Del Toro’s Pinocchio wins 5 Annie Awards

FEST 2022
(Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)

One word can be used to sum up the night the 50th annual Annie Awards were presented – F*ck. Writer, Director, and Producer Guillermo del Toro used it during his acceptance speech. So did Jenny Slate, who famously dropped an F-bomb on her former series SNL, when she took home the prize for Best Voice Acting for Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.

What a night!

Held at UCLA’s Royce Hall, del Toro’s Pinocchio topped the 50th Annie Awards for animation. The acclaimed film garnered five awards including best animation feature, direction (del Toro and Mark Gustafson), character animation, music and production design.

“F*ck,” exclaimed the exuberant director as he and Gustafson accepted the directing award. He added, “I hope to stay with you as peers with this beautiful, beautiful craft we have.” He complimented the animation industry saying, “the most creative ideas-filled group I worked with is animation.” Del Toro added his hope is that the community pushes the medium for future generations. He also garnered genuine laughs as he wrapped by saying, “Can I say, I wanted an Annie so much!”

The infectiously adorable Marcel the Shell with Shoes On won three Annnies, including best independent animated feature, voice acting (for Slate’s Marcel) and writing (for director Dean Fleischer Camp, Slate, Nick Paley and Elisabeth Holm). “It means so much to be accepted by this community,” said Slate as the team accepted the Annie Award for best independent animated film. She quipped, “And I agree with Guillermo del Toro, I also wanted an Annie really f*cking bad.”

Dreamworks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish won two Annies, for storyboarding and editing.

Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish are all Oscar-nominated for best-animated feature, along with Turning Red and The Sea Beast. In six of the last 10 years, the winner of the Annie for best-animated feature went on to win the animated feature Oscar. Our bet is on Pinocchio.

Academy-Award-nominated animated short The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse collected four Annie Awards, for best special production, character animation, direction and editing.

VFX Oscar-nominated juggernaut Avatar: The Way of Water won a pair of Annie Awards, for best FX in a feature and character animation in a live-action feature.

“This is a very special year, not only because it is the Annie Awards 50th anniversary, but also because, after nearly three years, this is the first time our community is able to be back together again, in person,” remarked Frank Gladstone, Executive Producer of the Annie Awards. “For a community as close knit as ours, being with each other is of major importance, so we are pulling out all the stops to make this a memorable and historic evening for folks locally, and worldwide.”

Juried Annie Awards

Juried awards were presented for the following: The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions were presented to three recipients – Pete Docter, animated feature writer/director and Pixar CEO; Evelyn Lambart (posthumously), early National Film Board of Canada collaborator, including her significant series of short films; and Craig McCracken, prolific, influential television series creator. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact was awarded to Mindy Johnson, author, historian and educator.

When current Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger presented the award to Doctor, he reminisced about Doctor’s pitch for Up “I cannot say that pitch is what convinced us to buy Pixar, but when Pete showed us his film, I was convinced that buying Pixar was so right [because of the] courage of young directors like Pete.”

Iger added that having Docter as Pixar’s chief creative was “a boon for Disney and fans all over the world.”

Accepting his Annie award, Docter admitted, “I can see why you’d think that, given that I’m now an executive.” Doctor then thanked a list of collaborators at Disney and Pixar, such as Iger, Jim Morris, Jonas Rivera and John Lasseter. Finishing, Docter said, “If my work has inspired any of you in this room, I’m very glad and look forward to seeing what you do with this amazing medium.”


REELated:


Below is a complete list of Annie nominees. Annie Winners are in bold.

BEST FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company (WINNER)
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix
  • Wendell & Wild – Netflix Presents A Monkeypaw Production / A Gotham Group Production 

BEST INDIE FEATURE 

  • Charlotte – January Films, Ltd., Balthazar Productions, and Walking the Dog 
  • Inu-Oh – Science SARU
  • Little Nicholas, Happy As Can Be – On Classics (Mediawan) / Bidibul Productions
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC (WINNER)
  • My Father’s Dragon – Cartoon Saloon for Netflix 

BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION

  • Prehistoric Planet – BBC Studios in association with Apple
  • Superworm– Magic Light Pictures
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions (WINNER)
  • The House – Nexus Studios for Netflix
  • The Sandman – A Netflix Original Series / A Warner Bros. Television Production

