Sony Pictures Animation was a big winner Saturday evening (3/12) during a virtual ceremony celebrating the 49th Annie Awards as The Mitchells vs The Machines received eight Annies including Best Feature, Best FX (Christopher Logan, Man-Louk Chin, Devdatta Nerurkar, Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari), Character Design (Lindsey Olivares), Direction (Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe), Production Design (Lindsey Olivares, Toby Wilson, Dave Bleich), Voice Acting (Abbi Jacobson as the voice of Katie Mitchell), Writing (Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe) and Editorial (Greg Levitan, Collin Wightman, T.J.Young, Tony Ferdinand, Bret Allen). 

Arcane (A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix) topped the television side of the competition with nine Annies--for Best TV/Media – General Audience, Best FX (Guillaume Degroote, Aurelien Ressencourt, Martin Touze, Frederic Mace, Jerome Dupre) Character Animation (Lea Chervet), Character Design (Evan Monteiro), Direction (Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury) Production Design (Julien Georgel, Aymeric Kevin, Arnaud Baudry), Storyboarding (Simon Andriveau), Voice Acting (Ella Purnell as the voice of Jinx), and Writing (Christian Linke, Alex Yee).    

Best Independent Feature went to Flee (Neon, Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant);  Namoo (Baobab Studios) won Best Animated Special Production; and Best Animated Short Subject went to Bestia (Trebol 3 Producciones, MALEZA Estudio). Encanto (Walt Disney Animation Studios) took home three Annies for Music (Score: Germaine Franco, Lin-Manuel Miranda); Storyboarding (Jason Hand); and Character Animation (Dave Hardin). 

Annies also went to Chipotle’s "A Future Begins" (Nexus Studios) for Best Sponsored Production; Maya and the Three (Netflix) for Best Animated TV/Media Production for Children; Ada Twist, Scientist (Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Wonder Worldwide, Netflix) for Best Animated TV/Media Production for Preschool Childen; and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Karl Rapley, Sebastian Trujillo, Richard John Moore, Merlin Bela Wassilij Maertz, Pascal Raimbault; Marvel Entertainment, Weta Digital) for Character Animation in a Live Action Production. 

“Last year’s virtual ceremony gave us a road map of what it took to do something of this magnitude and carry it off, but this year the challenge was different, perhaps more about dealing with the uncertainty and knowledge that things could change at any moment...which they often have!” remarked Frank Gladstone, ASIFA-Hollywood’s executive director. “But the fact is, our industry remains optimistic, healthy and resilient. So, as we have done for nearly half a century, we celebrate what we have accomplished this year and also celebrate that the animation community, facing whatever an uncertain and precarious world has in store, endures.” 

Special honors
The Winsor McCay Award for career contributions to the art of animation were presented to three recipients – Ruben Aquino, legendary Disney animator; Lillian Schwartz, computer animation pioneer; and Toshio Suzuki, prolific Studio Ghibli producer. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation was awarded to Renzo & Sayoko Kinoshita, influential animation filmmakers and founders of the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. 

The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art and industry of animation was presented to Python Foundation, promoting, protecting and advancing the open-source Python programming language, and facilitating the growth of the diverse Python community. The Special Achievement Award recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation was presented to Glen Vilppu, artist and author internationally known for teaching and training animation professionals. The Certificate of Merit for service to the art and industry was presented to Evan Vernon.       

The Annie Awards™ honor overall excellence in animation. The awards show has often been a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. 

Here’s a category-by-category rundown of Saturday night’s winners:

1. Best Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix

2. Best Indie Feature
Flee
Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant

3. Best Special Production
Namoo
Baobab Studios

4. Best Short Subject
Bestia
Trebol 3 Producciones, MALEZA Estudio

5. Best Sponsored
A Future Begins
Nexus Studios

6. Best TV/Media - Preschool
Ada Twist, Scientist
Episode: Twelve Angry Birds
Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Wonder Worldwide, Netflix

7. Best TV/Media - Children
Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series

8. Best TV/Media - General Audience
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix

9. Best Student Film
Night of the Living Dread
Student Director: Ida Melum
Student Producer: Danielle Goff
School: National Film and Television School, UK

10. Best FX - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: Oil and Water
Production Company: A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
FX Production Company: Fortiche Productions
Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Martin Touzé, Frédéric Macé, Jérôme Dupré

11. Best FX - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Production Company: Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks
Christopher Logan, Man-Louk Chin, Devdatta Nerurkar, Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari

12. Best Character Animation - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Léa Chervet

13. Best Character Animation - Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dave Hardin

14. Best Character Animation - Live Action
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Production Company: Marvel Entertainment
FX Production Company: Weta Digital
Karl Rapley, Sebastian Trujillo, Richard John Moore, Merlin Bela Wassilij Maertz, Pascal Raimbault

15. Best Character Animation - Video Game
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games

16. Best Character Design - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: Some Mysteries Better Left Unsolved
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Evan Monteiro

17. Best Character Design - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Lindsey Olivares

18. Best Direction - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury

19. Best Direction - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

20. Best Music - TV/Media
Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series
Tim Davies, Gustavo Santaolalla

21. Best Music - Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Germaine Franco

22. Best Production Design - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: Happy Progress Day!
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Julien Georgel, Aymeric Kevin, Arnaud Baudry

23. Best Production Design - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Lindsey Olivares, Toby Wilson, Dave Bleich

24. Best Storyboarding - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Simon Andriveau

25. Best Storyboarding - Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Jason Hand

26. Best Voice Acting - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Ella Purnell (Jinx)

27. Best Voice Acting - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Abbi Jacobson (Katie Mitchell)

28. Best Writing - TV/Media
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Christian Linke, Alex Yee

29. Best Writing - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

30. Best Editorial - TV/Media
What If...?
Episode: What If…Ultron Won?
Marvel Studios
Joel Fisher, Graham Fisher, Sharia Davis, Basuki Juwono, Adam Spieckerman

31. Best Editorial - Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Greg Levitan, Collin Wightman, T.J. Young, Tony Ferdinand, Bret Allen