2021 Annie Award Nominations were announced

The nominations for the 48th annual ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards were announced today.

Netflix leads all companies with 40 nominations, followed by Disney with 32 recognitions. Dreamworks Animation pulled in 20 nominations (nine of which are also included in the Netflix total), while Warnermedia (which includes Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network) earned 15 nominations.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Onward (Pixar Animation Studios), Soul (Pixar Animation Studios), The Croods: A New Age (DreamWorks Animation), The Willoughbys (Netflix Presents A BRON Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media) and Trolls World Tour (DreamWorks Animation).

“What an odd year this has been! While animation has fared better than much of the entertainment industry, the situation around the pandemic has thrown all of us for a loop,” remarked Frank Gladstone, Annies executive producer. “We had no idea what to expect going into award season. To then see a year where we had more submissions than ever before was a huge and most welcome surprise. Though it might have initially seemed a little counter-intuitive, now we are approaching the Annies with optimism and the new year with a renewed sense of community.”

The shorts category at the Annies won’t serve as any kind of an indicator for the Oscars because the Annies didn’t nominate any of the ten Oscar-shortlisted shorts. However, the Dreamwork Oscar-shortlisted short To: Gerard picked up three nominations in individual achievement categories, while the television special The Snail and the Whale, which has also bizarrely been shortlisted for an Oscar, was also nominated for an Annie in the best special production category. The disparity between the Annie and Oscar short film categories is another indicator of the remarkable wealth of quality short-form filmmaking nowadays. The Annies did indeed nominate some fine shorts such as Kangmin Kim’s KKUM, Bastien Dubois’s Souvenir Souvenir, and Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime.

In addition to the competitive categories, juried awards will be presented to honor “unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation.”

The Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement will be presented to Willie Ito, Sue Nichols (posthumously), and Bruce Smith. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation will be awarded to Tonko House co-founder Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, while the Ub Iwerks Award for technical achievement will be given to Epic Games. An additional Special Achievement Award recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation will be presented to Howard, the feature documentary about the late lyricist Howard Ashman.

The Annie Awards™ cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent, Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards.

The complete list of nominees is below:

Best Feature

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

The Croods: A New Age

DreamWorks Animation

The Willoughbys

Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media

Trolls World Tour

DreamWorks Animation

Best Indie Feature

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Studiocanal and Aardman present in association with Anton Capital Entertainment An Aardman Production for Netflix

Calamity Jane

Maybe Movies

On-Gaku: Our Sound

Rock’n Roll Mountain, Tip Top

Ride Your Wave

Science SARU

Wolfwalkers

Cartoon Saloon / AppleTv / Gkids

Best Special Production

Baba Yaga

Baobab Studios

Libresse / Bodyform – #WombStories

Chelsea Pictures

Nixie & Nimbo

Hornet

Shooom’s Odyssey

Picolo Pictures

The Snail and the Whale

Magic Light Pictures

Best Short Subject

Filles Bleues, Peur Blanche

Miyu Productions

KKUM

Open the Portal

Souvenir Souvenir

Blast Production

The Places Where We Live (Cake)

FX Productions and FX

World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime

Don Hertzfeldt

Best VR

Bonfire

Baobab Studios

Gloomy Eyes

Atlas V

Kaiju Confidential

Shadowmachine

Best Sponsored

Erste Group ‘Edgar’s Christmas’

Pasion Animation Studios

Max & Maxine

Hornet

The Last Mile

Nexus Studios

There’s a Monster in my Kitchen

Cartoon Saloon, Mother

Travel the Vote

Hornet

Best TV/Media – Preschool

Buddi “Snow”

Unanico Group

Muppet Babies “Wock-a-bye-Fozzie”

Oddbot / Disney Junior

Stillwater “The Impossible Dream / Stuck in the Rain”

Apple / Gaumont / Scholastic

The Adventures of Paddington “Paddington Digs a Tunnel to Peru”

Blue-Zoo Animation Studio and Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum “I am Madam President”

9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films

Best TV/Media – Children

Hilda “Chapter 9: The Deerfox”

Silvergate Media for Netflix

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Finale Part 4: Rise”

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power “Heart Part 2”

DreamWorks Animation

Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Shattered”

Lucasfilm Animation

Victor And Valentino “The Lonely Haunts Club 3: La Llorona”

Cartoon Network Studios

Best TV/Media – General Audience

Close Enough “Logan’s Run’d/Room Parents”

Cartoon Network Studios

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal “Coven Of The Damned”

Cartoon Network Studios

Harley Quinn “Something Borrowed, Something Green”

Eshugadee Productions in association with Warner Bros. Animation

Rick and Morty “The Vat of Acid Episode”

Rick and Morty LLC

The Midnight Gospel “Mouse of Silver”

Titmouse Animation for Netflix

Best Student Film

100,000 Acres of Pine

Student director: Jennifer Alice Wright

The Animation Workshop

Coffin

Student directors: Yuanqing Cai, Nathan Crabot, Houzhi Huang, Mikolaj Janiw, Mandimby Lebon, Théo Tran Ngoc

Gobelins, l’école de l’image

La Bestia

Student directors: Marlijn Van Nuenen, Ram Tamez, Alfredo Gerard Kuttikatt

Gobelins, l’école de l’image

Latitude du printemps

Student directors: Sylvain Cuvillier, Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Noémie Halberstam, Maylis Mosny, Zijing Ye

Rubika

O Black Hole!