BEST SHORT SUBJECT 

  • Amok – Boddah
  • Black Slide – The Hive Studio, in co-production with FlipBook Studio
  • Ice Merchants – COLA Animation production & Wild Stream (WINNER)
  • Love, Dad – 13ka, in co-production with FAMU & nutprodukcia
  • The Flying Sailor – National Film Board of Canada

Sponsored

  • Can’t Negotiate the Melting Point of Ice – NOMINT
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru / The Office – Illumination
  • Save Ralph – Arch Model Studio (WINNER)
  • Ted Lasso: The Missing Christmas Mustache – Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television
  • Today’s Holiday Moments are Tomorrow’s Memories – Horne
    Elinor Wonders Why “Rest is Best” – SHOE Ink. LLC 

BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOO

  • Gabby’s Dollhouse “Cakey’s Cupcake Cousins” – DreamWorks Animation
  • Rise Up, Sing Out “Name Tag” – Disney TV Animation
  • Spirit Rangers “Thunder Mountain” – Laughing Wild / Netflix
  • The Tiny Chef Show “Pancakes” – Tiny Chef Productions LLC / Imagine Entertainment  (WINNER)

BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN

  • Abominable and the Invisible City “Everest Returns” – DreamWorks Animation (WINNER)
  • Big Nate “The Legend of the Gunting” – Nickelodeon Animation
  • Moominvalley “Lonely Mountain” – Gutsy Animations
  • The Owl House “King’s Tide” – Disney TV Animation
  • We Baby Bears“The Real Crayon” – Cartoon Network Studios 

BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE 

  • Bob’s Burgers “Some Like it Bot Part 1: Eighth Grade Runner” – 20th Television/Bento Box Entertainment (WINNER)
  • Harley Quinn “Batman Begins Forever” – Warner Bros. Animation 
  • Rick and Morty “Night Family” – Rick and Morty LLC
  • The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror XXXIII – A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation
  • Tuca & Bertie “The Pain Garden” – The Tornante Company 

BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES

  • BAYMAX! “Sofia” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • El Deafo “Everybody Sounds So Weird” – Lighthouse Studios in association with Apple
  • HouseBroken “Who’s Having A Merry Trashmas?” – Kapital Entertainment and FOX Entertainment
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production (WINNER)
  • Undone “Rectify” – Tornante Company and Amazon Studios 

BEST STUDENT FILM 

  • Au revoir Jérôme ! 
  • Student director: Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet & Chloé Farr
    School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
  • Birdsong
    Student director: Michelle Cheng
    Student producer: Michelle Cheng
    School: California Institute of the Arts 
  • Synchronie Passagère
  • Student director: Julia Le Bras-Juarez
    School: Supinfocom Rubika
  • The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World
  • Student director: Damaris Zielke
  • Student producer: Jiayan Chen
    School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
  • The Soloists (WINNER)
  • Student director: Mehrnaz Abdollahinia, Feben Elias Woldehawariat, Razahk
    Issaka, Celeste Jamneck & Yi Liu
    School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
  • BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
    Cars on the Road “Road Rumblers” – Pixar Animation Studios 
  • Love Death + Robots “Bad Traveling” – Blur Studio for Netflix (WINNER)
  • Prehistoric Planet “Coasts” – BBC Studios in association with Apple, MPC 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix

BEST FX – FEATURE 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA

  • Entergalactic Episode: [special production] – Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang 
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale Episode: [The Mighty Storm Gods] – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production 
  • StoryBots: Answer Time Episode: [Taste] – JibJab Bros. Studios for Netflix 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] -Tim Watts. NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions (WINNER)
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Teresa Falcone 
  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Eric Anderson 
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Tucker Barrie (WINNER)
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Jorge Capote 
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Min Hong 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION 

  • Avatar: The Way of Water – 20th Century Studios / Disney Studios, Wētā FX: Daniel Barrett, Stuart Adcock, Todd Labonte, Douglas McHale, Stephen Cullingford (WINNER)
  • Beast – Universal Pictures, RVK Studios, Will Packer Productions, Framestore: Alvise Avati, Chris McGaw, Bora Şahin, Krzysztof Boyoko, Laurent Benhamo
  • Finch – Amblin Partners Apple Original Films, MPC:  Simon Allen, Harinarayan Rajeev, Paul Nelson, Matthias Schoenegger
  • Jurassic World Dominion – Amblin Entertainment & Universal Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic: Jance Rubinchik, Alexander Lee, Rich Bentley, Antoine Verney Carron, Sally
    Wilson
  • Peacemaker -HBO Max, Wētā FX: Michael Cozens, Mark Smith, Kai-Hua Lan, Selene McLean, Richard John Moore 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME

  • Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course – Studio MDHR: Chad Moldenhauer, Hanna Abi-Hanna (WINNER)
  • God of War Ragnarök – Santa Monica Studio
  • Horizon Forbidden West – Guerrilla: Richard Oud, Jan-Erik Sjovall, Guerrilla Animation Team 
  • Moss: Book II – Polyarc: Richard Lico 
  • Potionomics – Voracious Games: Emily Lattanavong , Anguel Bogoev 

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA 

  • Amphibia “The Hardest Thing” – Disney TV Animation: Joe Sparrow 
  • Entergalactic Episode: [special production] – Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang: Meybis Ruiz Cruz 
  • Love Death + Robots “Jibaro” – Blur Studio for Netflix: Alberto Mielgo (WINNER)
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Rebecca Chan 
  • Spirit Rangers “Belly of the Beast” – Laughing Wild / Netflix: Marie Delmas

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE 

  • Luck – Skydance LLC: Massimiliano Narciso 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Jesús Alonso Iglesias 
  • Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie – Nickelodeon Animation Studio: Ida Hem
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Taylor Krahenbuhl (WINNER)
  • Wendell & Wild – Netflix Presents A Monkey Paw Production / A Gotham Group Production: Pablo Lobato

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA 

  • BAYMAX! “Sofia” – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Lissa Treiman 
  • exception / エクセプション “Misprint” – Studio 5 / Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. for Netflix: Yûzô Satô | サトウユーゾー 
  • More Than I Want To Remember Episode: [short subject] – Mugeni Film LLC, MTV Entertainment Studios: Amy Bench, Maya Edelman 
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Daisuke ” Dice” Tsutsumi 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy (WINNER)

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Domee Shi
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson (WINNER)
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC: Dean Fleischer Camp, Kirsten Lepore, Stephen Chiodo
  • My Father’s Dragon – Cartoon Saloon for Netflix: Nora Twomey
  • Wendell & Wild – Netflix Presents A Monkey Paw Production / A Gotham Group Production: Henry Selick

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA 

  • Love Death + Robots “The Very Pulse of the Machine” – Blur Studio for Netflix: Rob Cairns
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “Onari’s Kushi Power” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Zach Johnston, Matteo Roberts
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Isobel Waller-Bridge, Charlie Mackesy
  • The Cuphead Show! “Carn-Evil” – Netflix Animation: Ego Plum (WINNER)
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix: Gustavo Santaolalla

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Ludwig Göransson, Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale (WINNER)
  • Mad God – Tippett Studio: Dan Wool
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Daniel Pemberton
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Mark Mancia, Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA 

  • Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal “Echoes of Eternity” – Adult Swim: Scott Wills
  • Mall Stories – Atilla the Grilla Episode: [short subject] – Chromosphere / Kikutowne: Jasmin Lai, Lauren Zurcher, Junyi Wu
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Robert Kondo, Rachel Tiep-Daniels, Lia Tin, Yohei Hashizume, Masa Inada (WINNER)
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Mike McCain
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix: Niklas Nilsson, Alexandra Walker

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE 

  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Curt Enderle, Guy Davis (WINNER)
  • Mad God – Tippett Studio: Phil Tippett 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Nate Wragg, Joseph Feinsilver, Claire Keane, Wayne Tsay, Naveen Selvanathan 
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Luc Desmarchelier, Floriane Marchix 
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Matthias Lechner, Jung Woonyoung 

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA 

  • Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Episode: [Let You Down] – CD Projekt Red in association with Netflix: Kaneko Yoshiyuk 
  • Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Episode: [The Knight’s Code] – DreamWorks Animation: Grace Liu 
  • Looney Tunes Cartoons Episode: [Hex Appeal] – Warner Bros. Animation: Mike Ruocco 
  • Love Death + Robots Episode: [The Very Pulse of the Machine] – Blur Studio for Netflix: Emily Dean (WINNER)
  • The Cuphead Show! Episode: [A Very Devil Christmas] – Netflix Animation: Karl Hadrika 

