In addition to Best Feature, The Wild Robot also took home an Annie for Best FX- Feature (Derek Cheung, Michael Losure, David Chow, Nyoung Kim, Steve Avoujageli), Best Character Animation – Feature (Fabio Lignini), Best Character Design – Feature (Genevieve Tsai), Best Direction – Feature (Chris Sanders), Best Music – Feature (Kris Bowers), Best Production Design – Feature (Raymond Zibach, Ritchie Sacilioc) Best Voice Acting – Feature (Lupita Nyong’o as Roz) and Best Editorial – Feature (Mary Blee, Collin Erker, Orlando Duenas, Lucie Lyon, Brian Parker).
Best Feature – Independent was presented to Flow (Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio). Flow also won an Annie for Best Writing – Feature (Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža). Best Special Production was presented to Orion and the Dark (DreamWorks Animation), and Best Short Subject was presented to Wander to Wonder (Circe Films, Kaap Holland Film, Les Productions de Milou, Beast Animation, Blink Industries & Pictanovo).
Arcane (A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix) took home seven Annies for Best FX – TV/Media – (Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Adam Bachiri, Guillaume Zaouche, Jérôme Dupré); Best Character Animation – TV/Media (Tom Gouill); Best Direction – TV/Media (Arnaud Delord, Pascal Charrue, Bart Maunoury); Best Music – TV/Media (Ryan Jillian Santiago, Alexander Seaver, Simon Wilcox); Best Production Design – TV/Media (Arnaud-Loris Baudry, Julien Georgel, Faustine Dumontier, Charlotte O’Neill); Best Storyboading – TV/Media (Joséphine Meis); and Best Editorial – TV/Media (Nazim Meslem, Gilad Carmel, Roberto Fernandez).
Best Student Film was presented to Adiós (National Film and Television School José Prats, Bernardo Angeletti); and Best Sponsored Production – Fuzzy Feelings (Passion Pictures Hungry Man). Best TV/Media – Children – Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur “The Molecular Level” (Flying Bark Productions, Disney Television Animation, Disney Branded Television, Cinema Gypsy); Best Animated TV/Media – Preschool – The Tiny Chef Show Episode: Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular (Imagine Entertainment, Tiny Chef Productions and Nickelodeon Productions); and Best TV/Media – Limited Series – Dream Productions – “A Night to Remember” (Pixar Animation Studios).
Best Character Animation – Live Action was presented to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Christian Kickenweitz, Aidan Martin, Allison Orr, Radiya Alam, Howard Sly – Weta FX); and Best Character Animation – Video Game to Neva (Nomada Studio Animation Team).
The first presenter of the evening was kept secret until he walked onto the stage. Actor Steve Buscemi and former member of the FDNY presented the first two Annie Awards, along with local Los Angeles firefighter Brian McGrath. ASIFA-Hollywood announced at tonight’s ceremony an unprecedented fundraising campaign, AnimAID, created in collaboration with industry co-workers and animation studios, to provide financial support for those in the animation community who have lost so much in the recent LA fires. AnimAID plans to also partner with Sotheby’s this spring for a prestigious online auction of animation art, followed by other events to come. For more information on AnimAID and to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit https://www.asifa-hollywood.org/animaid-donate/.
Other presenters during the evening included – Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham (Directors, Wallace & Gromit), Kristen Schaal & Jason Ritter, Irene Bedard (voice of Pocahontas) & Aaron Blaise (Disney Animator and Winsor McCay recipient), Diamond White (voice of Moon Girl) & Yonas Kibreab (voice of Elio), Don Hahn (Disney Producer), Charles Fleischer (voice of Roger Rabbit) & Bill Farmer (voice of Goofy), Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson) & Christopher Sean (voice of Ultraman), Peter Hastings (Director of Dog Man), and Carolyn Lawrence (voice of Sandy Cheeks from SpongeBob SquarePants) & Victoria Bodart. (Firefighter).
Juried Awards were presented during the ceremony, honoring unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions are being presented to three recipients – Longtime Disney Supervising Animator/Director Aaron Blaise, National Film Board of Canada (NFB) writer, director, producer, and Academy Award influencer Eunice Macaulay (posthumous); and influential NFB composer and sound designer Normand Roger.
The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent impact will be awarded to the global non-profit Women in Animation (WIA), advocating for gender equity and inclusion in animation, VFX, and gaming.
The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry will be presented to visual effects, animation and gaming pioneer Alberto Menache who contributed founding technology to performance capture, virtual production and more. The Special Achievement Award acknowledging unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure will be presented to Directing at Disney-The Original Directors of Walt’s Animated Films, the historically important new book by Pete Docter and Don Peri.
Many thanks to the generous support from this year’s sponsors: Platinum – DreamWorks Animation, Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation; Gold – Disney Branded TV, Riot Games and Nickelodeon; Silver – Amazon MGM Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation; Bronze – GKIDS and Skydance Animation, and Industry – Animation Is Film, Animation Magazine, Bento Box Entertainment, Epic Games, Lightbox Expo, Motion Pictures Editors Guild, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Sheridan College, The Animation Guild IATSE Local 839 and Toon Boom Animation. Nominee Reception Sponsors – Wacom and Toon Boom.
The Annie Awards™ honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in 32 categories from best feature, best feature – independent, production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music, editing, and voice acting, and have often been a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The ceremony was streamed this year courtesy of ASIFA-Hollywood – www.annieawards.org/watch-it-live. A complete list of winners can be viewed at www.annieawards.org.
