Walt Disney Dominated the Oscars

The Academy Awards will air on March 12 on Disney-owned ABC. For the first time, an actress in a Marvel film has a chance to win an Oscar. Angela Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). 

The films in the MCU have been nominated for 26 Academy Awards, winning only three, with five to be announced on Sunday. Black Panther (2018) won all three Oscars for Best Production Design, Costume Design, and Original Score and was nominated for Best Picture.

When it comes to overall dominance at the Academy Awards, no one does it quite like Walt Disney. Disney holds the record for most nominations with 59, most total awards by a single person with 22, most nominations in a single year for a person with six in 1954, and most wins for a single person with four in 1954.

Besides his 22 wins in competitive categories, Disney also received four Honorary Academy Awards. He received his first Oscar in 1932 for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) for Flowers and Trees. That same year, Disney received an Honorary Oscar for the Creation of Mickey Mouse.

In 1939, Walt Disney received a unique Academy Award for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It recognized Snow White as a “significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon.” The award was one large statue with seven smaller statues trailing behind it.

Walt Disney Animation Studios had a great run under Walt but suffered a drought after his death. Disney Studios did not win a single Oscar from 1971-1989.

The Little Mermaid (1989) finally broke that streak, winning Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Under the Sea.” This started a run of five straight Disney animated films, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Pocahontas (1995), all won awards in both categories.

In 2002, the Academy added the Best Animated Feature Category. Of the 21 Oscars that have been given out, Pixar Studios has won 11 of them. Disney Studios has won four Awards, including last year for Encanto (2021). 

Tune in on Sunday to see how many more Oscars Walt Disney Studios will win this year. We will continue to keep you updated at Disney Fanatic on all of the wins and losses and all things Disney.