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE 

  • Minions: The Rise of Gru – Illumination: Nima Azarba 
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru  – Illumination: Dave Feiss 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Anthony Holden (WINNER)
  • Strange World – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Jeff Snow 
  • Strange World – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Javier Ledesma Barboll 
  • BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA 
  • Looney Tunes Cartoons Episode: [Hex Appeal] – Warner Bros. Animation: Candi Milo (character: Witch Hazel) 
  • StoryBots: Answer Time Episode: [Glue] – JibJab Bros. Studios for Netflix:Fred Tatsciore (character: Bang)
  • Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls Mayhem in the Multiverse Episode: [special production] – Warner Bros Animation: Tara Strong (character: Harley Quinn) 
  • The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Episode: [New Kids On The Block]– Disney TV Animation: Karen Malina White (character: Dijonay Jones) 
  • Zootopia+ Episode: [The Godfather of the Bride] – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Maurice LaMarche (Character: Mr.Big) (WINNER)

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE 

  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: David Bradley (character: Geppetto) 
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Gregory Mann (character: Pinocchio) 
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC: Jenny Slate (character: Marcel) (WINNER)
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Wagner Moura (character: Wolf) 
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Zaris-Angel Hator (character: Maisie Brumble) 

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA 

  • BAYMAX! Episode: [Sofia] – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Cirocco Dunlap 
  • Big Nate Episode: [The Legend of the Gunting] – Nickelodeon Animation Studio: Mitch Watson, Emily Brundige, Ben Lapides, Sarah Allan 
  • Love Death + Robots Episode: [Bad Traveling] – Blur Studio for Netflix: Andrew Kevin Walker (WINNER)
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix: Enda Walsh 
  • Tuca & Bertie Episode: [The Pain Garden] – The Tornante Company: Lisa Hanawalt 

BEST WRITING – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Domee Shi, Julia Cho 
  • ETERNAL SPRING (長春) – Lofty Sky Entertainment Inc. : Jason Loftus
  • Inu-Oh – Science SARU: Akiko Nogi 
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC: Dean Fleischer Camp, Jenny Slate, Nick Paley, Elisabeth Holm  (WINNER)

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA 

  • Amphibia Episode: [All In] – Disney TV Animation: Andrew Sorcini, Yoonah Yim, Jennifer Calbi, Julie Anne Lau, Louis Russell 
  • Green Eggs and Ham Episode: [The Sam Who Came In From The Cold] – Gulfstream Pictures/ A Stern Talking To/ A Very Good Production in association with Warner Bros. Animation for Netflix: Margaret Hou 
  • Karma’s World Episode: [Keys, The Inventor] – 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films and Karma’s World Entertainment for Netflix: Damien Dunne, Ultan Murphy, Emma O’Brien, Fred O’Connor, Aiden McKenna 
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks Episode: [The Stars At Night] – CBS’s Eye Animation Productions, Titmouse; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment: Andy Maxwell, Zach Lamplugh, Brandon Brocker, Paul Mazzotta 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Daniel Budin (WINNER)

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE 

  • Lightyear – Pixar: Tony Greenberg, Katie Bishop, Chloe Kloezeman, Axel Geddes, Tim Fox 
  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Nicholas Smith, Steve Bloom, David Suther, Anna Wolitzky, Christopher Zuber 
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Ken Schretzmann, Holly Klein, Emily Chiu, Hamilton Barrett 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Dreamworks Animation: James Ryan, ACE, Jacquelyn Karambelas, Natalla Cronembold, Joe Butler, Katie Parody (WINNER)
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Joyce Arrastica, ACE, Will Erokan, Vivek Sharma, Michael Hugh O’Donnell, Daniel Ortiz 

With the Oscars happening in two weeks we are putting our money on del Toro’s Pinocchio to win Best Animated Feature and The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse to win Best Animated Short.


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FEST 2022
(Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)

One word can be used to sum up the night the 50th annual Annie Awards were presented – F*ck. Writer, Director, and Producer Guillermo del Toro used it during his acceptance speech. So did Jenny Slate, who famously dropped an F-bomb on her former series SNL, when she took home the prize for Best Voice Acting for Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.

What a night!

