The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is granted to a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes, a large number of prominent characters who are animated, and animation that accounts for at least 75 percent of the film’s running time. It was first granted in 2001 for films made in that year. Animated films have been nominated for other awards, although only infrequently; Beauty and the Beast (1991) was the first animated picture to receive a Best Picture nomination. Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010) were also nominated for Best Picture.
Here are all Oscar winning animated films from year 2000-2010.
1. Shrek (2001)
Director- Vicky Jenson, Andrew Adamson
Agreen ogre named Shrek discovers that the conniving Lord Farquaad has’swamped’ his swamp with all kinds of fairytale creatures. Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to ‘persuade’ Farquaad to return his swamp to Shrek. A bargain is struck instead. Farquaad, who aspires to be King, dispatches Shrek to save Princess Fiona. He is imprisoned in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon while waiting for her true love. However, as they return to Fiona, it becomes clear that not only is Shrek, an ugly ogre, falling in love with the attractive princess. But Fiona is also concealing a major secret.
2. Spirited Away (2002)
Director- Hayao Miyazaki
Chihiro, ten years old, and her parents are on a family excursion through the countryside when they come discover an amusement park that appears to have been abandoned for years. Despite Chihiro’s warnings about the spooky environment, her parents explore the region. They ultimately come across an empty cafe with fresh food, which they devour. They are mysteriously transformed into pigs as a result of their unfaithfulness, scaring Chihiro away. She meets the mysterious Haku, who explains that this world is actually a magical bath house. A sort of holiday resort where supernatural beings seek solace away from the earthly realm. That she must work here to release herself and her parents from the mystical land, as idleness is not permitted.
3. Finding Nemo (2003)
Director- Andrew Stanton
Marlin, a clown fish who lives in the Great Barrier Reef, loses his kid, Nemo, after he travels into the open sea. Despite his father’s incessant warnings about the perils of the ocean. Nemo is kidnapped by a boat, caught in a net, and taken to a Sydney dentist’s office. Marlin meets Dory, a blue tang with short-term memory loss, while on his way to recover Nemo. In order to save Nemo from the dentist’s office near Sydney Harbour, the companions travel a long distance. Also, encountering many deadly sea monsters such as sharks, anglerfish, and jellyfish.
4. The Incredibles (2004)
Director- Brad Bird
Who’d have guessed that the world, and particularly the fine people of Metroville, would tyre of masked crime fighters and super-heroes? After fifteen years and countless lawsuits, Bob Parr, or “Mr Incredible,” and his incredible elastomer-limbed wife, Helen, aka “Elastigirl,” are now civilians with their equally extraordinary three children. But, all of a sudden, Bob is jolted into action by a strange invitation. For the first time in a long time, Mr Parr feels useful, doing what he does best behind Helen’s back. The planet is in jeopardy once more.
5. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Director- Nick Park, Steve Box
The only ones standing between the townspeople’s vegetables and the swarms of fluffy, ravenous bunnies are Wallace, the clever, cheese-loving inventor, and Gromit. His faithful sidekick, the proud co-founders of the humane pest control service, Anti-Pesto. With only four days until Lady Tottington’s annual Giant Vegetable Competition at Tottington Hall, rumours of a terrifying, nightmarish beast attacking vegetable fields across the countryside freeze the bones to the marrow. Now, in order to capture Lady Tottington’s heart, the brave pair must utilise their skills to apprehend the beast. Before the trigger-happy suitor, Victor Quartermaine, and his nasty bulldog, Philip, have a chance to do it first.
6. Happy Feet (2006)
Director- George Miller
The Emperor Penguins sing a distinctive heartsong that expresses their very being in the icy country of Antarctica. Mumble, on the other hand, is unable to sing but has a remarkable ability to tap dance with almost magical intensity and emotion. Nonetheless, the colony’s strongly conformist leadership fears that the juvenile penguin’s unconventional tactics are to blame for the lean fishing that threatens them all. Mumble and his loyal pals go out to investigate the true reason of the famine, defiant in the face of unjust rejection. Mumble learns a lot about his frozen planet through the hardships and tribulations of the motley company, not the least of which is that his toe tapping gift might be just what he needs to preserve it.
7. Ratatouille (2007)
Director- Brad Bird
Remy, a provincial rat with a keen sense of smell, despises waste and risked his life to enter a human kitchen, where he discovered real food and the cuisine of Anton Gusteau, author of “Anyone Can Cook.” Remy gets evicted the day he learns that his idol has died, and he finds himself alone in Paris. By chance, he comes into Gasteau’s restaurant, which has been reduced to three stars and is now run by a chef who sells frozen foods. Linguini, a clumsy adolescent recruited as a garbage boy, arrives at the same time as Remy. Remy throws in some ingredients to preserve the soup Linguini accidently fouls; the soup is a success, and Linguini’s career as a chef begins.
8. Wall- E (2008)
Director- Andrew Stanton
Humans flee Earth in the far future because there is too much waste on it. WALL-E lives alone on the planet with a pet cockroach, as he has a propensity of picking up everything he finds intriguing. From lighters to a functional iPod and even a miniature ring box, he has quite a collection (without the ring). He even owns the last live plant on the planet. WALL-E falls in love with EVE, a sleek and deadly probe dropped by a spaceship on Earth in search of a living plant. WALL-E hands her the plant, which sends EVE into a deep slumber. When a spaceship arrives to return EVE, WALL-E joins her.
Following that is a journey onboard the Axiom, in which passengers walk around on hovering chairs and drink liquid cuisine through a straw. They have become so fat as a result of their indolence that they are unable to move. Auto, the autopilot, tries to get rid of the plant due to hurriedly provided instructions, forcing WALL-E, EVE, the pilot, and some malfunctioning robots to discover a way to collect the plant and preserve the earth.
9. Up (2009)
Director- Pete Docter
Carl Fredricksen, a young boy, is a dreamer who idolises adventurer Charles Muntz. Ellie, who also worships Muntz, becomes a close friend of his when he meets her. However, Charles Muntz is disgraced after being suspected of faking the skeleton of the Paradise Falls monster. He sails to South America in his airship in order to bring the monster back alive, but he never returns. Carl eventually matures and marries Ellie. They make a commitment to each other that they will go to Paradise Falls together and build a house there. Ellie dies several years later, and despite an offer from the owner of a construction company, Carl refuses to leave their house. Carl is confined to a retirement home after accidently hitting a worker who damaged his mailbox. However, in order to get to Paradise Falls, he employs a lot of balloons to float his residence. The adventure begins.
10. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Director- Lee Unkrich
Andy is now 17 years old and set to begin college, leaving Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the toy-box gang to ponder their uncertain futures. When the toys are unintentionally donated to the Sunnyside Daycare centre, they are first ecstatic to be able to play with them again, but their delight quickly turns to fear as they learn the true nature of the facility, which is run by the deceptively inviting “Lotso” Bear. All of the toys must now come together in one last, insane plan to break free and return to Andy.
