Also in the running are "Song of the Sea," "The Book of Life," "The Boxtrolls," "The LEGO Movie," "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," "Cheatin’"
The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. A pre-reception and press line begins at 5 pm with the awards ceremony following at 7 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows the ceremony. All events will be held at Royce Hall.
In the running for Best Animated Feature are: Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Cheatin’ (Plymptoons Studio), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation SKG), Song of the Sea (GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon), The Book of Life (Reel FX), The Boxtrolls (Focus Features/Laika), The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (GKIDS/Studio Ghibli).
“We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “We added a new category to the mix–Best Character Animation in a Video Game–bringing the total Annie categories to 36. The Annies are a true celebration of the best talent in the animation industry, from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, shorts and student films alike, as well as a wonderful group of juried award recipients again this year.”
The juried awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation, will also be presented. Three Winsor McCay recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors–Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and Lee Mendelson for their career contributions to the art of animation; June Foray Award–Charles Solomon for his significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation; Ub Iwerks Award–DreamWorks Animation’s Apollo Software for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation; and Special Achievement Award–The Walt Disney Family Museum recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation. There is no recipient this time around for the remaining juried award, the Certificate of Merit.
ASIFA-Hollywood is a professional organization dedicated to promoting the art of animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, animated film preservation, special events, classes and screenings.
Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards have grown in scope and stature for the past four decades.
In addition to the four aforementioned juried awards, here’s a rundown of the 42nd Annual Annie Award nominations spanning the Production and Individual Achievement categories:
Production Categories
#1 Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Cheatin’
Plymptoons Studio
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
The Book of Life
Reel FX
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
The LEGO Movie
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
GKIDS/Studio Ghibli
#2 Best Animated Special Production
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Voyager Pictures LLC
Dawn of the Dragon Racers
DreamWorks Animation
How Murray Saved Christmas
Universal Television
Polariffic
Bent Image Lab
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
#3 Best Animated Short Subject
Coda
62 George Street
Duet
Glen Keane Productions
Feast
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Inside Homer – The Simpsons Couch Gag (Episode #549)
Acme Filmworks
Me and My Moulton
National Film Board of Canada
Silent
Creative Artists Agency
The Dam Keeper
Tonko House LLC
The Raven
Moonbot Studios
#4 Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
Citizen M: “Swan Song”
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
Flight of the Stories
Aardman Animations
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Plastic Wax
#5 Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
Doc McStuffins
Disney Channel / Disney XD
Peter Rabbit
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Tumble Leaf
Amazon Studios
Wallykazam!
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Zack & Quack
Zodiak Kids
#6 Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For a Children’s Audience
Adventure Time
Cartoon Network
Gravity Falls
Disney Television Animation
Legend of Korra
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Over The Garden Wall
Cartoon Network
Wander Over Yonder
Disney Television Animation
#7 Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Archer
FX Networks
Back To Backspace
Cartoon Network Studios
Bob’s Burgers
Bento Box Entertainment
Rick and Morty
Starburns Industries, Inc.
