Annie Awards Go To “Spider-Man” and “Robot Dreams”

Annie Awards Go To “Spider-Man” and “Robot Dreams”

February 17th, 2024

Jerry Beck

Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse won Best Feature honors at the 51st Annie Awards celebration Saturday night on the campus of UCLA. Spider-Man also took home an Annie for Best FX- Feature (Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari, Naoki Kato, Nicola Finizio, Edmond Boulet-Gilly), Best Character Design – Feature (Jesus Alonso Iglesias) Best Direction – Feature (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kem Powers, Justin K. Thompson), Best Music-Feature (Daniel Pemberton, Metro Boomin), Best Production Design – Feature (Patrick O’Keefe, Dean Gordon) and Best Editorial – Feature (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Editorial Team) The annual event recognizes the year’s best in 32 categories within the field of animation.

Best Independent Feature was presented to Robot Dreams (Arcadia Motion Pictures). Best Special Production was presented to Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie (Wildbrain Studios in association with Apple), Best Short Subject was presented to WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (Electroleague); Best Student Film – The Little Poet (Student director Justine King, California Institute for the Arts); and Best Sponsored Production – “Video Games” by Tenacious D (Pinreel Inc.).

Blue Eye Samurai (A Netflix Series/3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions) won six Annies for Best TV/Media-Mature Episode: Pilot: Hammerscale, Best FX – TV/Media – (Thomas Decaens, Karl Burtin, Laurent Bretonniere), Best Character Animation – TV/Media (Alex Bard), Best Production Design – TV/Media (Toby Wilson, James Wilson, Emil Mitev), Best Writing – TV/Media (Amber Noizumi), and Best Editorial – TV/Media (Yuka Shirasuna).

The Annie was also presented to Best TV/Media – Children – Hilda Episode: Chapter 8: The Fairy Isle (Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks); and Best Animated TV/Media – Preschool – Ghee Happy Episode: Navagraha (Ghee Happy Studio).

Best Character Animation – Feature went to The Boy and the Heron (Studio Ghibli Distributed by GKIDS) and Best Character Animation – Live Action was presented to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Marvel Studios, FX: Framestore – Fernando Herrera, Chris Hurtt, Nathan McConnel, Daniel Cabral, Chris McGaw).

The evening’s presenters included – Jorge R Gutierrez, Director Book of Life, Maya and the Three; Peter Ramsey, Tendayi Nyeke & Stycie Waweru, Kizazi Moto Executive Producers and Voice Actress; Eric Bauza and Bret Iwan, voice of Bugs Bunny; Troy Quane & Karen Ryan; Nimona Director and Producer; Diamond White and Fred Tatasciore, Moon Girl and the Devil Dinosaur voices; Shameik Moore, voice of Miles Morales from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Wendi McClendon-Covey & Shila Ommi, Elemental voices; Chris Sanders & Mike Mitchell, DreamWorks Directors; and Sean Lennon & Dave Mullins, producer and director of WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko.

“War Is Over”

Juried Awards were presented during the ceremony, honoring unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions were presented to three recipients: Legendary animator and director Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger (posthumous); prolific Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi and National Film Board animator and producer Marcy Page. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact was awarded to the BRIC Foundation, Alison Mann and Nicole Hendrix, co-founders.

The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry was presented to John Oxberry (posthumous). The Special Achievement Award recognizing unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure was presented to The Artists of Walt Disney Animation.

The Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in 32 categories from best feature, best feature – independent, production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music, editing and voice acting, and have often been a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The ceremony was streamed this year courtesy of ASIFA-Hollywood – www.annieawards.org/watch-it-live. A complete list of winners can be viewed at www.annieawards.org. Video highlights of the ceremony will be uploaded to the Annies website in the next few days.

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.