“Animation is cinema, animation is not a genre, and animation is ready to be taken to the next step.”

When we talk about genre bias at the Academy Awards, horror often takes the spotlight as the perennial underdog. But if horror is underappreciated, animation is practically invisible. Despite its artistic evolution, cultural significance, and global impact, animation remains locked in the same reductive box it’s always been shoved into: a genre for children. That perception has robbed countless animated films of the recognition they deserve, particularly in the Oscars’ most prestigious category: Best Picture.

Only three animated films in Oscar history have been nominated for Best Picture: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Up (2009), and Toy Story 3 (2010). Not one has won. That’s not just oversight, it’s institutional bias. And when you consider that the Best Picture category was expanded to up to 10 nominees in 2010 specifically to allow for more diverse recognition, the silence since then speaks volumes.

It’s not for lack of worthy contenders. In recent years alone, two standout examples come to mind: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The former came from an Academy favorite, a previous Best Picture-winning director, and yet, despite its dark, emotionally rich storytelling and craft, Pinocchio remained confined to the Animated Feature category. The latter, Spider-Verse, was heralded as one of the greatest animated films of all time, expanding what was visually and narratively possible in the medium. But it didn’t even win Best Animated Feature, let alone break into the big race.

Why? Perhaps Spider-Verse was dismissed for being a sequel. Perhaps it was the Academy’s preference for more conventional narratives. Or perhaps it’s the persistent belief that animation, no matter how innovative or moving, simply isn’t “serious” enough.

In that sense, animation finds itself where international cinema once stood. For years, foreign-language films were confined to their own category and rarely broke into Best Picture. But now, it’s expected that one or two international films will make that crossover. Parasite even made history by winning both. We’re seeing increasing overlap, with films like Drive My Car and The Zone of Interest earning dual nominations. Animation deserves the same trajectory.

Animation is not a genre. It is a medium, one as capable of nuance, complexity, and emotional depth as any live-action film. And many animated films have left a bigger cultural footprint than the Best Picture nominees of their time. Consider: The Lion King, Spirited Away, Snow White, Shrek, Toy Story, Fantastic Mr. Fox, How to Train Your Dragon, The LEGO Movie. These are not minor works. They are global phenomena, beloved across generations, studied, referenced, and celebrated. The fact that none of them cracked Best Picture contention is not a coincidence. It’s proof of a systemic blind spot.

The Best Animated Feature category, introduced in 2002, was a step toward visibility, with Shrek taking the inaugural prize. But it also created a kind of ceiling. A consolation prize that allows the Academy to sidestep the real issue. As long as there’s a separate category for animation, voters feel no pressure to treat animated films as contenders for the biggest award.

Still, there are signs of hope. When del Toro accepted his Oscar for Pinocchio, he made a powerful statement:

“Animation is cinema, animation is not a genre, and animation is ready to be taken to the next step.”

This year, Flow won Best Animated Feature, the first indie film to do so with no major studio backing and a budget under 3.5 million euros. Created entirely in Blender, an open-source 3D software, it was also only the second animated film ever to receive a nomination for Best International Feature, after Flee in 2021. Flow’s success shows that the Academy may finally be opening its eyes to animation’s breadth and global reach. It is also a game-changer for independent animation, proving that you don’t need a Pixar or Disney machine behind you to be taken seriously.

The Academy is changing. Its membership is becoming more international, more diverse, and hopefully, more open-minded. But until animated films are regularly seen as Best Picture material, not just children’s fare, the Oscars will continue to undervalue one of the most vital and expressive forms of cinematic storytelling. The myth that animation is “just for kids” doesn’t reflect the work being made, nor the audiences who love it.