Yesterday the nominees for the 44th Annual Annie Awards were announced. Like every year, the Annie Awards are a celebration of all the hard work and fantastic accomplishments that are achieved in the animation community. So many different fields within the medium are honored, such as Character Animation in a Video Game, Storyboarding in both Feature and TV Production, Voice Acting, and even Best Student Film. There are so many unsung heroes of the industry that it’s inspiring to see everyone come together to honor the work that has been done. The awards have also been known to be a huge predictor as to what films take home the pivotal Golden Statue otherwise known as the Oscar.
Pixar landed a brilliant 4 nominations in crucial categories. Finding Dory was nominated for Best Animated Feature, Piper got the honor of being nominated for Best Animated Short Subject; while Finding Dory racked another 2 nominations in Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production and Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production. A lot of top quality films have been released from all of the major studios this year – so it will be rather interesting to see which production wins. Regardless, a massive congratulations to all who were involved with animated projects this year. Each film, TV show, or game released only opens up the doors to more possibilities. It’s truly exciting to see how animation continues to grow year after year.
You can find the rest of the Annie Award nominees and categories below:
Best Animated Feature
- “Finding Dory,” Pixar Animation Studios
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika
- “Kung Fu Panda 3,” DreamWorks Animation
- “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation
Best Animated Feature – Independent
- “Long Way North,” Sacrebleu Productions, Maybe Movies, NorlumStudios, France 3 Cinéma and 2 Minutes
- “Miss Hokusai,” GKids
- “My Life as a Zucchini,” GKids
- “The Red Turtle,” Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions
- “Your Name.,” CoMix Wave Films
Best Animated Special Production
- “Audrie & Daisy,” AfterImage Public Media in association with Actual Films for Netflix
- “Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll,” DreamWorks Animation
- “Little Big Awesome,” Titmouse, Inc./Amazon Studios
- “Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life,” CBS Films/J.P. Entertainment/Participant Media
- “Pear Cider and Cigarettes,” Massive Swerve Studios and Passion Pictures Animation
Best Animated Short Subject
- “Blind Vaysha,” National FilmBoard of Canada
- “Deer Flower,” Studio ZAZAC
- “Path Title Sequence,” Acme Filmworks
- “Pearl,” Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures
- “Piper,” Pixar Animation Studios
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
- “Duelyst,” Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc.
- “LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Trailer, Plastic Wax
- “Lily & the Snowman,” Hornet
- Loteria “Night Shift,” Passion Pictures Ltd.
- “The Importance of Paying Attention: Teeth,” Bill Plympton Studio
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children
- “Ask the StoryBots,” Episode: Why Do I Have to Brush My Teeth?, JibJab Bros. Studios for Netflix
- “Peg + Cat,” Episode: The Disappearing Art Problem, The Fred Rogers Company/ 9ate7 Productions
- “Puffin Rock – The First Snow,” Episode 59, Cartoon Saloon, Dog Ears, Penguin RandomHouse
- “The Stinky & Dirty Show,” Episode: Squeak, Amazon Studios and Brown Bag Films
- “Tumble Leaf,” Episode: Mighty Mud Movers / Having a Ball, Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Children
- “Adventure Time,” Episode: Bad Jubies, Bix Pix Entertainment, Cartoon Network, Frederator Studios
- “DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender,” Episode: Return of the Gladiator, DreamWorks Animation Television
- “Elena of Avalor,” Episode: A Day to Remember, Disney Television Animation
- “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Episode: Trans-Dimensional Turtles, Nickelodeon
- “Wander Over Yonder,” Episode: My Fair Hatey, Disney Television Animation
Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “Bob’s Burgers,” Episode: Glued, Where’s My Bob?, Bento Box Entertainment
- “BoJack Horseman,” Episode: Fish Out of Water, Tornante Productions for Netflix
- “Long Live the Royals,” Episode: Punk Show, Cartoon Network Studios
- “The Simpsons,” Episode: Barthood, Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox Television
- “The Venture Bros,” Episode: Hostile Makeover, Titmouse, Inc.
