In a disappointing night for Disney’s animation studios, the 2026 Oscar ceremony marked a historic record: the company has gone four consecutive years without winning in the Best Animated Feature category. This year, the victory went to KPop Demon Hunters, a collaboration between Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, which also took home the award for Best Song for Golden. With this defeat, Disney and Pixar, its two key branches, have not managed to win since 2021, when Encanto took home the award.
Disney has not offered its best work for years
This stagnation is notable, given that Disney has traditionally dominated this category. In the 26 years since the award was created, Walt Disney Animation Studios has won four times, while Pixar has achieved an impressive total of 11 victories. In contrast, competitors like Dreamworks, Sony Pictures Animation, and the iconic Studio Ghibli have only been recognized twice.
The reasons behind this streak of failures are subjects of discussion. Both companies have faced criticism for not presenting their best work in recent years, which has allowed recognition to grow for films that deviate from the characteristic style of Disney and Pixar. Recent examples, such as Flow, which was created entirely in Blender, and the innovative Spider-Verse films, have captured the attention of Oscar voters.
Despite the negative streak in awards, Disney and Pixar have reasons to celebrate. Zootopia 2 became the highest-grossing American film of last year, while Hoppers, their latest release, has received positive reviews and performed well at the box office. Additionally, there are rumors that KPop Demon Hunters 2 could be present at the 2030 Oscars, as long as there are no delays in its production.
