For the 22nd Academy Awards, RKO was nominated for the work done on Mighty Joe Young (1949), and when they won, it was Willis H. O'Brien who went on stage to accept the statue.

There have been three semi-animated films nominated, which also won: Mary Poppins in 1964, Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988.

[10] According to the official Academy Award rules, the criteria are: (a) consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and (b) the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved.A number of filmmakers have had their movies honored for their achievements in visual effects; i.e., six by director James Cameron (who began his career in Hollywood as an effects technician), five films produced by George Pal, five by director/producer George Lucas, four by directors Richard Fleischer, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, three by directors Robert Zemeckis and Christopher Nolan, and two by directors Clarence Brown, Cecil B. DeMille, Mark Robson, Ridley Scott, Robert Stevenson and Denis Villeneuve.

However, according to the rules of the Academy in effect at the time, only three persons could be nominated for their work on a single film, which would have resulted in the omission of either Trumbull, Tom Howard, Con Pederson or Wally Veevers.

Ultimately, it was Kubrick's name that was submitted as a nominee in this category, resulting in his winning the award, which many consider a slight to the four men whose work contributed to the film's success.

The tables below display the Oscar nominees for Best Visual Effects including the recipients of the Special Achievement Awards.

[17] The full membership of the Visual Effects Branch is invited to view excerpts and is provided with supporting information at a "bake-off" where balloting determines the five nominees.