Best Student Film
- “Citipati,” Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg
- “FISHWITCH,” Adrienne Dowling
- “The Abyss,” Liying Huang
- “The Wrong End of the Stick,” Terri Matthews
- “Twiddly Things,” Adara Todd
Animated Effects in an Animated Production
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Lead Effects Artist: David Horsley; CG Look Development Lead: Eric Wachtman; Senior Compositor: Timur Khodzhaev; Compositor: Daniel Leatherdale; Lead CG Lighter: Terrance Tomberg
- “Kung Fu Panda 3,” DreamWorks Animation; Effects Sequence Lead: Matt Titus; Effects Sequence Lead: Jeff Budsberg; Effects Sequence Lead: Carl Hooper; Effects Sequence Lead: Louis Flores; Effects Sequence Lead: Jason Mayer
- “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Head of Effects Animation: Marlon West; Effects Lead: Erin V. Ramos; Effects Lead: Blair Pierpont; Foundation Effects Lead: Ian J. Coony; Effects Lead: John M. Kosnik
- “The Red Turtle,” Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions; Special Effects Supervisor: Mouloud Oussid
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Effects Lead: Thom Wickes; Effects Lead: Henrik Fält; Effects Animator: Dong Joo Byun; Effects Animator: Rattanin Sirinaruemarn; Effects Animator: Sam Klock
Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
- “Deepwater Horizon,” Lionsgate; The Rig; Effects TD Supervisor: Raul Essig; Digital Artist : Mark Chataway; Lead Digital Artist : George Kuruvilla; Digital Artist : Mihai Cioroba
- “Doctor Strange,” Marvel, Mirror Dimension; FX Supervisor: Georg Kaltenbrunner; Digital Artist : Michael Marcuzzi; Digital Artist : Thomas Bevan; Digital Artist: Andrew Graham; Digital Artist: Jihyun Yoon
- “Ghostbusters,” Iloura; Animator: Terry Bannon; Animator: Nicholas Tripodi; Animator: Daniel Fotheringham; Animator: Matt Weaver; Animator: Julien Boudou
- “The BFG,” Amblin Entertainment and Walt Disney Pictures; Lead Effects TD: Claude Schitter; Senior Previs Animator: Benjaman Folkman; Senior Effects TD: Gary Boyle; FX Supervisor: David Caeiro; CG Supervisor: Luke Millar
- “Warcraft,” Legendary/Universal; Magic; Legendary/ Universal; FX Supervisor: John Hansen; Lead Artist: George Kuruvilla; Lead Artist: Alexis Hall, Lead Artist: Gordon Chapman; Lead Artist: Ben O’Brien
Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “Atomic Puppet,” Mercury Filmworks, Gaumont Animation, Technicolor; Character Animator: Barry Kennedy; Characters: Disastro, Phil Felt, Joey Felt, Old
- Man, Atomic Puppet, Mookie, Vivian Felt, Smoke Monster, Principal Wartickle, Sword Sister (Paulina), Were-chicken, Chicken, Mr. Inkwood, Cornelius (Octopus), Atomic Android, incidental characters
- “DreamWorks Trollhunters,” Episode: Becoming, Part 1, DreamWorks Animation Television; Character Animator: Mike Chaffe; Characters: Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!
