What was the first Disney movie to win an Oscar?

(Credits: Far Out / Walt Disney Pictures)

Fri 14 February 2025 10:30, UK

Animation has come a long way since Disney emerged during the silent era and introduced us to the beloved Mickey Mouse, but in spite of the many changes to the medium, most of us can’t help but revisit these original classics. There is something about Disney’s early animation style, as seen in movies like Bambi, that is endlessly captivating, and it remains a significant influence over many animators working today.

Disney’s style has evolved over the years, with the company eventually expanding into more advanced technologies, like CGI, and taking over Hollywood. Walt Disney Studios owns many of the most successful companies in the industry, from Marvel Studios to 20th Century Studios, delivering us some incredibly popular titles, spawning plenty of merchandise, and even creating several theme parks.

Naturally, then, Disney movies – or those distributed by companies owned by the conglomerate – have scooped up many awards. Since 2002, at least one movie produced or distributed by a Disney-owned company has won an Academy Award, a testament to Disney’s unending popularity and success. That’s not to say that Disney didn’t win many Oscars before this 22-years-and-counting streak; in total, Disney has won 150 awards from the Academy. 

Before Disney even released their first feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937, the company had amassed four Oscars for their short films, while Walt Disney himself had earned an Honorary Academy Award for his creation of Mickey Mouse. In fact, he holds the record for the most Oscars, personally receiving 26 golden statuettes for his contributions to cinema.

So, what was the first Disney movie to win an Oscar?

The 5th Academy Awards was the first ceremony that acknowledged ‘Best Animated Short Film’, with Walt Disney receiving two nominations for Mickey’s Orphans and Flowers and Trees. His only competition was Leon Schlesinger, whose film It’s Got Me Again! lost to Flowers and Trees, subsequently giving Disney his first win. Each year until 1940, Disney continued this winning streak with movies like Three Little Pigs and The Ugly Duckling.

Flowers and Trees, released in 1932, became the first film to use the three-strip Technicolor process. The movie depicts two trees who are in love, yet when an angry stump tries to burn them down, rainfall comes to the rescue. It was just eight minutes long, with Burt Gillett in charge of direction. It might not be remembered as one of Disney’s most iconic films these days, but it was a landmark release at the time. 

It was another seven years until the Oscars recognised a Disney feature film. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs earned Disney another Honorary Academy Award for producing the first-ever feature-length animation, which presented him with a statuette surrounded by seven miniature ones. The ‘Best Animated Feature’ category did not emerge until 2002, so until then, Disney features tended to win awards such as ‘Best Original Song’.

Thus, the first Disney feature film to win an Oscar was Pinocchio from 1940, which took home the prize for the song ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’, performed by Cliff Edwards and written by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline. The movie, which follows a wooden puppet who is brought to life to become a real boy, also saw Washington, Harlaine, and Paul Smith win ‘Best Original Score’.

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