What was the first Pixar film to receive a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination?
Answer
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. was the first Pixar film to receive a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination.
The film was nominated at the 74th Academy Awards for the award’s first presentation in the animated-feature category. It competed against Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Shrek, with Shrek winning the inaugural Oscar. Monsters, Inc. therefore holds an important place in Pixar’s awards history even though it did not win the category.
This fact is sometimes confused with Pixar’s first Academy Award win in the category. That win went to Finding Nemo at the 76th Academy Awards. Toy Story, released in 1995, was made before Best Animated Feature existed as a competitive Oscar category, so it could not receive a nomination for that award. Cars later received a nomination for the 79th Academy Awards, but it was not the first Pixar film nominated.