1941 Oscars — Special Effects

The Thief of Bagdad won Special Effects at the 1941 Oscars. All 14 nominees are listed below, winner first. The other nominees were Boom Town, Dr. Cyclops, Foreign Correspondent, One Million B.C., Rebecca, Swiss Family Robinson, The Blue Bird, The Boys from Syracuse, The Invisible Man Returns, The Long Voyage Home, The Sea Hawk, Typhoon and Women in War. Each film links to its complete award history. The links below go to the 1940 and 1942 Special Effects races.

Last updated August 12, 2026

The Thief of Bagdad(1940)
Photographic Effects by Lawrence Butler; Sound Effects by Jack Whitney
Winner
Boom Town(1940)
Photographic Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie; Sound Effects by Douglas Shearer
Dr. Cyclops(1940)
Photographic Effects by Gordon Jennings, Farciot Edouart
Foreign Correspondent(1940)
Photographic Effects by Paul Eagler; Sound Effects by Thomas T. Moulton
One Million B.C.(1940)
Photographic Effects by Roy Seawright; Sound Effects by Elmer Raguse
Rebecca(1940)
Photographic Effects by Jack Cosgrove; Sound Effects by Arthur Johns
Swiss Family Robinson(1940)
Photographic Effects by Vernon L. Walker; Sound Effects by John O. Aalberg
The Blue Bird(1940)
Photographic Effects by Fred Sersen; Sound Effects by E. H. Hansen
The Boys from Syracuse(1940)
Photographic Effects by John P. Fulton; Sound Effects by Bernard B. Brown, Joseph Lapis
The Invisible Man Returns(1940)
Photographic Effects by John P. Fulton; Sound Effects by Bernard B. Brown, William Hedgecock
The Long Voyage Home(1940)
Photographic Effects by R. T. Layton, R. O. Binger; Sound Effects by Thomas T. Moulton
The Sea Hawk(1940)
Photographic Effects by Byron Haskin; Sound Effects by Nathan Levinson
Typhoon(1940)
Photographic Effects by Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings; Sound Effects by Loren Ryder
Women in War(1940)
Photographic Effects by Howard J. Lydecker, William Bradford, Ellis J. Thackery; Sound Effects by Herbert Norsch