Oscars® start Best Animated Feature category

Sep 27, 2000 by Ian Evans

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences established a new category that could be given out as early as the 2002 ceremony: Best Animated Feature.

The category will be activated on a year-by-year basis and will be triggered by the release of eight or more eligible films in a calendar year. If eight to fifteen animated features are released, a maximum of three films may be nominated. If sixteen or more are released, a maximum of five may be nominated.

To be eligible, an animated feature must be at least 70 minutes in length, “primarily animated”, and meet the other general requirements for feature film eligibility as published annually in the Academy Award Rules. The overseeing committee is expected to develop criteria for the definition of “primarily animated” in the coming months.