The International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood, Burbank) has announced the nominees for its 27th annual Annie Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in animation. In the TV commercial category, San Francisco-based Wild Brain produced two of the five nominated spots: a San Francisco Film Festival :30 entitled "Celebrate Being In The Dark," directed by Gordon Clark for agency Zimmerman Crowe Design, San Francisco; and a Levi’s World AIDS Day PSA promoting condom use, called "Sensitive," via TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco. The latter spot, directed by Wild Brain founding partner John Hays, was part of a campaign that earned distinction earlier this year in SHOOT’s "The Best Work You May Never See" gallery (3/19, p. 11).
The other Annie-nominated spots are: Hollywood Gum’s "Gnome," a stop-motion animation piece directed by feature filmmaker Tim Burton (i.e. Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Batman Returns, Mars Attacks!) via Los Angeles-based A Band Apart.35mm for Euro RSCG, Paris; Old Navy’s "Performance Fleece," helmed by John Kricfalusi of Spumco, Glendale, Calif., for Old Navy Marketing, San Francisco; and Kraft Foods’ Miracle Whip ad, "Tweety," out of J. Walter Thompson, Chicago, directed by Frank Molieri of Warner Bros. Classic Animation, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Old Navy and Kricfalusi—who’s perhaps best known as the creator of Ren & Stimpy—won the commercial Annie last year for two cel animation :30s: "Big Pocket Jeans" and "Flares" (SHOOT, 11/27/98, p. 1).
The Annie competition encompasses various entertainment disciplines, including spots, feature films, TV programs and interactive media. This year’s winners will be honored at the Annie Awards ceremony on Nov. 6 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif. ASIFA-Hollywood is a non-profit organization devoted to advancing the art of animation.
Special Annies will also be bestowed during the festivities, including the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement. This year’s recipients are: Marcell Jankovics, a short film animator from Hungary; animator Ray Patterson, who was part of the MGM unit that worked during that studio’s so-called "Golden Age" on such projects as the Tom and Jerry cartoons; and CGI pioneer Con Pederson, whose endeavors spanned short- and longform, including spots out of the now defunct Robert Abel & Associates.