^{Credit: Annie Hall (United Artists)}

The world has lost a screen legend in Diane Keaton, who passed away today at age 79. Keaton was a consistent force on the comedy scene for decades, with her work in the Father of the Bride films, Something’s Gotta Give, and most recently, the Book Club films, not to mention voicing the titular character’s mother in Finding Dory. Keaton would also flawlessly transition to drama in movies like The Godfather, Reds, and Marvin’s Room. She’d balance comedy and drama throughout her numerous collaborations with Woody Allen, most notably her Oscar-winning turn as the titular character in Annie Hall.

Much has been said about Keaton’s Best Actress-winning performance, as well as her character’s iconic wardrobe. One aspect of Keaton’s performance often goes overlooked, however. It’s also (kind of) a voiceover performance, the first to win an Oscar. In the film, Woody Allen's Alvy Singer says, "When my mother took me to see Snow White, everyone fell in love with Snow White. I immediately fell for the Wicked Queen." The film then cuts to an animated Alvy having a lover's spat with the Queen, who resembles the Disney villainess and Annie. 

Alvy jumps to the conclusion that the Queen is having her time of the month, to which she replies, "I don't get a period. I'm a cartoon character." She might not get her period, but Queen has a rather risqué design. Let’s just say, she’s clearly not wearing a bra. This roughly thirty-second scene was inspired by Stuart 'Stoo’ Hample’s comic, Inside Woody Allen, which ran from 1976 to 1984. Although some assumed that Hample animated the segment, the director was former UPA employee Chris K. Ishii, who won two Clio Awards for his animated TV advertisements.

For years, there’s been a debate about the lack of voiceover representation at the Oscars. Many felt Robin Williams should’ve been nominated for voicing the Genie in Aladdin, while Eddie Murphy should’ve been recognized for voicing Donkey in Shrek. Williams received a special honor at the Golden Globes while Murphy was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTAs. Come Oscar time, though, neither got nominated. It’s been argued that the Academy should introduce a category specifically for voiceover performances, although that likely won’t be happening anytime soon.

For whatever reason, Keaton’s performance rarely comes up when people discuss repainting voice acting at the Oscars. Granted, only one brief scene in Annie Hall is animated. It’s not an animated feature, and the voiceover portion of Keaton’s performance isn’t even a minute long. It’s still a lesser-known milestone at the Oscars that deserves to be talked about more. Keaton is technically the first person to win an Oscar for a voiceover performance, even if 99% of that performance was in live-action. One could argue that Cliff Edwards’ voiceover performance as Jiminy Cricket helped “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio win Best Original Song. However, Edwards didn’t share in that win with songwriters Leigh Harline and Ned Washington. 

In that sense, Keaton’s Oscar win remains something of an anomaly. If you’ve never seen Annie Hall, now’s the time to finally check it out. Not only is it Allen’s finest film, but it also contains one of the best lead performances from one of our all-time greatest actresses. RIP Diane Keaton (1946-2025). 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!