- “The Snowy Day,” Amazon Studios and Karrot Entertainment; Lead Animator: Rob Thomson; Character: Peter, Mom, Nana and other various characters
- “Tumble Leaf,” Episode: Thinking Outside The Hoop / Fig’s HayMaze-ing Wander, Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment; Lead Animator: Dan MacKenzie; Characters: Fig, Hedge, Stick, Okra, Maple, Pine, Buckeye, Gourd, Chickens
- “Tumble Leaf,” Episode: Mighty Mud Movers / Having a Ball, Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment; Lead Animator: Joe Heinen; Characters: Fig, Hedge, Stick, Buckeye, Pine, Beetles
Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
- “Finding Dory,” Pixar Animation Studios; Character Development and Animation: Erick Oh; Characters: All Characters
- “Kubo and the Two Strings” Laika; Animator: Jan Maas; Characters: Multiple
- “Kung Fu Panda 3,” DreamWorks Animation; Animation Supervisor: Ludovic Bouancheau; Characters: Various
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Animator: Dave Hardin Charactes: Judy Hopps, Stu Hopps, Bonnie Hopps, Chief Bogo, Nick Wilde,
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Animator: Chad Sellers; Characters: Mr. Big, Koslov, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Flash
Character Animation in a Live Action Production
- “Captain America: Civil War,” Marvel Studios; Spider-man; ILM Animation Supervisor: Steve Rawlins; CG Lead Artist: Ebrahim Jahromi; Associate Animation Supervisor: Cedric Lo; CG Lead Artist: Stephen King; Digital Artist: Yair Gutierrez
- “Games of Thrones,” HBO, Episode: Battle of the Bastards; Visual Effects By Iloura: Nicholas Tripodi; Visual Effects By Iloura: Dean Elliott; Visual Effects By Iloura: James Hollingworth; Visual Effects By Iloura: Matt Weaver
- “The Jungle Book,” Walt Disney Pictures; Animation Supervisor: Andrew R. Jones; Animation Supervisor: Peta Bayley; Animation Supervisor: Gabriele Zucchelli; Character Supervisor: Benjamin Jones
- “The Jungle Book,” Walt Disney Pictures; Animation Supervisor: Andrew R. Jones; Senior Animation Supervisor: Paul Story; Animation Supervisor: Dennis Yoo; Motion Editor: Eteuati Tema; Senior Facial Modeller: Andrei Coval
- “Warcraft ,” Legendary/Universal; Orcs; Animation Supervisor: Hal Hickel; Digital Artist : Jee Young Park; Digital Artist: Kai-Hua Lan; Animation Supervisor: Cedric Lo; Animation Supervisor: KimHuat Ooi
Character Animation in a Video Game
- “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Legends,” Ludia Inc.; Character Animator: Lucio Mennillo; Character: Donatello Vision; Character Animator: Martine Quesnel; Character: Leonardo Vision; Character Animator: Alexandre Cheff; Character: Donatello LARP; Character Animator: Laura Gorrie; Character: Leatherhead LARP; Lead Animator: Guillaume Charrin; Character: Raphael Vision
- “Titanfall 2,” Respawn Entertainment; Character Animator: Ranon Sarono, Character: Jack Cooper, BT-7274, Weapons; Character Animator: Shawn Wilson; Character: BT-7274, Creatures; Lead Animator: Mark Grigsby Character: BT-7274, Jack Cooper, Viper, Weapons; Lead Animator: Paul Messerly Character: BT-7274, Jack Cooper, AI; Character Animator: Moy Parra, Character BT-7274, Villains
- “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End,” Naughty Dog; Lead Animator: Jeremy Yates Character: All; Lead Animator: Almudena Soria Character: All; Lead Animator: Eric Baldwin Character: All; Lead Animator: Paul Davies Character: All; Lead Animator: Tom Bland Character: All; Witcher 3 Expansion Packs – Character Animation Reel; CDProjekt Red Lead Animator: Sebastian Kalemba; Character: Directing role
Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “Counterfeit Cat,” Episode: 28 Seconds Later, Tricon Kids & Family and Wildseed Kids; Art Director: Raphaël Chabassol; Character: Full cast: Max, Gark, Betty, etc.