Held at UCLA’s Royce Hall, del Toro’s Pinocchio topped the 50th Annie Awards for animation. The acclaimed film garnered five awards including best animation feature, direction (del Toro and Mark Gustafson), character animation, music and production design.

“F*ck,” exclaimed the exuberant director as he and Gustafson accepted the directing award. He added, “I hope to stay with you as peers with this beautiful, beautiful craft we have.” He complimented the animation industry saying, “the most creative ideas-filled group I worked with is animation.” Del Toro added his hope is that the community pushes the medium for future generations. He also garnered genuine laughs as he wrapped by saying, “Can I say, I wanted an Annie so much!”

The infectiously adorable Marcel the Shell with Shoes On won three Annnies, including best independent animated feature, voice acting (for Slate’s Marcel) and writing (for director Dean Fleischer Camp, Slate, Nick Paley and Elisabeth Holm). “It means so much to be accepted by this community,” said Slate as the team accepted the Annie Award for best independent animated film. She quipped, “And I agree with Guillermo del Toro, I also wanted an Annie really f*cking bad.”

Dreamworks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish won two Annies, for storyboarding and editing.

Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish are all Oscar-nominated for best-animated feature, along with Turning Red and The Sea Beast. In six of the last 10 years, the winner of the Annie for best-animated feature went on to win the animated feature Oscar. Our bet is on Pinocchio.

Academy-Award-nominated animated short The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse collected four Annie Awards, for best special production, character animation, direction and editing.

VFX Oscar-nominated juggernaut Avatar: The Way of Water won a pair of Annie Awards, for best FX in a feature and character animation in a live-action feature.

“This is a very special year, not only because it is the Annie Awards 50th anniversary, but also because, after nearly three years, this is the first time our community is able to be back together again, in person,” remarked Frank Gladstone, Executive Producer of the Annie Awards. “For a community as close knit as ours, being with each other is of major importance, so we are pulling out all the stops to make this a memorable and historic evening for folks locally, and worldwide.”

Juried Annie Awards

Juried awards were presented for the following: The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions were presented to three recipients – Pete Docter, animated feature writer/director and Pixar CEO; Evelyn Lambart (posthumously), early National Film Board of Canada collaborator, including her significant series of short films; and Craig McCracken, prolific, influential television series creator. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact was awarded to Mindy Johnson, author, historian and educator.

When current Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger presented the award to Doctor, he reminisced about Doctor’s pitch for Up “I cannot say that pitch is what convinced us to buy Pixar, but when Pete showed us his film, I was convinced that buying Pixar was so right [because of the] courage of young directors like Pete.”

Iger added that having Docter as Pixar’s chief creative was “a boon for Disney and fans all over the world.”

Accepting his Annie award, Docter admitted, “I can see why you’d think that, given that I’m now an executive.” Doctor then thanked a list of collaborators at Disney and Pixar, such as Iger, Jim Morris, Jonas Rivera and John Lasseter. Finishing, Docter said, “If my work has inspired any of you in this room, I’m very glad and look forward to seeing what you do with this amazing medium.”


REELated:


Below is a complete list of Annie nominees. Annie Winners are in bold.

BEST FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company (WINNER)
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix
  • Wendell & Wild – Netflix Presents A Monkeypaw Production / A Gotham Group Production 

BEST INDIE FEATURE 

  • Charlotte – January Films, Ltd., Balthazar Productions, and Walking the Dog 
  • Inu-Oh – Science SARU
  • Little Nicholas, Happy As Can Be – On Classics (Mediawan) / Bidibul Productions
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC (WINNER)
  • My Father’s Dragon – Cartoon Saloon for Netflix 

BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION

  • Prehistoric Planet – BBC Studios in association with Apple
  • Superworm– Magic Light Pictures
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions (WINNER)
  • The House – Nexus Studios for Netflix
  • The Sandman – A Netflix Original Series / A Warner Bros. Television Production

BEST SHORT SUBJECT 

  • Amok – Boddah
  • Black Slide – The Hive Studio, in co-production with FlipBook Studio
  • Ice Merchants – COLA Animation production & Wild Stream (WINNER)
  • Love, Dad – 13ka, in co-production with FAMU & nutprodukcia
  • The Flying Sailor – National Film Board of Canada

