Pixar Animation Studios was the big winner at this year’s 45th Annie Awards™ as Coco won Best Animated Feature, and garnered top honors across 11 categories including: Best Animated Effects; Character Animation; Character Design; Directing; Music; Production Design; Storyboarding; Writing; and Editorial.
Earning Annie distinction as the Best Independent Animated Feature was The Breadwinner (Cartoon Saloon/Aircraft Pictures/ Melusine Productions).
The evening was dedicated to the late June Foray, the legendary voice actress who was, more than anyone else, responsible for launching the Annies 45 years ago. Foray’s creativity, generosity and unrelenting advocacy for the animation community were evident in the touching presentation.
Frank Gladstone, Annie Awards executive producer, recalled that Foray “always delighted in seeing how the event she founded continued to grow year after year. This year was no exception. June would have enjoyed the increasing numbers, but more important to her, and to us, has always been seeing the proof, inherent in the Annies, that the capability of people, worldwide, to create animated films has also continued to diversify and increase.”
All four Winsor McCay recipients were in attendance at the Annie proceedings. The Winsor McCay Award for career contributions to the art of animation were presented to three recipients: British character animator, James Baxter; SpongeBob SquarePants creator, Stephen Hillenburg, and the Canadian animation duo, Wendy Tilby & Amanda Forbis.
The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art and industry of animation was presented to TVPaint for its versatile software for 2D animation.
The Special Achievement Award recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation was presented to Studio MDHR Entertainment for its 1930s inspired wonder-game Cuphead; and the June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation was presented to animation historian, Didier Ghez. The Certificate of Merit award was presented to David Nimitz, devoted friend and caretaker of Foray who passed away last July at the age of 99.
45th Annie Award Production & Achievement Award Recipients
Best Animated Feature
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Best Animated Feature-Independent
THE BREADWINNER
Cartoon Saloon / Aircraft Pictures / Melusine Productions
Best Animated Special Production
REVOLTING RHYMES
Magic Light Pictures
Best Animated Short Subject
DEAR BASKETBALL
Glen Keane Productions, Kobe Studios, Believe Entertainment Group
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
JUNE
Broad Reach Pictures/Chromosphere/Lyft
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
OCTONAUTS
Episode: Operation Deep Freeze
Vampire Squid Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media company, in association with Brown Bag Films
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Children
WE BARE BEARS
Episode: Panda’s Art
Cartoon Network Animation Studios
Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
RICK AND MORTY
Episode: 303 – “Pickle Rick”
Williams Street Productions
Best Student Film
POLES APART
Paloma Baeza
Animated Effects in an Animated Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Shaun Galinak, Dave Hale, Jason Johnston, Carl Kaphan, Keith Daniel Klohn
Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
TROLLHUNTERS
Episode: 205 – “Homecoming”
DreamWorks Animation Television
Bruno Chiou, Yi-Fan Cho, Kevin Jong , Chun-Jung Chu
Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
COCO (#12-6709)
Pixar Animation Studios
John Chun Chiu Lee
Character Animation in a Live Action Production
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, River Road Entertainment, 20th Century Fox
Daniel Barrett, Sidney Kombo-Kintombo, Emile Ghorayeb, Luisma Lavin Peredo, Alessandro Bonora
Character Animation in a Video Game
CUPHEAD ( #14-8031)
StudioMDHR
Hanna Abi-Hanna
Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
SAMURAI JACK
Episode: XCVI
Adult Swim
Craig Kellman
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Daniel Arriaga, Daniela Strijleva, Greg Dykstra, Alonso Martinez, Zaruhi Galstyan
Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE
Episode: The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!
Walt Disney Television Animation
Dave Wasson, Eddie Trigueros, Alonso Ramirez-Ramo
Directing in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE
Episode: The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!
Walt Disney Television Animation
Christopher Willis
Music in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Michael Giacchino, Kristin Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Germaine Franco, Adrian Molina
Production Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
SAMURAI JACK
Episode: XCIII
Adult Swim
Scott Wills
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studio
Harley Jessup, Danielle Feinberg, Bryn Imagire, Nathaniel McLaughlin, Ernesto Nemesio
Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE
Episode: Bee Inspired
Walt Disney Television Animation
Eddie Trigueros
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
COCO (#24-6718)
Pixar Animation Studios
Dean Kelly
Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
Nickelodeon
Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel
Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
RICK AND MORTY
Episode: 307 – “The Ricklantis Mixup”
Williams Street Productions
Ryan Ridley, Dan Guterman
Writing in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich
Editorial in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
SAMURAI JACK
Episode: XCIII, XCIV, XCIX
Adult Swim
Paul Douglas
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
COCO
Pixar Animation Studios
Steve Bloom, Lee Unkrich, Greg Snyder, Tim Fox
