37 Years of Best Visual Effects Oscar Winners

From Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope through some of the greatest films showcasing some of the best special effects of the past 37 years, this video was created in anticipation of the 86th Academy Awards and showcases those previous winners in the category. There are some incredible films on this list and some that truly changed our expectations for special effects, such as the original Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Matrix and Hugo.

Think of some of those films that were nominated in those years but didn’t win: Apollo 13 (lost to Babe in 1995), Blade Runner (E.T.‘s year), the original Iron Man (lost to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

The 2014 nominees for the Best Visual Effects Oscar are The Lone Ranger, Star Trek Into Darkness, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and Iron Man 3, so we’ll have to see who brings home the Oscar this year.