Sponsored

  • Can’t Negotiate the Melting Point of Ice – NOMINT
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru / The Office – Illumination
  • Save Ralph – Arch Model Studio (WINNER)
  • Ted Lasso: The Missing Christmas Mustache – Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television
  • Today’s Holiday Moments are Tomorrow’s Memories – Horne
    Elinor Wonders Why “Rest is Best” – SHOE Ink. LLC 

BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOO

  • Gabby’s Dollhouse “Cakey’s Cupcake Cousins” – DreamWorks Animation
  • Rise Up, Sing Out “Name Tag” – Disney TV Animation
  • Spirit Rangers “Thunder Mountain” – Laughing Wild / Netflix
  • The Tiny Chef Show “Pancakes” – Tiny Chef Productions LLC / Imagine Entertainment  (WINNER)

BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN

  • Abominable and the Invisible City “Everest Returns” – DreamWorks Animation (WINNER)
  • Big Nate “The Legend of the Gunting” – Nickelodeon Animation
  • Moominvalley “Lonely Mountain” – Gutsy Animations
  • The Owl House “King’s Tide” – Disney TV Animation
  • We Baby Bears“The Real Crayon” – Cartoon Network Studios 

BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE 

  • Bob’s Burgers “Some Like it Bot Part 1: Eighth Grade Runner” – 20th Television/Bento Box Entertainment (WINNER)
  • Harley Quinn “Batman Begins Forever” – Warner Bros. Animation 
  • Rick and Morty “Night Family” – Rick and Morty LLC
  • The Simpsons – Treehouse of Horror XXXIII – A Gracie Films Production in Association with 20th Television Animation
  • Tuca & Bertie “The Pain Garden” – The Tornante Company 

BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES

  • BAYMAX! “Sofia” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
  • El Deafo “Everybody Sounds So Weird” – Lighthouse Studios in association with Apple
  • HouseBroken “Who’s Having A Merry Trashmas?” – Kapital Entertainment and FOX Entertainment
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production (WINNER)
  • Undone “Rectify” – Tornante Company and Amazon Studios 

BEST STUDENT FILM 

  • Au revoir Jérôme ! 
  • Student director: Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet & Chloé Farr
    School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
  • Birdsong
    Student director: Michelle Cheng
    Student producer: Michelle Cheng
    School: California Institute of the Arts 
  • Synchronie Passagère
  • Student director: Julia Le Bras-Juarez
    School: Supinfocom Rubika
  • The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World
  • Student director: Damaris Zielke
  • Student producer: Jiayan Chen
    School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
  • The Soloists (WINNER)
  • Student director: Mehrnaz Abdollahinia, Feben Elias Woldehawariat, Razahk
    Issaka, Celeste Jamneck & Yi Liu
    School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
  • BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
    Cars on the Road “Road Rumblers” – Pixar Animation Studios 
  • Love Death + Robots “Bad Traveling” – Blur Studio for Netflix (WINNER)
  • Prehistoric Planet “Coasts” – BBC Studios in association with Apple, MPC 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix

BEST FX – FEATURE 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA

  • Entergalactic Episode: [special production] – Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang 
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale Episode: [The Mighty Storm Gods] – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production 
  • StoryBots: Answer Time Episode: [Taste] – JibJab Bros. Studios for Netflix 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] -Tim Watts. NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions (WINNER)
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Teresa Falcone 
  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Eric Anderson 
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Tucker Barrie (WINNER)
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Jorge Capote 
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Min Hong 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION 

  • Avatar: The Way of Water – 20th Century Studios / Disney Studios, Wētā FX: Daniel Barrett, Stuart Adcock, Todd Labonte, Douglas McHale, Stephen Cullingford (WINNER)
  • Beast – Universal Pictures, RVK Studios, Will Packer Productions, Framestore: Alvise Avati, Chris McGaw, Bora Şahin, Krzysztof Boyoko, Laurent Benhamo
  • Finch – Amblin Partners Apple Original Films, MPC:  Simon Allen, Harinarayan Rajeev, Paul Nelson, Matthias Schoenegger
  • Jurassic World Dominion – Amblin Entertainment & Universal Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic: Jance Rubinchik, Alexander Lee, Rich Bentley, Antoine Verney Carron, Sally
    Wilson
  • Peacemaker -HBO Max, Wētā FX: Michael Cozens, Mark Smith, Kai-Hua Lan, Selene McLean, Richard John Moore 

