Vieille dame et les pigeons â" Sylvain Chomet
- 1998 (71st) Bunny â" Chris Wedge
- The Canterbury Tales â" Christopher Grace and Jonathan Myerson
- Jolly Roger â" Mark Baker
- More â" Mark Osborne and Steven B. Kalafer
- When Life Departs â" Karsten Kiilerich and Stefan Fjeldmark
- 1999 (72nd) The Old Man and the Sea â" Aleksandr Petrov
- 3 Misses â" Paul Driessen
- Humdrum â" Peter Peake
- My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts â" Torill Kove
- When the Day Breaks â" Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis
2000s
- 2000 (73rd) Father and Daughter â" Michaël Dudok de Wit
- Periwig Maker â" Steffen Schäffler and Annette Schäffler
- Rejected â" Don Hertzfeldt
- 2001 (74th) For the Birds â" Ralph Eggleston
- Fifty Percent Grey â" Ruairà Robinson and Seamus Byrne
- Give Up Yer Aul Sins â" Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O'Connell
- Strange Invaders â" Cordell Barker
- Stubble Trouble â" Joseph E. Merideth
- 2002 (75th) The ChubbChubbs! â" Eric Armstrong
- Katedra â" Tomek Baginski
- Mike's New Car â" Pete Docter and Roger Gould
- Mt. Head â" KÅji Yamamura
- Das Rad â" Chris Stenner and Heidi Wittlinger
- 2003 (76th) Harvie Krumpet â" Adam Elliot
- Boundin' â" Bud Luckey
- Gone Nutty â" Carlos Saldanha and John C. Donkin
- Nibbles â" Christopher Hinton
- Destino â" Walt Disney Animation Studios â" Dominique Monféry and Roy E. Disney
- 2004 (77th) Ryan â" Chris Landreth
- Birthday Boy â" Sejong Park and Andrew Gregory
- Gopher Broke â" Jeff Fowler and Tim Miller
- Guard Dog â" Bill Plympton
- Lorenzo â" Mike Gabriel and Baker Bloodworth
- 2005 (78th) The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation â" John Canemaker and Peggy Stern
- Badgered â" Sharon Colman
- The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello â" Anthony Lucas
- 9 â" Shane Acker
- One Man Band â" Andrew Jimenez and Mark Andrews
- 2006 (79th) The Danish Poet â" Torill Kove
- Lifted â" Gary Rydstrom
- The Little Matchgirl â" Roger Allers and Don Hahn
- Maestro â" Géza M. Tóth
- No Time for Nuts â" Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier
- 2007 (80th) Peter & the Wolf â" Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman
- Even Pigeons Go To Heaven â" Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
- I Met the Walrus â" Josh Raskin
- Madame Tutli-Putli - Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
- My Love â" Aleksandr Petrov
- 2008 (81st) La Maison en Petits Cubes â" Kunio KatÅ
- Lavatory â" Lovestory â" Konstantin Bronzit
- Oktapodi â" Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
- Presto â" Doug Sweetland
- This Way Up â" Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
- 2009 (82nd) Logorama â" Nicolas Schmerkin
- Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty â" Brown Bag Films â" Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
- French Roast â" Fabrice Joubert
- The Lady and the Reaper â" Javier Recio
- A Matter of Loaf and Death â" Nick Park
2010s
- 2010 (83rd) The Lost Thing â" Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
- Day & Night â" Teddy Newton
- The Gruffalo â" Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
- Let's Pollute â" Geefwee Boedoe
- Madagascar, a Journey Diary â" Bastien Dubois
- 2011 (84th) The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore â" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
- Dimanche â" Patrick Doyon
- La Luna â" Enrico Casarosa
- A Morning Stroll â" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
- Wild Life â" Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis
- 2012 (85th) Paperman â" John Kahrs
- Adam and Dog â" Minkyu Lee
- Fresh Guacamole â" PES
- Head Over Heels â" Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly
- The Longest Daycare â" David Silverman
- 2013 (86th) Mr Hublot â" Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
- Feral â" Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
- Get a Horse! â" Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
- Possessions â" Shuhei Morita
- Room on the Broom â" Max Lang and Jan Lachauer
- 2014 (87th) Feast â" Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
- The Bigger Picture â" Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
- The Dam Keeper â" Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
- Me and My Moulton â" Torill Kove
- A Single Life â" Joris Oprins
- 2015 (88th) Bear Story â" Gabriel Osorio Vargas and Pato Escala Pierart
- Prologue â" Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
- Sanjay's Super Team â" Sanjay Patel and Nicole Paradis Grindle
- We Can't Live Without Cosmos â" Konstantin Bronzit
- World of Tomorrow â" Don Hertzfeldt
- 2016 (89th) Piper â" Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer
- Blind Vaysha â" Theodore Ushev
- Borrowed Time â" Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj
- Pear Cider and Cigarettes â" Robert Valley and Cara Speller
- Pearl â" Patrick Osborne
Superlatives
For this Academy Award category, the following superlatives emerge:
- Most awards: Walt Disney â" 15 awards (resulting from 49 nominations)
- Most nominations: Walt Disney â" 49 nominations (resulting in 15 awards)
Multiple nominations and awards
The following is a list of animation studios that earned multiple nominations and awards in this category.
See also
- Short film
- BAFTA Award for Best Short Film
- List of Academy Awards for Walt Disney
- Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
- Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
- The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals