These 6 Pixar Movies Are Outliers To The Studio's Oscar Dominance Over 28 Years

While almost all of Pixar’s movies were well-received critically, six of their outings have the unfortunate distinction of ruining the studio’s staggering streak at the Academy Awards. All of Pixar’s movies have their fans, and the studio’s output is often viewed as some of the best family animations that Hollywood has to offer. Since the studio blazed onto the scene with the 1995 blockbuster Toy Story, Pixar married smart scripts, captivating characters, and original ideas with groundbreaking animation. Not only was the studio a leader in 3D animation, but Pixar also had the quality to back up this novelty.



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While Pixar’s best movies prove that the studio is capable of generating real magic in the right conditions, even the studio’s least inspired output tends to fare comparatively well with reviewers. This meant that, as countless competitors rose to challenge the studio’s dominance in the world of 3D animation, Pixar continued to lead the industry in one important area. Whether the studio was nominated or won them, Pixar’s output was among the most awarded in the world of animation. Almost all of Pixar’s movies were at least nominated for Oscars, save for a few outliers over the last three decades.



Only 6 Pixar Movies Were Not Nominated For A Single Oscar

Pixar’s Output Reliably Receives Oscars Nominations

All but six Pixar movies out of the studio’s 28 feature films have been nominated for Oscars, with 11 of these winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This already sounds impressive, but this award didn’t even exist before 2001. This means A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2 were all ineligible. Since the Toy Story franchise is one of Pixar’s most critically successful series, the studio might have earned even more nominations and wins if the award had been around in the ‘90s. That said, not all of Pixar’s efforts managed to woo the Academy.


Judging by Pixar’s history, the Oscars aren’t overly fond of animated franchises.

Despite their largely solid reviews. Lightyear, Cars 2, Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, and Cars 3 were not nominated for Oscars. Every other Pixar production got at least one nomination, while 11 walked away with the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The winners include Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 3, Brave, Inside Out, Coco, Toy Story 4, and Soul. If there seems to be a pattern emerging in terms of what the Oscars do and don’t reward, that is not a coincidence. Judging by Pixar’s history, the Oscars aren’t overly fond of franchises.


All But 1 Of Pixar’s Non-Oscar Nominated Movies Have Something In Common

Almost All Pixar’s Non-Oscar Nominated Outings Are Sequels Prequels And Spinoffs

Although 2015’s box office flop The Good Dinosaur was the only original movie that fell short, the rest of Pixar’s non-Oscar nominated movies were all part of a famous existing IP in some way. Cars 2, Finding Dory, and Cars 3 were straightforward sequels, Monsters University was a prequel, and the box office failure Lightyear was a spinoff that made the Toy Story franchise’s delusional toy into a real-life action hero. Outside the Toy Story series, the Academy doesn’t appear to care for Pixar’s franchise instalments, considering 2018’s The Incredibles 2 received a nomination but did not win.

Toy Story 5
is expected to arrive in June 2026.