Which Disney animated feature film was the first to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture?
Answer: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken took a floundering film to unimagined heights as a musical feature, winning Oscars for Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Best Original Score, in addition to being nominated for Best Picture and several other awards.
Unfortunately, this Ashman/Menken masterpiece ran into Hannibal Lecter and The Silence of the Lambs, which cleaned up with wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress.
Two other animated feature films have since been nominated for Best Picture, including Disney-Pixar’s Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). To date, an animated film has not won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Learn more about the amazing creations of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken here!
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