Hollywood-based Acme Filmworks has topped the field of spot nominees in the 28th annual Annie Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in animation. The Annies are presented by the Burbank-headquartered International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood).
Acme Filmworks copped two of the five nominations in the commercial category: Crayola’s "About Face," directed by David Wasson of Acme for Leo Burnett Co., Chicago; and WebTV’s "Xmas Elf," helmed by Corky Quakenbush via Acme for Foote, Cone & Belding/San Francisco. Both spots mesh animation with live action. The Crayola ad shows a live-action girl whose colored drawings come to animated life in her environment. The WebTV ad shows the disappointment of a live-action youngster when he turns on the TV set to find out that the Christmas Elves show he wanted to watch is ending. The stop-motion animated elves that appear on the TV set tell him he wouldn’t have missed the show if he had had WebTV to preprogram its taping.
Another familiar player in the Annie competition, San Francisco-based Wild Brain, was nominated for its "Playa’s Delight" ad, featuring an animation version of professional basketball star Kevin Garnett. The Nike :30 was directed by Ed Bell of Wild Brain for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Wild Brain received two Annie nominations last year—one of which turned out to be the winning spot: a Levi’s-sponsored World AIDS Day PSA, "Sensitive," which was directed by the studio’s John Hays for TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco.
Rounding out this year’s lineup of Annie-nominated commercials are Pepsi/ Mirinda’s "Genie," from Will Vinton Studios, Portland, Ore.; and Village Pantry’s "Carpool," produced by Renegade Animation, Burbank. The former, a stop-motion animation job, was directed by Mike Wellins of Will Vinton Studios for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco. Darrell Van Citters of Renegade Animation
helmed "Carpool" for Ron Foth Advertising, Columbus, Ohio (see spot.com.mentary, p. 4).
ASIFA is the French acronym for Association Internationale du Film d’Animation, an organization founded 43 years ago in France by a group of professional animators. ASIFA was charted by UNESCO in 1960 to encourage the art of animation and further international understanding and goodwill through the animation medium. Currently, there are ASIFA chapters in nearly 30 countries. The Hollywood chapter founded the Annie Awards in ’72.
The Annie competition encompasses various entertainment disciplines, including commercials, feature films, TV programs and interactive media. Nominated for outstanding achievement in an animated theatrical feature were: Toy Story 2, from Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios; The Road to El Dorado, from DreamWorks SKG; Fantasia 2000, out of Walt Disney Pictures; Titan A.E., from 20th Century Fox Animation; and Chicken Run from Pathé, Aardman Animations and DreamWorks SKG.
This year’s Annie Awards ceremony and reception will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Alex Theatre, Glendale, Calif.
