In 2001, the Academy finally added a category for best animated feature.
But it wasn’t until 1991’s Beauty and the Beast that an animated film was nominated for best picture. Throughout the ’90s, the Oscars resisted adding a category for animated features, though John Lasseter received a special achievement award in 1996 “for his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film.” In 2001, the Academy finally added a category for best animated feature. Shrek became the first winner in 2002.