Throughout the 96-year history of the Academy Awards, there has been just one instance where a non-human has claimed the esteemed Oscar.

Of course, it didn't literally 'walk' away with the award, but you get the idea.

While numerous films focusing on animals have been nominated at the Los Angeles event—such as Babe, War Horse, and Life of Pi, all of which were contenders for Best Picture—only once has an actual animal been awarded a win.

Let's take a journey back to the year 1932.

By then, only three official Academy Award ceremonies had been held, with the first taking place in 1929.

The glamorous event saw Lionel Barrymore win Best Actor for his performance in the pre-Code drama A Free Soul, while Marie Dressler took home the Best Actress award for her role in the comedy Min and Bill.

Even though he hadn't starred in any specific film or TV series, the 4th Oscars also recognized animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur Walt Disney with an honorary award.

Why? For the creation of Mickey Mouse, naturally!

The beloved cartoon character debuted in 1928 and went on to feature in over three dozen animated 'shorts'. Although there was no actual mouse to accept the award that evening, Disney—who passed away in 1966 at the age of 65—posed beside a stool with a statue of Mickey on top.

Only once has a non-animal won an Oscar and that was, of course, Mickey Mouse (General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

This charming photograph has since become a 'popular bit of internet lore', as noted by USA Today, with many enthusiasts of the awards ceremony erroneously claiming that the 1939 event was the first time a non-human won an Oscar.

To date, no living, breathing animals have been nominated for an award, even though the Academy's official rules don't specify that an actor must be human to win the accolade.

American journalist Susan Orlean mentioned in her 2011 book Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend that Rinty had once garnered a significant number of Best Actor votes, but that awards officials were concerned that an animal winning might undermine the ceremony's credibility.

According to The Wrap, however, the Academy's former executive director Bruce Davis later refuted Orlean’s assertion.

This year, Netflix's musical-drama Emilia Pérez has earned the most nominations, with the 2025 ceremony set to commence on Sunday night (March 2).

Tying for second place are the period drama The Brutalist and the Broadway musical adaptation Wicked, each receiving 10 nominations.