Which Academy Award category did Terminator 2: Judgment Day win for its visual effects?

Terminator 2: Judgment Day won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

The award recognized the film’s groundbreaking combination of computer-generated imagery, practical effects, miniatures, prosthetics, and compositing. Industrial Light & Magic created the computer-generated effects for the T-1000, whose liquid-metal transformations had a major influence on later digital filmmaking.

At the 64th Academy Awards, Terminator 2 won four Oscars in total. Its other wins were Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Makeup. The visual-effects victory was especially significant because the film demonstrated that digital characters could interact convincingly with live-action performers.

The category is sometimes loosely called “special effects,” but the official Academy category was Best Visual Effects. The T-1000’s effects were created through a mixture of digital and physical techniques rather than by CGI alone.