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME

  • Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course – Studio MDHR: Chad Moldenhauer, Hanna Abi-Hanna (WINNER)
  • God of War Ragnarök – Santa Monica Studio
  • Horizon Forbidden West – Guerrilla: Richard Oud, Jan-Erik Sjovall, Guerrilla Animation Team 
  • Moss: Book II – Polyarc: Richard Lico 
  • Potionomics – Voracious Games: Emily Lattanavong , Anguel Bogoev 

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA 

  • Amphibia “The Hardest Thing” – Disney TV Animation: Joe Sparrow 
  • Entergalactic Episode: [special production] – Netflix / Mad Solar / Khalabo Ink Society / Edelgang: Meybis Ruiz Cruz 
  • Love Death + Robots “Jibaro” – Blur Studio for Netflix: Alberto Mielgo (WINNER)
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Rebecca Chan 
  • Spirit Rangers “Belly of the Beast” – Laughing Wild / Netflix: Marie Delmas

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE 

  • Luck – Skydance LLC: Massimiliano Narciso 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Jesús Alonso Iglesias 
  • Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie – Nickelodeon Animation Studio: Ida Hem
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Taylor Krahenbuhl (WINNER)
  • Wendell & Wild – Netflix Presents A Monkey Paw Production / A Gotham Group Production: Pablo Lobato

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA 

  • BAYMAX! “Sofia” – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Lissa Treiman 
  • exception / エクセプション “Misprint” – Studio 5 / Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. for Netflix: Yûzô Satô | サトウユーゾー 
  • More Than I Want To Remember Episode: [short subject] – Mugeni Film LLC, MTV Entertainment Studios: Amy Bench, Maya Edelman 
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Daisuke ” Dice” Tsutsumi 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy (WINNER)

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Domee Shi
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson (WINNER)
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC: Dean Fleischer Camp, Kirsten Lepore, Stephen Chiodo
  • My Father’s Dragon – Cartoon Saloon for Netflix: Nora Twomey
  • Wendell & Wild – Netflix Presents A Monkey Paw Production / A Gotham Group Production: Henry Selick

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA 

  • Love Death + Robots “The Very Pulse of the Machine” – Blur Studio for Netflix: Rob Cairns
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “Onari’s Kushi Power” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Zach Johnston, Matteo Roberts
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Isobel Waller-Bridge, Charlie Mackesy
  • The Cuphead Show! “Carn-Evil” – Netflix Animation: Ego Plum (WINNER)
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix: Gustavo Santaolalla

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Ludwig Göransson, Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale (WINNER)
  • Mad God – Tippett Studio: Dan Wool
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Daniel Pemberton
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Mark Mancia, Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA 

  • Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal “Echoes of Eternity” – Adult Swim: Scott Wills
  • Mall Stories – Atilla the Grilla Episode: [short subject] – Chromosphere / Kikutowne: Jasmin Lai, Lauren Zurcher, Junyi Wu
  • Oni: Thunder God’s Tale “The Demon Moon Rises” – A Netflix Series / A Tonko House Production: Robert Kondo, Rachel Tiep-Daniels, Lia Tin, Yohei Hashizume, Masa Inada (WINNER)
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Mike McCain
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix: Niklas Nilsson, Alexandra Walker

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE 

  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Curt Enderle, Guy Davis (WINNER)
  • Mad God – Tippett Studio: Phil Tippett 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Nate Wragg, Joseph Feinsilver, Claire Keane, Wayne Tsay, Naveen Selvanathan 
  • The Bad Guys – DreamWorks Animation: Luc Desmarchelier, Floriane Marchix 
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Matthias Lechner, Jung Woonyoung 

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA 

  • Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Episode: [Let You Down] – CD Projekt Red in association with Netflix: Kaneko Yoshiyuk 
  • Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight Episode: [The Knight’s Code] – DreamWorks Animation: Grace Liu 
  • Looney Tunes Cartoons Episode: [Hex Appeal] – Warner Bros. Animation: Mike Ruocco 
  • Love Death + Robots Episode: [The Very Pulse of the Machine] – Blur Studio for Netflix: Emily Dean (WINNER)
  • The Cuphead Show! Episode: [A Very Devil Christmas] – Netflix Animation: Karl Hadrika 

