Academy Award for Visual Effects
The
Academy Award for Visual Effects is an
Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in
visual effects.
The category was called Best Special Effects when it was created in 1939. In 1963, the category was split into two: Best Special Visual Effects and
Best Sound Effects. In 1972, the Academy stopped giving out awards for Visual Effects and instead gave
Special Achievement Awards. However, this only happened for a handful of years; the category soon became an annual competitive award. The category was changed again in 1996 when it became simply Best Visual Effects.
For a film to be nominated for this award, the effects artist must have created something not available for filming. For example, an entirely digital
Empire State Building could not make a movie eligible, since one can easily film the building; on the other hand, a recreation of ancient
Rome could, since it is impossible to film. However, movies are judged on the quality of all of their effects shots, not just one scene.
Below is a list of films that have received an Oscar for Visual Effects.
*
1939 The Rains Came **
Gone with the Wind**
Only Angels Have Wings **
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex**
Topper Takes a Trip**
Union Pacific**
The Wizard of Oz*
1940 The Thief of Bagdad**
The Blue Bird**
Boom Town **
The Boys from Syracuse**
Dr. Cyclops **
Foreign Correspondent **
The Invisible Man Returns**
The Long Voyage Home**
One Million B.C. **
Rebecca **
The Sea Hawk**
Swiss Family Robinson **
Typhoon**
Women in War *
1941 I Wanted Wings**
Aloma of the South Seas **
Flight Command **
The Invisible Woman**
The Sea Wolf **
That Hamilton Woman **
Topper Returns **
Yank in the R.A.F.*
1942 Reap the Wild Wind**
The Black Swan**
Desperate Journey **
Flying Tigers **
Invisible Agent **
Jungle Book **
Mrs. Miniver **
The Navy Comes Through**
One of Our Aircraft is Missing **
Pride of the Yankees*
1943 Crash Dive**
Air Force **
Bombardier **
The North Star**
So Proudly We Hail!**
Stand by for Action *
1944 Thirty Seconds over Tokyo**
The Adventures of Mark Twain **
Days of Glory **
Secret Command**
Since You Went Away**
The Story of Dr. Wassell**
Wilson*
1945 Wonder Man**
Captain Eddie **
Spellbound **
They Were Expendable**
Thousand and One Nights*
1946 Blithe Spirit**
A Stolen Life*
1947 Green Dolphin Street**
Unconquered*
1948 Portrait of Jennie**
Deep Waters*
1949 Mighty Joe Young**
Tulsa*
1950 Destination Moon**
Samson and Delilah*
1951 When Worlds Collide*
1952 Plymouth Adventure*
1953 The War of the Worlds*
1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea**
Hell and High Water**
Them!
*1955 The Bridges at Toko-Ri
** The Dam Busters**
The Rains of Ranchipur
*1956 The Ten Commandments
** Forbidden Planet*
1957 The Enemy Below**
The Spirit of St. Louis*
1958 Tom Thumb**
Torpedo Run*
1959 Ben-Hur**
Journey to the Center of the Earth*
1960 The Time Machine**
The Last Voyage*
1961 The Guns of Navarone**
The Absent Minded Professor*
1962 The Longest Day**
Mutiny on the Bounty*
1963 Cleopatra**
The Birds
*1964 Mary Poppins
** 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
*1965 Thunderball
** The Greatest Story Ever Told*
1966 Fantastic Voyage**
Hawaii
*1967 Doctor Dolittle
** Tobruk
*1968 2001: A Space Odyssey
** Ice Station Zebra
*1969 Marooned
** Krakatoa, East of Java''
*
1970 Tora! Tora! Tora!**
Patton*
1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks**
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth*
1972 The Poseidon Adventure (Special Achievement Award)
*
1973 No award given
*
1974 Earthquake (Special Achievement Award)
*
1975 The Hindenburg (Special Achievement Award)
*
1976 King Kong and
Logan's Run (Special Achievement Awards)
*
1977 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope**
Close Encounters of the Third Kind*
1978 Superman: The Movie (Special Achievement Award)
*
1979 Alien**
1941**
The Black Hole**
Moonraker**
Star Trek: The Motion Picture*
1980 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Achievement Award)
*
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark**
Dragonslayer*
1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial**
Blade Runner**
Poltergeist*
1983 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Special Achievement Award)
*
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom**
2010: The Year We Make Contact**
Ghostbusters*
1985 Cocoon**
Return to Oz**
Young Sherlock Holmes *
1986 Aliens**
Little Shop of Horrors**
Poltergeist II: The Other Side *
1987 Innerspace**
Predator*
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit**
Die Hard**
Willow*
1989 The Abyss**
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen**
Back to the Future Part II*
1990 Total Recall (Special Achievement Award)
*
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day**
Hook **
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country*
1992 Death Becomes Her**
Alien³ **
Batman Returns*
1993 Jurassic Park**
Cliffhanger**
The Nightmare Before Christmas*
1994 Forrest Gump**
The Mask**
True Lies*
1995 Babe**
Apollo 13*
1996 Independence Day**
Dragonheart
** Twister
*1997 Titanic
** The Lost World: Jurassic Park
** Starship Troopers
*1998 What Dreams May Come
** Armageddon
** Mighty Joe Young
*1999 The Matrix
** Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
** Stuart Little''
*
2000 Gladiator**
Hollow Man **
The Perfect Storm*
2001 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring**
Artificial Intelligence: AI**
Pearl Harbor*
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers**
Spider-Man**
Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones *
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King**
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World**
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl*
2004 Spider-Man 2**
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban**
I, Robot*
2005 King Kong**
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe**
War of the Worlds