- “DreamWorks Trollhunters,” Episode: Win, Lose or Draal, DreamWorks Animation Television; Character Designer: Victor Maldonado, Character: All Characters; Character Designer: Alfredo Torres, Character: All Characters; Character Designer: Jules Rigolle, Character: All Characters
- “Pig Goat Banana Cricket,” Episode: It’s Time to Slumber Party, Nickelodeon; Character Designer: Jennifer Wood, Character: Various
- “Rain or Shine,” Google Spotlight Stories/Nexus Studios; Character Design: Robin Davey, Character: Multiple
- “Wander Over Yonder,” Episode: The Night Out, Disney Television Animation; Character Designer: Benjamin Balistreri, Character: Various
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Character Designer: Shannon Tindle, Characters: Multiple
- “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Art Director Characters: Bill Schwab, Characters: Moana, Maui, Pua, Heihei, Tamatoa, Kakamora, Lalotai Characters (Realm of Monsters); Visual Development Artist: Jin Kim, Charactesr: Moana, Maui, Gramma Tala, Sina, Ancestor Wayfinders, Lalotai Characters (Realm of Monsters), Te Kā
- “The Secret Life of Pets,” Illumination Entertainment; Character Design by: Eric Guillon Character: All
- “Trolls,” DreamWorks Animation; Art Director: Tim Lamb, Characters: Trolls; Character Designer: Craig Kellman, Characters: Bergens
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Character Design : Cory Loftis, Characters: Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Flash, Chief Bogo, Clawhauser, Mr. Big, Fru Fru, Koslov, Bellwether, Yax, Finnick, Doug, Mr. and Mrs. Otterton, Duke Weaselton, Misc. Characters
Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “A Love Story,” Passion Pictures; Director: Saschka Unseld
- “Adventure Time,” Episode: Bad Jubies, Cartoon Network Studios; Director: Kirsten Lepore
- “Open Season: Scared Silly,” Episode: Open Season: Scared Silly; Sony Pictures Animation; Director: David Feiss
- “Pearl,” Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures; Director: Patrick Osborne
- “Wander Over Yonder,” Episode: My Fair Hatey, Disney Television Animation; Director: Dave Thomas; Director: Eddie Trigueros; Director: Justin Nichols
Directing in an Animated Feature Production
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Director: Travis Knight
- “My Life as a Zucchini,”GKids; Director: Claude Barras
- “The Red Turtle,” Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions; Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
- “Your Name.,” CoMix Wave Films; Director: Makoto Shinkai
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Director: Byron Howard; Director: Rich Moore
Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “Bob’s Burgers,” Episode: Glued, Where’s My Bob?, Bento Box Entertainment; Composer: Loren Bouchard; Composer: John Dylan Keith
- “Disney Mickey Mouse,” Episode: Dancevidaniya, Disney Television Animation; Composer: Christopher Willis
- “DreamWorks Trollhunters,” Episode: Becoming, Part 1, DreamWorks Animation Television; Composer: Alexandre Desplat; Composer: TimDavis
- “Pearl,” Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures; Composer: Scot Stafford; Composer/Lyricist: Alexis Harte; Composer/Lyricist: JJ Wiesler
- “Star Wars Rebels,” Episode: #2-24: Twilight of the Apprentice, LucasfilmLtd. / Disney XD; Composer: Kevin Kiner
Music in an Animated Feature Production
- “Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders,” Warner Bros. Animation; Composer: Kristopher Carter; Composer: Lolita Ritmanis; Composer: Michael McCuistion
- “Sing,” Illumination Entertainment; Composer: Joby Talbot
- “The Little Prince,” Netflix and On Animation Studios; Composer: Hans Zimmer; Composer: Richard Harvey; Composer/Lyricist: Camille
- “The Red Turtle,” Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions; Composer: Laurent Perez del Mar
- “The Secret Life of Pets,” Illumination Entertainment, Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Production Design in an Animated Television Broadcast Production
- “Adventure TIme,” Episode: Bad Jubies; Bix Pix Entertainment, Cartoon Network, Frederator Studios; Production Design: Jason Kolowski
- “Pearl,” Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures; Production Design: Tuna Bora
- “Puffin Rock,” Episode: The First Snow, Cartoon Saloon, Dog Ears and Penguin for Netflix; Production Design: Lily Bernard
- “Rain or Shine,” Google Spotlight Stories/Nexus Studios; Production Design: Robin Davey
- “The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show,” Episode: The Wrath of Hughes, DreamWorks Animation Television; Production Design: Kevin Dart; Production Design: Sylvia Liu; Production Design: Chris Turnham; Production Design: Eastwood Wong
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Production Design: Nelson Lowry; Production Design: Trevor Dalmer; Production Design: August Hall; Production Design: Ean McNamara