Mike Tyson Mysteries
Warner Bros. Animation
Regular Show
Cartoon Network Studios
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
#8 Best Video Game
Forza Horizon 2
Microsoft – Turn 10 Studios
Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Ubisoft
Child of Light
Ubisoft
#9 Best Student Film
After School
Junyi Xiao
Dead Over Heels
Jose Matheu
El Coyote
Javier Barboza
Frog’s Legs
Katie Tamboer
My Big Brother
Jason Rayner
Tiny Nomad
Toniko Pantoja
Individual Achievement Categories
#10 Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Michael Kaschalk, Peter DeMund, David Hutchins, Henrik Falt, John Kosnik
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
James Jackson, Lucas Janin, Tobin Jones, Baptiste Van Opstal, Jason Mayer
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
DreamWorks Animation
Fangwei Lee, Krzysztof Rost, Jihyun Yoon, Robert Chen
Penguins of Madagascar
DreamWorks Animation
Mitul Patel, Nicolas Delbecq, Santosh Khedkar, Yash Argawal
The Book of Life
Reel FX
Augusto Schillaci, Erich Turner, Bill Konersman, Chris Rasch, Joseph Burnette
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Rick Sevy, Peter Vickery, Kent Estep, Peter Stuart, Ralph Procida
The LEGO Movie
Warner Bros. Pictures
Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, Raphael Gadot
#11 Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Edge of Tomorrow
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Steve Avoujageli, Atsushi Ikarashi, Pawel Grochola, Paul Waggoner, Viktor Lundqvist
Noah
Industrial Light & Magic
Raul Essig, Karin Cooper, Rick Hankins, Owen Calouro
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Charles-Felix Chabert, Daniel La Chapelle, Spencer Lueders, Klaus Seitschek, Chris Messineo
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Weta Digital
Areito Echevarria, Andreas Soderstrom, Ronnie Menahem, Christoph Sprenger, Kevin Romond
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Industrial Light & Magic
Michael Balog, Jim Van Allen, Rick Hankins, John Hansen
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Digital Domain
Jeremy Hampton, Daniel Stern, Edmond Smith III, Hiroshi Tsubokawa, Daniel Jenkins
#12 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
Don Crum
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
Carlo Vogele
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
Ken Kim
Tumble Leaf
Amazon Studios
Michael Granberry
Tumble Leaf
Amazon Studios
Teresa Drilling
Wander Over Yonder
Disney Television Animation
Justin Nichols
#13 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Fabio Lignini
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Steven “Shaggy” Hornby
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Thomas Grummt
Penguins of Madagascar
DreamWorks Animation
Ravi Kamble
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Travis Knight
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Malcolm Lamont
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features
Jason Stalman
#14 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Weta Digital
Daniel Barrett, Paul Story, Eteuati Tema, Alessandro Bonora, Dejan Momcilovic
Guardians of the Galaxy
Framestore
Kevin Spruce, Dale Newton, Sidney Kombo, Chris Mullins, Brad Silby
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Weta Digital
Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Andreja Vuckovic, Guillaume Francois, Gios Johnston
#15 Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Video Game
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Ubisoft
Mike Mennillo
Don’t Starve: Console Edition
Klei Entertainment Inc.
Child Of Light
Ubisoft
Alex Drouin
#16 Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Andy Suriano
Wander Over Yonder
Disney Television Animation
Benjamin Balistreri
Welcome to the Wayne
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Zac Gorman
#17 Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Shiyoon Kim, Jin Kim
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
DreamWorks Animation
Timothy Lamb, Joe Moshier
Penguins of Madagascar
DreamWorks Animation
Craig Kellman, Joe Moshier, Stevie Lewis, Todd Kurosawa
Rio 2
Blue Sky Studios
Sang Jun Lee, Jason Sadler, José Manuel Fernandez Oli
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Tomm Moore, Marie Thorhauge, Sandra Anderson, Rosa Ballester Cabo
The Book of Life
Reel FX
Paul Sullivan, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutierrez
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Mike Smith
#18 Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Adventure Time
Cartoon Network
Yuasa Masaaki, Eunyoung Choi
Archer
FX Networks
Bryan Fordney
Bob’s Burgers
Bento Box Entertainment
Jennifer Coyle & Bernard Derriman
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Aaron Springer
Gravity Falls
Disney Television Animation
Rob Renzetti
Over The Garden Wall
Cartoon Network
Robert Alvarez, Ken Bruce, Larry Leichliter
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
Matthew Nastuk
Wander Over Yonder
Disney Television Animation
David Thomas
#19 Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Don Hall & Chris Williams
Cheatin’
Plymptoons Studio
Bill Plympton
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Dean DeBlois
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Tomm Moore
The Book of Life
Reel FX
Jorge R. Gutierrez
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable
The LEGO Movie
Warner Bros. Pictures
Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Directors; Chris McKay, Co-Director
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
GKIDS/Studio Ghibli
Isao Takahata
#20 Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Christopher Willis
Dora and Friends: Into the City!
