In a dazzling display of animated excellence, 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' swung to victory at the 51st Annie Awards held at UCLA's Royce Hall on Sunday night. The Sony Animation sequel not only claimed the coveted Best Feature award but also secured an impressive total of seven trophies, solidifying its position as the front-runner for the Animated Feature Oscar next month.
This triumph mirrored the success of its predecessor, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which went on to win the Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019. The Annie Awards have historically served as a reliable predictor for the Oscars, with 14 out of the 21 previous winners going on to win the golden statuette since the establishment of the Best Animated Feature Oscar category in 2002.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse showcased its dominance in various categories, securing wins for Directing, Music, Production Design, Character Design, FX, and Editing. The film's stellar performance at the Annies positions it as a strong contender in the upcoming Academy Awards.
However, the evening was not solely a Spider-Man show. Gkids The Boy and the Heron and Netflix's Nimona, the latter leading with nine nominations, each secured two trophies. Robot Dreams from Arcadia Motion Pictures won the Best Feature – Independent category, setting up a diverse field for the Animated Feature Oscar next month.
Remarkably, this year marked the first time in 32 years that no Disney or Pixar film contended for the Annies' top prize. Despite the absence of these animation giants, the competition remained fierce, with Netflix's 'Blue Eye Samurai' dominating the TV categories, securing six wins, including Writing, Editing, FX, Character Design, Production Design, and Best TV/Media for Mature Audiences.
The Annie Awards also recognized outstanding achievements in individual categories, honoring notable works across various fields in animation, including character animation, directing, music, and voice acting.
As the animation industry continues to evolve and diversify, the 51st Annie Awards stand as a testament to the creativity and innovation driving the medium forward. The spotlight now turns to the upcoming Academy Awards, where 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' seeks to make history once again.
Complete Winners list :
Productions Categories
Best Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Sony Pictures Animation
Best Animated Feature — Independent
Robot Dreams – Arcadia Motion Pictures
Best Animated Special Production
Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie – WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
Best Animated Short Subject
WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko – ElectroLeague
Best Sponsored Production
Video Games by Tenacious D – Pinreel Inc.
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children
Ghee Happy: Navagraha – Ghee Happy Studio
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Children
Hilda: Chapter 8: The Fairy Isle – Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc., and Mercury Filmworks
Best Mature Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Blue Eye Samurai: Pilot: Hammerscale – A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions
Best Animated Limited Series
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire: Enkai – Triggerfish Animation Studio and Blinkink
Best Student Film
The Little Poet – Justine King, director and producer (California Institute of the Arts)
Individual achievement categories
Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Blue Eye Samurai: All Evil Dreams and Angry Words – Thomas Decaens, Karl Burtin, and Laurent Bretonniere
Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari, Naoki Kato, Nicola Finizio, and Edmond Boulet-Gilly
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Blue Eye Samurai: Episodes 101, 104 and 106 – Alex Bard
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
The Boy and the Heron – Takeshi Honda
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Fernando Herrera, Chris Hurtt, Nathan McConnel, Daniel Cabral, and Chris McGaw
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Video Game
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 – Insomniac Games Animation Team (Insomniac Games)
Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: The Beyonder – Jose Lopez
Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Jesús Alonso Iglesias
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Star Wars: Visions: Screecher's Reach – Paul Young
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Blue Eye Samurai: The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride – Yuka Shirasuna
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Editorial Team
Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Star Wars: Visions: Aau's Song – Markus Wormstorm, Nadia Darries, and Dineo du Toit
Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton and Metro Boomin
Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Blue Eye Samurai: The Great Fire of 1657 – Toby Wilson, James Wilson, and Emil Mitev
Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Patrick O'Keefe and Dean Gordon
Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Run the Rink – Ben Juwono
Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
The Boy and the Heron – Hayao Miyazaki
Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Diamond White as Lunella Lafayette / Moon Girl in Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Moon Girl Landing
Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Chloë Grace Moretz as Nimona in Nimona
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production
Blue Eye Samurai: The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride – Amber Noizumi
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Nimona – Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor
Juried awards
June Foray Award : BRIC Foundation (Alison Mann and Nicole Hendrix, co-founders)
The Special Achievement Award : The Artists of Walt Disney Animation
Ub Iwerks Award : John Oxberry (posthumously)
Winsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Awards : Charlotte Lotte Reiniger (posthumously), Joe Hisaishi, Marcy Page