- “Kung Fu Panda 3,” DreamWorks Animation; Production Design: Raymond Zibach; Production Design: Max Boas
- “The Little Prince,” Netflix and On Animation Studio; Production Design: Lou Romano; Production Design: Alexander Juhasz; Production Design: Celine Desrumaux
- “Trolls,” DreamWorks Animation; Production Design: Kendal Cronkhite; Production Design: Tim Lamb
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Production Design: David Goetz; Production Design: Matthias Lechner
Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “Atomic Puppet,” Episode: Sick Day, Mercury Filmworks, Gaumont Animation, Technicolor; Storyboard Artist: Kyle Marshall
- “Disney Mickey Mouse,” Episode: Road Hogs, Disney Television Animation; Storyboard Artist: Heiko Von Drengenberg
- “DreamWorks Trollhunters,” Episode: Win, Lose or Draal, DreamWorks Animation Television; Storyboard Artist: Hyunjoo Song
- “Milo Murphy’s Law,” Episode: Going the Extra Milo, Disney Television Animation; Storyboard Artist: Dan Povenmire; Storyboard Artist: Kyle Menke
- “The Adventures of Puss in Boots,” Episode: Prey Time, DreamWorks Animation Television; Storyboard Artist: Ben Juwono
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
- “Finding Dory,” Pixar Animation Studios; Storyboard Artist: Trevor Jimenez
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Storyboard Artist: Mark Garcia
- “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Storyboard Artist: Normand Lemay
- “Trolls,” DreamWorks Animation; Storyboard Artist: Claire Morrissey
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Storyboard Artist: Dean Wellins
Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “BoJack Horseman,” Episode: Multiple Episodes; Tornante Productions, LLC for Netflix; Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen
- “Open Season: Scared Silly,” Episode: Open Season: Scared Silly; Sony Pictures Animation; Will Townsend as Mr. Weenie
- “Splash and Bubbles,” Episode: #102 I Only Have Eyespots/Double Bubbles; The Jim Henson Company and Herschend Entertainment; Puppeteer Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as: Bubbles
- “Star Wars Rebels,” Episode: #3-05: Hera’s Heroes, LucasfilmLtd. / Disney XD; Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn
- “The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show,” Episode: Ponce de León; DreamWorks Animation Television; Carlos Alazraqui as Ponce de León
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Art Parkinson as Kubo
- “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Auli’i Cravalho as Moana
- “Storks,” Warner Animation Group; Katie Crown as Tulip
- “Trolls,” DreamWorks Animation; Zooey Deschanel as Bridget
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde
Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “Bob’s Burgers,” Episode: The Hormone-iums, Bento Box Entertainment; Writer: Lizzie Molyneux; Writer: Wendy Molyneux
- “Gravity Falls.” Episode: Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls, Disney TV Animation; Writer: Shion Takeuchi; Writer: Mark Rizzo; Writer: Jeff Rowe; Writer: Josh Weinstein; Writer: Alex Hirsch
- “Puffin Rock – The First Snow,” Episode: 59; Cartoon Saloon, Dog Ears, Penguin Random House; Writer: Davey Moore
- “The Simpson,” Episode: Barthood, Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox Television; Writer: Dan Greaney
- “The Simpsons,” Episode: The Burns Cage; Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox Television; Writer: Rob LaZebnik
Writing in an Animated Feature Production
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika; Writer: Marc Haimes; Writer: Chris Butler
- “My Life as a Zucchini,” GKids; Writer: Céline Sciamma
- “The Red Turtle,” Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions; Writer:Michael Dudok de Wit; Writer: Pascale Ferran
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Writer: Jared Bush; Writer: Phil Johnston
Editorial in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
- “All Hail King Julien,” Episode: King Julien Superstar!; DreamWorks Animation Television; David Craig, Jeff Adams
- “Bob’s Burgers,” Episode: Sea Me Now; Bento Box Entertainment; Mark Seymour, Chuck Smith, Eric Davidson
- “Disney Mickey Mouse,” Episode: Sock Burglar, Disney Television Animation; Illya Owens
- “Gravity Falls,” Episode: Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls, Disney TV Animation; Kevin Locarro; Andrew Sorcini; Nancy Frazen; Tony Mizgalski
- “Star Wars Rebels,” Episode: #2-24: Twilight of the Apprentice; LucasfilmLtd. / Disney XD; Joe E. Elwood, Alex McDonnell
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
- “April and the Extraordinary World,” GKids, Nazim Meslem
- “Kubo and the Two Strings,” Laika, Christopher Murrie
- “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios, Jeff Draheim
- “Sausage Party,” Columbia Pictures, Annapurna Pictures; Kevin Pavlovic
- “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios; Fabienne Rawley, Jeremy Milton
