Annie Award nominations Annie Award nominations

The nominations for the 49th annual ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards were announced today.

Across all categories, Netflix leads with 51 nominations; Disney is next with 34. The streamer is especially dominant in the tv/media categories. Its acclaimed show Arcane, which topped its ranking of most-watched English-language series in mid-November, leads the pack with nine nominations. The two next-most-nominated series, Maya and the Three (7) and Love, Death + Robots (5), are also Netflix productions. The streamer also earned 14 nominations across the three Sony Pictures Animation films that it released this year: The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Vivo, and Wish Dragon.

The best feature category has thrown up no surprises. Disney’s three self-produced features of the year — Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, and Pixar’s Luca — are all nominated (as they are at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards). So is Netflix/Sony’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines, which has been tearing up the critics’ group awards. That leaves one slot, which Universal/Illumination’s Sing 2 has taken.

Those four heavyweights (not including Sing 2) have an enormous 35 nominations between them. With ten, Raya and the Last Dragon has the most of any title this year. Given its buzz, though, Mitchells stands a chance of stealing the crown from Disney.

Over in the indie feature category, critical darling Flee is up against three anime releases from GKIDS: Belle, Pompo the Cinéphile, and Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko. Netflix’s The Summit of the Gods is also in the running; surprisingly, this is the only nomination for the well-received mountaineering epic. There’s disappointment for Afghan-set drama My Sunny Maad, which was nominated at the Globes but not here.

Unlike its competitors, Summit has the marketing muscle of a giant company behind it. Belle has the most nominations — five — of any of them, and director Mamoru Hosoda won this award with his last film Mirai. Flee has the most hype. Any of the three could win, but our money’s on Flee.

An indicator of streaming’s pre-eminence in series: of the 15 shows nominated for one of the best tv/media awards (preschool, children, general audience), ten were made for platforms, five for linear broadcast.

The Annie Awards will be presented on February 26, 2022. The current plan is to hold the ceremony in person at UCLA’s Royce Hall. “In spite of everything or maybe because of what we and the world around us have been through for nearly two years, we all want to return to some sort of normal,” said Frank Gladstone, the awards’ executive producer, in a statement.

In addition to the 31 competitive categories, there are five juried awards that honor “unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation.”

Best Feature

Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios

Luca
Pixar Animation Studios

Raya and the Last Dragon
Walt Disney Animation Studios

Sing 2
Illumination

The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix

Best Indie Feature

Belle
Studio Chizu / Distributed by GKIDS

Flee
Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left HandFilms, Participant

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
Studio 4ºC / Distributed by GKIDS

Pompo the Cinephile
Clap Animation Studio / Distributed by GKIDS

The Summit of the Gods
Julianne Films, Folivari and Mélusine Productions Present In co-production with France 3 Cinéma and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma in association with Wild Bunch in association with Palatine Etoile 17, Cinémage 14, Indéfilms 8 for Netflix

Best Special Production

For Auld Lang Syne
WildBrain Studios in association with Apple

La Vie de Château
Films Grand Huit in association with Miyu Productions

Mum Is Pouring Rain
Laïdak Films & Dandelooo

Namoo
Baobab Studios

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
Studio Mir for Netflix

Best Short Subject

Bestia
Trebol 3 Producciones, Maleza Estudio

Easter Eggs
Animal Tank / Brecht Van Elslande

Maalbeek
Films Grand Huit Films à Vif

Night Bus
Joe Hsieh

Steakhouse
Finta Film, Fabian & Fred, RTV Slovenija, Miyu Productions

Best Sponsored

A Future Begins
Nexus Studios

Fleet Foxes – “Featherweight”
Sing-Sing

The Good Guest Guide to Japan”
Airbnb / Chromosphere

Tiptoe & The Flying Machine
Nexus Studios

Wandavision – “Don’t Touch that Dial” Title Sequence
Titmouse Inc.

