My SPW NewsPage View

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 46th Annual Annie Awards™ recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. 

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Early Man (Aardman Animations), Incredibles 2 (Pixar Animation Studios), Isle of Dogs (Fox Searchlight Pictures/Indian Paintbrush/American Empirical Pictures), Ralph Breaks The Internet (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation). Best Animated Feature-Independent, spotlighting features with a much smaller distribution footprint than major studio releases, include: Ce Magnifique Gâteau! (Beast Animation, Vivement Lundi!, Pedri Animation), MFKZ (Ankama/Studio 4ºC), Mirai (Studio Chizu), Ruben Brandt, Collector (Hungarian National Film Fund) and Tito and the Birds (Bits Productions, Split Studio).

For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org/nominees.

“From over 1,600 submissions, our committees have made a great selection of nominees this year. A wide choice of animation techniques, a broad selection of subjects, increasingly creative designs and an encompassing representation of films from other countries and various points of view is going to make this year's Annie Awards an ever more diversified event,” said ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “Membership voting begins January 1. Looking at the slate of nominees, I think this year’s decisions will be extraordinary.”

The Annie Awards™ cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent, Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. A pre-reception and press line begins at 4:30 p.m. in Dickson Court, adjacent to Royce Hall with the ceremony following at 7:00 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows the ceremony. All events will be held at Royce Hall.

Juried Awards will also be presented honoring unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. Three Winsor McCay Award recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors for their exemplary industry careers – Academy Award-winning director, animator and art director, Ralph Eggleston;

Frank Braxton (posthumously), the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president; and casting director, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano. The June Foray Award will be presented to veteran animator, Adam Burke (posthumously) for his significant and benevolent impact on the animation community. Ton Roosendaal, Dutch software developer and film producer, will accept the Ub Iwerks Award for Blender Open Source Animation Software; and a Certificate of Merit will be presented to dedicated ASIFA volunteer, Jason Jones. 

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost 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. For VIP tickets, please visit annieawards.org/tickets. For all other information regarding the Annie Awards™, please visit annieawards.org/event-info.