If you’re wondering which feature will win this year in the Academy Awards’ Best Animated Feature category, it’s gonna be close. Since 2002, 13 of the 19 winners of the Annie Awards Best Feature, has gone on to win Oscars Gold. So, which ‘best’ feature will win this year? “Soul” from Pixar, winner of the Best Animated Feature or “Wolfwalkers” winner of the Best Indie Animated Feature?
Presenters for the virtual ceremony included actors Josh Gad, Matthew Rhys, Philippa Soo, Eva Whittaker and Patrick Warburton; composer Michael Giacchino; directors Sergio Pablos and Jill Culton; producer-director Nora Twomey; producer-director Matthew A. Cherry; and the cast of the web series Critical Role.
Honorees
- Winsor McCay Award which honors career contributions to the field of animation, was given to animators Willie Ito and Bruce Smith, as well as the late designer Sue Nichols
- The June Foray Award which honors the charitable impact on the field of animation went to animator and art director Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi.
- Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement in the animation field was presented to Epic Games for its game engine, “Unreal Engine”
- The Special Achievement Award was given to the documentary “Howard” from Stone Circle Pictures
Watch the 48th Annie Awards On-demand
Congrats to all the nominees and winners at the 48th annual Annie Awards
BEST FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
BEST INDIE FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
The Snail and the Whale
Magic Light Pictures
BEST SHORT SUBJECT
Souvenir Souvenir
Blast Production
BEST SPONSORED
There’s a Monster in my Kitchen
Cartoon Saloon, Mother
BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
The Adventures of Paddington
Episode: Paddington Digs a Tunnel to Peru
Blue-Zoo Animation Studio and Nickelodeon Animation Studio
BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
Hilda
Episode: Chapter 9: The Deerfox
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
BEST TV/MEDIA – GENERAL AUDIENCE
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Episode: Coven Of The Damned Cartoon Network Studios
BEST STUDENT FILM
La Bestia
School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
Student directors: Marlijn Van Nuenen, Ram Tamez, Alfredo Gerard Kuttikatt
BEST EFFECTS FOR TV/MEDIA
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Episode: Welcome to Jurassic World Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
FX Production Company: Dreamworks Animation and CGCG Inc.
Emad Khalili, Ivan Wang, Chris Wombold, Kyle Goertz, Kathy D. Tran
BEST EFFECTS FOR FEATURE
Soul
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
FX Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
Tolga Göktekin, Carl Kaphan, Hiroaki Narita, Enrique Vila, Kylie Wijsmuller
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA
Hilda
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
David Laliberté
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Michal Makarewicz
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
The Mandalorian
Production Company: Lucasfilm
FX Production Company: Image Engine
Nathan Fitzgerald, Leo Ito, Chris Rogers, Eung Ho Lo, Emily Luk
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales
Insomniac Games
Brian Wyser, Michael Yosh, Danny Garnett, David Hancock
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Amphibia
Episode: The Shut-In! Disney TV Animation Joe Sparrow
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
Federico Pirovano
BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Episode: Plague Of Madness Cartoon Network Studios Genndy Tartakovsky
BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Episode: Victory and Death Lucasfilm Animation
Kevin Kiner
BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Shooom’s Odyssey Picolo Pictures Julien Bisaro
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
María Pareja, Ross Stewart, Tomm Moore
BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
Looney Tunes Cartoons
Episode: Big League Beast / Firehouse Frenzy Warner Bros. Animation
Andrew Dickman
BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Trevor Jimenez
BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA
Tales of Arcadia: Wizards Episode: Our Final Act DreamWorks Animation David Bradley (Merlin)
BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
Eva Whittaker (Mebh Óg MacTíre)
BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA
Big Mouth
Episode: The New Me Netflix
Andrew Goldberg, Patti Harrison
BEST WRITING – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
Hilda
Episode: Chapter 9: The Deerfox
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
John McKinnon
BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Kevin Nolting, Gregory Amundson, Robert Grahamjones, Amera Rizk
JURIED AWARDS
Winsor McCay Award
Willie Ito, Sue Nichols (posthumously), Bruce Smith
June Foray Award
Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi
Ub Iwerks Award
Epic Games for its Unreal Engine
Special Achievement Award
Howard (Stone Circle Pictures)
The sponsors of the 48th annual Annie Awards include Walt Disney Animation Studios/Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network/Warner Bros. Animation, Variety and more