Best TV/Media – Preschool

Ada Twist, Scientist
Episode: Twelve Angry Birds
Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Wonder Worldwide, Netflix

Muppet Babies
Episode: Gonzo-rella
Oddbot Inc

Odo
Episode: Doddle Song

Sixteen South and Letko

Stillwater
Episode: Crossing Over / Kind of Blue

Scholastic Entertainment / Gaumont / Polygon Pictures in association with Apple

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
Episode: I am Ella Fitzgerald
9 Story Media Group / Brown Bag Films

Best TV/Media – Children

Amphibia
Episode: True Colors
Walt Disney Television Animation

Carmen Sandiego
Episode: The Himalayan Rescue Caper
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing and DHX Media for Netflix

Dug Days
Episode: Science
Pixar Animation Studios

Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series

We the People
Episode: Active Citizenship
Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Netflix

Best TV/Media – General Audience

Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix

Bob’s Burgers
Episode: Fingers-loose
20th TV/ Bento Box Animation

Love, Death + Robots
Episode: Ice
Blur Studio for Netflix

Star Wars: Visions
Episode: The Duel
Kamikaze Douga

Tuca & Bertie
Episode: The Dance
The Tornante Company

Best Student Film

A Film About A Pudding
Student director: Roel Van Beek

Student producer: Jack Pollington

School: National Film and Television School, UK

Hope

Student director: Ryoma Leneuf & Gabriel Martinez

Student producer: Nicolas Daguin, Guillaume Uchoa, Arthur Bollia, Benjamin Autour

School: New3dge

I Am A Pebble
Student director: Yasmine Bresson and Maxime Le Chapelain

Student producer: Coline Moire

School: ESMA

Night of the Living Dread

Student director: Ida Melum

Student producer: Danielle Goff
School: National Film and Television School, UK

Slouch

Student director: Michael Bohnenstingl

Student producer:
Michael Bohnenstingl

School: Filmakademie Baden- Württemberg GmbH

Best FX – TV/Media

Arcane

Episode: Oil and Water

Guillaume Degroote, Frederic Macé, Jérôme Dupré, Aurélien Ressencourt, Martin Touzé


FX Production Company: Fortiche Productions

Castlevania

Episode: The Endings

Tam Lu, Adam Deats, Sam Deats
FX Production Company:
Powerhouse Animation Studios

Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
Alexander Feigin, Graham Wiebe, Pradeep Mynam, Michael Sun, Sergen Eren

FX Production Company:
Tangent Animation Studios

Shaun The Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas

Episode: Broadcast Special

Jim Lewis

FX Production Company:
Aardman

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Episode: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
Greg Lev, Brandon Tyra, Prakash Dcunha, Vincent Chou, Chen Ling
FX Production Company:
DreamWorks Animation, CGCG Inc. and Original Force Ltd.

Best FX – Feature

Belle


Ryo Horibe, Yohei Shimozawa

FX Production Company: Studio Chizu / Digital Frontier

Encanto
Alex Moaveni, Dimitri Berberov, Bruce Wright, Scott Townsend, Dale Mayeda
FX Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios


Raya and the Last Dragon

Peter De Mund, Cong Wang, Robert Bennett, Joel Einhorn, Debbie Carlson
FX Production Company: Walt Disney Animation Studios


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

Vivo

Martin Furness, Stephanie Molk, Lucy Maxian, Nachiket Pujari, Theodor Vandernoot
FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks

Best Character Animation – TV/Media

Arcane

Episode: The Monster You Created
Lea Chervet

Love, Death + Robots
Episode: All Through the House
Dan Gill

Namoo

Jon Paul Brower

Ultra City Smiths
Episode: The Little Baby Hand Pinky Grip

Ghazal Tahernia

We the People

Episode: Active Citizenship
Stephen Loveluck

Best Character Animation – Feature

Encanto

Dave Hardin

Luca

Tarun Lak

Raya and the Last Dragon

Jennifer Hager

The Boss Baby: Family Business

Ravi Kamble Govind

Wish Dragon
Ketan Adikhari

Best Character Animation – Live Action

Flora & Ulysses
FX Production Company: Framestore

Thomas Becker, Thiago Martins, Daniel Cavalcante, Philipp Winterstein, Victor Dinis

