Within the last few days, many of the Hollywood award associations and motion picture critics have selected their best-of picks for 2009. It’s been an incredible year for animated features and that’s being reflected in their selections. The most amazing of all was Time Magazine’s Richard Corliss selecting animated features as the top three of his Top Ten: 1. The Princess and The Frog 2. Up and 3. The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The Golden Globe nominees were announced yesterday. They nominated Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog and Up For Best Animated Feature. They also nominated Michael Giacchino for Best Score (UP).

NY Film Critics selected George Clooney as Best Actor for his performances in both Up in the Air and Fantastic Mr. Fox. They also handed the award for Best Animated Feature to Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The American Film Institute announced its official selection for the 10th annual AFI Awards. Their list included Coraline and Up.

Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. gave its Best Animated Feature award to Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and its runner-up prize to Disney/Pixar’s Up

The San Francisco Film Critics Circle gave its first ever award for animated feature. It went to Henry Selick’s Coraline. Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach won best adapted screenplay for Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The African-American Film Critics Assn. granted their screenplay award to two winners: the live action Precious, adapted by Geoffrey Fletcher and The Princess and the Frog, scripted by Ron Clements, Rob Edwards and John Musker.

The Southeastern Film Critics Assn. and the Boston Society of Film Critics both voted UP as Best Animated Feature.

Jerry Beck

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