The Forty-Ninth Academy Awards sent shockwaves through the system. While traditional "Oscar-worthy" films like
All the President's Men still made off with a large number of trophies, this was the ceremony where the underdogs ruled. Sports film
Rocky took the two most coveted Oscars, Best Picture and Best Director, while the satirical movie
Network became the second movie to ever win three acting awards. The performance of dark horse candidate
The Snow Queen shocked everyone, giving
Rocky and
All the President's Men a real run for their money in their winning categories and taking home three of its own.
This outstanding run at the Academy Awards prompted the organization to soon after announce that, for the very first time, an award for Best Animated Feature would be given at the Fiftieth Academy Awards in 1978. Many people, Walt Disney included, applauded this decision, glad that the world of film had finally accepted animation as a true art form.
Awards Won at the 47th Academy Awards
Best Picture: Rocky
Best Director: John G. Avildsen,
Rocky
Best Actor: Peter Finch,
Network
Best Actress: Faye Dunaway,
Network
Best Supporting Actor: Jason Robards,
All the President's Men
Best Supporting Actress: Beatrice Straight,
Network
Best Original Screenplay: Network, Paddy Chayefsky
Best Screenplay Adapted from Other Material: All the President's Men, William Goldman and Carl Bernstein/Bob Woodward
Best Documentary Feature: Harlan County, USA, Barbara Kopple
Best Documentary Short Subject: Number Our Days, Lynne Littman
Best Live Action Short Film: In the Region of Ice, Anne Guttfreund and Peter Werner
Best Animated Short Film: Leisure, Suzanne Baker
Best Original Score: The Omen, Jerry Goldsmith
Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score: Bound For Glory, Leonard Rosenman
Best Original Song: "Let Them Go
,"
The Snow Queen, Buddy Baker, Robert Sherman, and Richard Sherman
Best Sound: All the President's Men, Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander, and Jim Webb
Best Foreign Language Film: Black and White in Color, Côte d'Ivoire
Best Costume Design: Fellini's Casanova, Danilo Donati
Best Art Direction: The Snow Queen, Don Bluth
Best Cinematography: The Snow Queen, Don Bluth
Best Film Editing: Rocky, Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad
--------------------------------
Walt Disney's Office, Burbank, CA
March 29, 1977
"Heya, Walt. You wanted to see me?" said Don Bluth, waltzing into his boss' office.
Walt smirked. "More like congratulate you. It's thanks to you that the Academy has
finally come to their senses and opened up an award for Best Animated Feature."
"Yeah, we're going to dominate that category, let me tell you. Although... it's a bit disappointing that
Winnie the Pooh will probably be the first, over
The Snow Queen."
Walt sighed, and folded his hands on his desk. "It is, isn't it?"
An awkward silence hung there for a second, Bluth's mind on
The Snow Queen and Walt's on
Beauty and the Beast, both silently wishing their own film had been the first. "Anyways, I've got a suggestion for the Mickey movie you all in animation are working on."
"Oh?" asked Bluth, intrigued.
"With it being for Mickey's fiftieth and all, I was thinking that before the movie actually begins, we could have
Steamboat Willie play, for old time's sake, as a short."
Bluth's mind was racing with anticipation and ideas. "Tell you what, Walt: we won't just show
Steamboat Willie, we'll do you one better."
"Excuse me?"
"We'll remaster the cartoon, re-animate it from start to finish with more expertise than Ub Iwerks could have hoped to have. And then, we'll play
that before the movie."
"...Don, you have too many good ideas," laughed Walt. "Go right ahead, you have my permission. Just do the mouse well!"