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

FX Production Company:
 Weta Digital

Karl Rapley, Sebastian Trujillo, Richard John Moore, Merlin Bela, Wassilij Maertz, Pascal Raimbault

The Suicide Squad


FX Production Company: Framestore

Meena Ibrahim, Alvise Avati, Nicholas Cabana, Adam Goldstein, Lea Vera Toro

The Tomorrow War
FX Production Company: Weta Digital

Carmelo Leggiero, Florent Limouzin, Cajun Hylton, Dave Clayton, Michel Alencar Magalhaes,

Y: The Last Man

FX Production Company: 
Industrial Light & Magic

Best Character Animation – Video Game

Disney Wonderful Worlds
Ludia

It Takes Two
Hazelight Studios


Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Ember Lab


Madrid Noir
Atlas V No Ghost / 
Aziz Kocanaogullari

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Insomniac Games

Best Character Design – TV/Media

Arcane

Episode: Some Mysteries Better Left Unsolved


Evan Monteiro

Batman: The Long Halloween Part One
Episode: Broadcast Special

Otto Schmidt

Kid Cosmic

Episode: The Rings of Power

Craig McCracken

Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon

Jorge R. Gutierrez

Yuki 7

Episode: They Called Her Number Seven

Keiko Murayama

Best Character Design – Feature

Luca
Deanna Marsigliese

Raya and the Last Dragon

Ami Thompson

Ron’s Gone Wrong

Julien Bizet

The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Lindsey Olivares

Vivo

Joe Moshier

Best Direction – TV/ Media

Amphibia

Episode: True Colors
Jenn Strickland, Kyler Spears

Arcane

Episode: The Monster You Created
Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury

Crossing Swords
Episode: Tent Pitching

John Harvatine, Brad Schaffer, Ethan Marak

Hilda and the Mountain King
Episode: Broadcast Special

Andy Coyle

Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
Jorge R. Gutierrez

Best Direction – Feature

Belle
Mamoru Hosoda

Encanto

Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith

Flee

Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Kenneth Ladekjær

Luca

Enrico Casarosa

The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Mike Rianda,
 Jeff Rowe

Best Music – TV/ Media

Blush


Joy Ngiaw

Hilda and the Mountain King
Episode: Broadcast Special

Ryan Carlson

Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
Tim Davies, Gustavo Santaolalla

Mila


Flavio Gargano

Mira, Royal Detective
Episode: The Eid Mystery

Amritha Vaz, Matthew Tishler, Jeannie Lurie

Best Music – Feature

Encanto

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Germaine Franco

Luca

Dan Romer

Poupelle of Chimney Town

Youki Kojima, Yuta Bandoh

Raya and the Last Dragon

James Newton Howard, Jhené Aiko

Vivo
Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Best Production Design – TV/Media

Arcane

Episode: Happy Progress Day!

Julien Gorgel, Aymeric Kevin, Arnaud Baudry

Arlo the Alligator Boy
Episode: Broadcast Special

Israel Sanchez, Tania Franco, Margaret Wuller, Michelle Haejung Park, Kayla Jones

Love, Death + Robots
Episode: Ice

Robert Valley

Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon

Jorge R. Gutierrez, Paul Sullivan, Gerald de Jesus, Richard Chen

Yuki 7

Episode: They Called Her Number Seven

Chromosphere Team

Best Production Design – Feature

Belle

Tomm Moore, Pareja Ross Stewart, Alice Dieudonné, Almu Redondo, Maria Pareja

Raya and the Last Dragon

Paul Felix, Mingjue Helen Chen, Cory Loftis

Ron’s Gone Wrong

Aurélien Predal Till Nowak, Nathan Crowley

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Lindsey Olivares, Toby Wilson, Dave Bleich