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Peter Lurye, George Gabriel, Chris Gifford
Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
Jam
Jay Vincent, Michael Kramer, Jeppe Riddervold, Erin Chapman
Marvel’s Avengers Assemble
Dynamic Music Partners
Lolita Ritmanis, Kristopher Carter & Michael McCuistion
Tumble Leaf
Amazon Studios
Nathan Barr & Lisbeth Scott
#21 Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production
Cheatin’
Plymptoons Studio
Nicole Renaud, Composer
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
John Powell, Jónsi
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
DreamWorks Animation
Danny Elfman
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Bruno Coulais & Kila
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
GKIDS/Studio Ghibli
Joe Hisaishi
#22 Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Voyager Pictures LLC
Kara Vallow, Brent Woods, Lucas Gray & Andrew Brandou
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Joseph Holt
Mickey Shorts
Disney
Narina Sokolova
The Powerpuff Girls
Cartoon Network
Kevin Dart, Chris Turnham, Jasmin Lai & Elle Michalka
Turbo FAST
DreamWorks Animation
Antonio Canobbio, Khang Le, Mark Taihei, Howard Chen & Brandon Cuellar
Wander Over Yonder
Disney Television Animation
Alex Kirwan, Chris Tsirigotis, Alexander Duckworth, Janice Kubo & Francis Giglio
Zack & Quack
Zodiak Kids
Erez Gavish
#23 Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
DreamWorks Animation
David James, Ruben Perez, Priscilla Wong, Timothy Lamb & Alexandre Puvilland
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Adrien Merigeau
The Book of Life
Reel FX
Simon Varela & Paul Sullivan
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure & August Hall
The LEGO Movie
Warner Bros. Pictures
Grant Freckelton
#24 Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Heiko Drengenberg
Gravity Falls
Disney Television Animation
Luke Weber, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Neil Graf & Steve Heneveld
Legend of Korra
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Joaquim Dos Santos
Star Wars Rebels
Disney Channel / Disney XD
Nathaniel Villanueva & Douglas Lovelace
The Simpsons
Film Roman
Brad Ableson, Matthew Faughnan & Stephen Reis
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
Louise Smythe
Wander Over Yonder
Disney Television Animation
Mark Ackland
#25 Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Marc E. Smith
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Truong “Tron” Son Mai
Planes: Fire & Rescue
Disneytoon Studios
Piero Peluso
Rio 2
Blue Sky Studios
John Hurst
Rio 2
Blue Sky Studios
Rodrigo Castro
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features
Julian Nariño
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Emanuela Cozzi
#26 Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Bill Farmer as the voices of Goofy and Grandma
Fairly Oddparents
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Carlos Alazaraqui as the voice of Crocker
Robot Chicken
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
Seth Green as the voice of Robot Chicken Nerd
#27 Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Henry & Me
Reveal Animation Studios
Cyndi Lauper as the voice of Nurse Cyndi
Rio 2
Blue Sky Studios
Andy Garcia as the voice of Eduardo
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Sir Ben Kingsley as the voice of Archibald Snatcher
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Dee Bradley Baker as the voice of Fish
#28 Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Darrick Bachman
The Powerpuff Girls
Cartoon Network
Dave Tennant, David P. Smith, Chris Mitchell & Will Mata
The Simpsons
20th Century Fox
Rob LaZebnik
The Simpsons
20th Century Fox
Tim Long
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
Steve Purcell
#29 Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson & Jordan Roberts
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
Dean DeBlois
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Will Collins
The Boxtrolls
Focus Features/Laika
Irena Brignull & Adam Pava
The LEGO Movie
Warner Bros. Pictures
Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
#30 Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse
Disney Television Animation
Illya Owens
Dragons: Defenders of Berk
DreamWorks Animation Television
Ernesto Matamoros
Family Guy
Super 78
Mike Elias
Toy Story That Time Forgot
Pixar Animation Studios
David Suther, Bradley Furnish & David Condolora
Turbo FAST
DreamWorks Animation
Todd Raleigh & Doug Vito
#31 Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Big Hero 6
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Tim Mertens
How to Train Your Dragon 2
DreamWorks Animation
John K. Carr
Planes: Fire & Rescue
Disneytoon Studios
Dan Molina, Mark Keefer & Karen Hathaway
Song of the Sea
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Darragh Byrne
The LEGO Movie
Warner Bros. Pictures
David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin & Courtney O’Brien-Brown
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More