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE 

  • Minions: The Rise of Gru – Illumination: Nima Azarba 
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru  – Illumination: Dave Feiss 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Anthony Holden (WINNER)
  • Strange World – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Jeff Snow 
  • Strange World – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Javier Ledesma Barboll 
  • BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA 
  • Looney Tunes Cartoons Episode: [Hex Appeal] – Warner Bros. Animation: Candi Milo (character: Witch Hazel) 
  • StoryBots: Answer Time Episode: [Glue] – JibJab Bros. Studios for Netflix:Fred Tatsciore (character: Bang)
  • Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls Mayhem in the Multiverse Episode: [special production] – Warner Bros Animation: Tara Strong (character: Harley Quinn) 
  • The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Episode: [New Kids On The Block]– Disney TV Animation: Karen Malina White (character: Dijonay Jones) 
  • Zootopia+ Episode: [The Godfather of the Bride] – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Maurice LaMarche (Character: Mr.Big) (WINNER)

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE 

  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: David Bradley (character: Geppetto) 
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Gregory Mann (character: Pinocchio) 
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC: Jenny Slate (character: Marcel) (WINNER)
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – DreamWorks Animation: Wagner Moura (character: Wolf) 
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Zaris-Angel Hator (character: Maisie Brumble) 

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA 

  • BAYMAX! Episode: [Sofia] – Walt Disney Animation Studios: Cirocco Dunlap 
  • Big Nate Episode: [The Legend of the Gunting] – Nickelodeon Animation Studio: Mitch Watson, Emily Brundige, Ben Lapides, Sarah Allan 
  • Love Death + Robots Episode: [Bad Traveling] – Blur Studio for Netflix: Andrew Kevin Walker (WINNER)
  • The House Episode: [special production] – Nexus Studios for Netflix: Enda Walsh 
  • Tuca & Bertie Episode: [The Pain Garden] – The Tornante Company: Lisa Hanawalt 

BEST WRITING – FEATURE 

  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Domee Shi, Julia Cho 
  • ETERNAL SPRING (長春) – Lofty Sky Entertainment Inc. : Jason Loftus
  • Inu-Oh – Science SARU: Akiko Nogi 
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Marcel the Movie LLC: Dean Fleischer Camp, Jenny Slate, Nick Paley, Elisabeth Holm  (WINNER)

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA 

  • Amphibia Episode: [All In] – Disney TV Animation: Andrew Sorcini, Yoonah Yim, Jennifer Calbi, Julie Anne Lau, Louis Russell 
  • Green Eggs and Ham Episode: [The Sam Who Came In From The Cold] – Gulfstream Pictures/ A Stern Talking To/ A Very Good Production in association with Warner Bros. Animation for Netflix: Margaret Hou 
  • Karma’s World Episode: [Keys, The Inventor] – 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films and Karma’s World Entertainment for Netflix: Damien Dunne, Ultan Murphy, Emma O’Brien, Fred O’Connor, Aiden McKenna 
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks Episode: [The Stars At Night] – CBS’s Eye Animation Productions, Titmouse; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment: Andy Maxwell, Zach Lamplugh, Brandon Brocker, Paul Mazzotta 
  • The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Episode: [special production] – NoneMore Productions and Bad Robot Productions: Daniel Budin (WINNER)

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE 

  • Lightyear – Pixar: Tony Greenberg, Katie Bishop, Chloe Kloezeman, Axel Geddes, Tim Fox 
  • Turning Red – Pixar Animation Studios: Nicholas Smith, Steve Bloom, David Suther, Anna Wolitzky, Christopher Zuber 
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Netflix Presents A Double Dare You! Film / A Shadowmachine Production in association with The Jim Henson Company: Ken Schretzmann, Holly Klein, Emily Chiu, Hamilton Barrett 
  • Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Dreamworks Animation: James Ryan, ACE, Jacquelyn Karambelas, Natalla Cronembold, Joe Butler, Katie Parody (WINNER)
  • The Sea Beast – Netflix: Joyce Arrastica, ACE, Will Erokan, Vivek Sharma, Michael Hugh O’Donnell, Daniel Ortiz 

With the Oscars happening in two weeks we are putting our money on del Toro’s Pinocchio to win Best Animated Feature and The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse to win Best Animated Short.


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