Vivo

Carlos Zaragoza, Wendell Dalit, Andy Harkness

Best Storyboarding – TV/Media

Arcane

Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down

Simon Andriveau

Invincible

Episode: Where I Really Come From

Jay Baker

Kid Cosmic

Episode: The Big Win
Justin Nichols

Love, Death + Robots
Episode: Pop Squad

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

The Ghost and Molly McGee
Episode: All Systems No


Johnny Castuciano

Best Storyboarding – Feature

Encanto

Jason Hand

Raya and the Last Dragon

Luis Logam

Spirit Untamed
Gary Graham

The Addams Family 2
Steven Garcia

Vivo
Carlos Romero

Best Voice Acting – TV/Media

Arcane

Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
Ella Purnell

Arlo the Alligator Boy
Episode: Broadcast Special
Michael J. Woodard

Centaurworld

Episode: Johnny Teatimes Be Best Competition: A Quest for the Sash

Parvesh Cheena

DC Super Hero Girls
Episode: #EnterNightSting
Kimberly Brooks

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Episode: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Charlie Saxton

Best Voice Acting – Feature

Encanto

John Leguizamo

Encanto

Stephanie Beatriz

Luca

Jack Dylan Grazer

Raya and the Last Dragon

Kelly Marie Tran

The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Abbi Jacobson

Best Writing – TV/ Media

Arcane

Episode: The Monster You Created
Christian Linke, Alex Yee

Maya and the Three
Episode: Chapter 4: The Skull

Silvia Olivas, Jorge R. Gutierrez

Muppet Babies
Episode: Gonzo-Rella
Ghia Godfree

The Mighty Ones
Episode: Berry’s Pet Threat
n
Jillian Goldfluss, Erica Jones, Nicolette Wood

Tuca & Bertie
Episode: Planteau

Lisa Hanawalt

Best Writing – Feature

Belle

Mamoru Hosoda

Flee
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Amin Nawabi

Luca
Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones

Raya and the Last Dragon

Qui Nguyen, Adele Lim

The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

Best Editorial – TV/ Media

Amphibia
Episode: True Colors
Jennifer Calbi , David Vasquez, Julie Anne Lau, Yoonah Yim, Andrew Sorcini

Arlo the Alligator Boy
Episode: Broadcast Special

Steve Downs

Love, Death + Robots
Episode: Pop Squad

Julian Clarke, Matt Mariska, Valerian Zamel, Brian Swanson, Ky Kenyon

Tom and Jerry in New York
Episode: Billboard Jumble
Michael D’Ambrosio, Jeff Small

What If…?

Episode: What If…Ultron Won?


Joel Fisher, Graham Fisher, Sharia Davis, Basuki Juwono, Adam Spieckerman

Best Editorial – Feature

Encanto

Jeremy Milton, John Wheeler, Pace Paulsen, Brian Estrada

Flee
Janus Billeskov Jansen

Luca

Catherine Apple, Jason Hudak, Jennifer Jew, Tim Fox, David Suther

Raya and the Last Dragon

Fabienne Rawley, Shannon Stein, Todd Fulkerson, Rick Hammel, Brian Millman

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

Greg Levitan, Collin Wightman, T.J. Young, Tony Ferdinand, Bret Allen

Juried Awards

Winsor McCay Award (lifetime achievement)
Ruben Aquino, Lillian Schwartz, Toshio Suzuki

June Foray Award (significant and benevolent or charitable impact)
Renzo Kinoshita (deceased), Sayoko Kinoshita

Ub Iwerks Award (technical advancement)
Python Foundation

Special Achievement Award (unique and outstanding achievement)
Glen Vilppu

Certificate of Merit (service to the art and industry)
Evan Vernon

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