On this day at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California, the 11th annual Academy Awards® were held. And while neither Walt Disney nor his first film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had been nominated the previous year, on this date in 1939 Walt managed to walk away with much more than just a single Academy Award®. Snow White was “recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon,” and young Shirley Temple presented Walt with an honorary Academy Award® along with seven “dwarf” statuettes, confirming that the film with the seven little men was a big success.
