“LA LA LAND” easily lands on my list of the best movies that were nominated for – but lost – the Best Picture Academy Award. Joining the dazzling musical are the following films (and no – “Star Wars” and “Citizen Kane” are NOT among this lineup):
“TOY STORY 3”
2011 Oscars
Lost To: “The King’s Speech”
Also Nominated: “127 Hours”, “Black Swan”, “The Fighter”, “Inception”, “The Kids Are All Right”, “The Social Network”, “True Grit”, “Winter’s Bone”
“TS3” became the first animated sequel to receive a Best Picture nomination. This was the final year The Academy enforced 10 mandatory Best Picture nominees.
“THE SIXTH SENSE”
2000 Oscars
Lost To: “American Beauty”
Also Nominated: “The Cider House Rules”, “The Green Mile”, “The Insider”
It was appropriately nominated for 6 Oscars.
“BABE”
1996 Oscars
Lost To: “Braveheart”
Also Nominated: “Apollo 13”, “Il Postino: The Postman”, “Sense and Sensibility”
“Babe” won the Visual Effects category; “Apollo 13” was the only other nominee.
“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”
1992 Oscars
Lost To: “The Silence of the Lambs”
Also Nominated: “Bugsy”, “JFK”, “The Prince of Tides”
“Beauty” won 2 Oscars – Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”). It became the first animated feature nominated for Best Picture
“FIELD OF DREAMS”
1990 Oscars
Lost To: “Driving Miss Daisy”
Also Nominated: “Born on the Fourth of July”, “Dead Poets Society”, “My Left Foot” (What a powerhouse lineup!)
“E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL”
1983 Oscars
Lost To: “Gandhi”
Also Nominated: “Missing”, “Tootsie”, “The Verdict”
“E.T.” won four Oscars.
“NETWORK” and “ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN”
1977 Oscars
Lost To: “Rocky”
Also Nominated: “Bound for Glory”, “Taxi Driver”
“Network” received three of the night’s four acting honors, including a posthumous Best Actor win for Peter Finch. “President” also won four Oscars.
“JAWS”
1976 Oscars
Lost To: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
Also Nominated: “Barry Lyndon”, “Dog Day Afternoon”, “Nashville”
Best Picture was the only loss of the night for “Jaws”.
“MARY POPPINS”
1965 Oscars
Lost To: “My Fair Lady” (another musical)
Also Nominated: “Becket”, “Dr. Strangelove”, “Zorba the Greek”
“Poppins” earned 5 Oscars, including Best Actress (Julie Andrews). It is the only live-action movie from the core Walt Disney Pictures studio that has ever been nominated for Best Picture.
“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD”
1963 Oscars
Lost To: “Lawrence of Arabia”
Also Nominated: “The Longest Day”, “The Music Man”, “Mutiny on the Bounty”
“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE”
1947 Oscars
Lost To: “The Best Years of Our Lives”
Also Nominated: “Henry V”, “The Razor’s Edge”, “The Yearling”
“Wonderful” was nominated for 5 Oscars and received none.
“THE WIZARD OF OZ”
1940 Oscars
Lost To: “Gone with the Wind”
Also Nominated: “Dark Victory”, “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”, “Love Affair”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Ninotchka”, “Of Mice and Men”, “Stagecoach”, “Wuthering Heights”
Recent Honorable Mentions: “Room” (2015), “American Sniper” (2014), “Frost/Nixon” (2008), “Juno” (2007)