The king of animation just suffered its longest losing streak ever. Disney went zero-for-two at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, extending its Best Animated Feature winless run to four consecutive years. The Disney Oscar drought now stands as the longest in the studio’s history since the category was created in 2001.
Despite landing two nominations, Zootopia 2 and Elio, neither film could break the streak. The award went elsewhere, marking the fourth straight year Disney walked away empty-handed from animation’s biggest night.
The last time Disney won an Oscar for animation was in 2021. Encanto won that year, capping a run of dominance that saw the studio collect eight trophies during the 2010s. At the time, another loss seemed unthinkable.
Then the shift began. Turning Red lost to Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio in 2023. Elemental fell to The Boy and the Heron in 2024. Inside Out 2 couldn’t overcome Flow in 2025. Now 2026 joins the list, with Zootopia 2 and Elio both failing to bring gold back to Burbank.
This year’s Best Animated Feature category stacked five nominees. Disney brought two heavy hitters: Zootopia 2, which became the highest-grossing U.S. animated film of all time with $1.7 billion worldwide, and Elio, Pixar’s ambitious original about a boy accidentally launched into an alien ambassador role.
The competition included Arco, Little Amélie or The Character of Rain, and the eventual winner, Netflix’s K-pop Demon Hunters, which entered the night fresh off a Critics’ Choice win. The genre-bending musical saga built its audience organically on streaming before converting that momentum into Oscar gold.
Four years without a win would have seemed impossible a decade ago. Disney animated films dominated the 2010s so completely that the category often felt like a formality. Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios combined for eight wins between 2010 and 2019, with only one loss (Rango in 2011) interrupting the streak.
The drought reflects broader shifts in the animation landscape. International and independent films now regularly compete with studio giants. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio brought stop-motion artistry to Netflix. Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron proved Japanese animation can win mainstream awards. Flow, a Latvian film with no dialogue from a first-time director, took the prize last year.
None of this hurts Disney’s bottom line. Zootopia 2 sits at $1.7 billion worldwide. Moana 2, which didn’t even get nominated, crossed $1 billion. Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film ever in 2024. The studio prints money regardless of what gold statues say.
But Oscars matter for legacy. Disney built its reputation on artistic excellence as much as commercial success. Walt himself won 22 competitive Oscars and received four honorary awards, a record no one has touched. The studio bearing his name now faces questions about whether its creative engine still fires at the level awards voter’s demand.
The 2027 race already looms. Toy Story 5 arrives this summer, carrying Pixar’s legacy and audience expectations. Shrek 5 follows later in the year. Both sequels face the same challenge as Zootopia 2: overcoming industry bias against follow-ups while competing against fresher voices.
For now, Disney sits with its longest Oscar drought. The streak hit four years Sunday night. Whether it stretches to five depends on what happens when voting opens again.