Student director: Renee Zhan

Student producer: Jesse Romain

National Film and Television School, UK

Best FX for TV/Media

Fast & Furious: Spy Racers “Sirocco Fire Explosion”

DreamWorks Animation

Chris Browne, Brand Webb, Russell Richardson, Ardy Ala, Reggie Fourmyle

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous “Welcome to Jurassic World”

DreamWorks Animation

Emad Khalili, Ivan Wang

Lamp Life

Pixar Animation Studios

Greg Gladstone, Keith Daniel Klohn, Matthew Wong

Tales of Arcadia: Wizards “Killahead, Part Two”

DreamWorks Animation

Greg Lev, Igor Lodeiro, Brandon Tyra, Cui Wei, Ma Xiao

Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy “Siege: Episode 6”

Rooster Teeth Productions for Netflix

Masanori Sakakibara

Best FX for Feature

Over the Moon

Netflix Pearl Studio

Ian Farnsworth, Brian Casper, Reinhold Rittinger, Zoran Stojanoski, Jennifer Lasrado

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Tolga Göktekin, Carl Kaphan, Hiroaki Narita, Enrique Vila, Kylie Wijsmuller

The Croods: A New Age

DreamWorks Animation

Amaury Aubel, Domin Lee, Alex Timchenko, Andrew Wheeler, Derek Cheung

Trolls World Tour

DreamWorks Animation

Zachary Glynn, Landon Gray, Youxi Woo, John Kosnik, Doug Rizeakos

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films / GKIDS

Kim Kelly, Leena Lecklin, Frédéric Plumey, Almu Redondo, Nicole Storck

Best Character Animation – TV/Media

Alien Xmas

Netflix Presents Fairview Entertainment/Sonar Entertainment/Chiodo Bros. Productions

Kim Blanchette

BoJack Horseman “Good Damage”

Tornante Productions, LLC for Netflix

James Bowman

Cosmos: Possible Worlds “Vavilov”

Starburns Industries

Dan MacKenzie

Hilda

Silvergate Media for Netflix

David Laliberté

Lamp Life

Pixar Animation Studios

Lucas Fraga Pacheco

Best Character Animation – Animated Feature

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Shaun Chacko

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Michal Makarewicz

The Croods: A New Age

DreamWorks Animation

Rani Naamani

The Willoughbys

Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media

Andrés Bedate Martin

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

Emmanuel Asquier-Brassart

Best Character Animation – Live Action

The Christmas Chronicles 2

Production Company: Netflix Presents A 26th Street Pictures/Wonder Worldwide Production

FX Production Company: Weta Digital

Nick Stein, Caroline Ting, Sebastian Trujillo, David Yabu, Paul Ramsden

The Mandalorian

Production Company: Lucasfilm

FX Production Company: Image Engine

Nathan Fitzgerald, Leo Ito, Chris Rogers, Eung Ho Lo, Emily Luk

The Umbrella Academy 2

Production Company: UCP for Netflix

FX Production Company: Weta Digital

Aidan Martin, Hunter Parks, Craig Young, Viki Yeo, Krystal Sae Eua

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures

FX Production Company: Framestore

Anders Beer, Marianne Morency, Hennadii Prykhodko, Sophie Burie, Cedric Le Poullennec

Best Character Animation – Video Game

League of Legends

Riot Games Inc.

Jose “Sho” Hernandez, Lana Bachynski , Christopher Hsing, Matthew Johnson, Jason Hendrich

Marvels Spider-Man Miles Morales

Insomniac Games

Brian Wyser, Michael Yosh, Danny Garnett, David Hancock Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Moon Studios Xbox Game

Iam8bit

Jim Donovan, Warren Goff, Boris Hiestand, Kim Nguyen, Jason Martinsen

The Last of Us Part II

Naughty Dog

Jeremy Yates, Eric Baldwin, Almudena Soria, Michal Mach, August Davies

Best Character Design – TV/Media

Amphibia “The Shut-In!”

Disney TV Animation

Joe Sparrow

BNA “Runaway Raccoon”

Trigger/Netflix

Yusuke Yoshigaki

Craig of the Creek

Cartoon Network Studios

Danny Hynes

Looney Tunes Cartoons

Warner Bros. Animation

Jim Soper

The Owl House “Young Blood, Old Souls”

Disney Television Animation

Marina Gardner

Best Character Design – Feature

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Daniel López Muñoz

The Croods: A New Age

DreamWorks Animation

Joe Pitt

The Willoughbys

Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media

Craig Kellman

Trolls World Tour

DreamWorks Animation

Timothy Lamb

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

Federico Pirovano

Best Direction – TV/Media

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal “Plague Of Madness”

Cartoon Network Studios

Genndy Tartakovsky

Great Pretender “Case 1_1: Los Angeles Connection”

Production I.G. for Fuji Television Network and Netflix

Hiro Kaburagi

Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart “Mao Mao’s Nakey”

Titmouse Inc/Cartoon Network Studios

Michael Moloney

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Battle Nexus NYC”

Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Alan Wan

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse “Hard to Swallow”

Disney Television Animation

Eddie Trigueros

Best Direction – Feature

Calamity Jane

Maybe Movies

Rémi Chayé

Over the Moon

Netflix Presents a Netflix/Pearl Studio Production /A Glen Keane Productions Presentation

Glen Keane

Ride Your Wave

Science SARU

Masaaki Yuasa

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Pete Docter, Kemp Powers

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films / GKIDS

Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart

Best Music – TV/Media

Blood of Zeus “Escape or Die”

Powerhouse Animation Studios for Netflix

Paul Edward-Francis

Mira Royal Detective “The Great Diwali Mystery”

Wild Canary/Disney Junior

Amritha Vaz, Matthew Tishler, Jeannie Lurie

Star Trek: Lower Decks “Crisis Point”

CBS’s Eye Animation Productions, Titmouse; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment

Chris Westlake

Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Victory and Death”

Lucasfilm Animation

Kevin Kiner

The Tiger That Came to Tea

Lupus Films

David Arnold, Don Black

Best Music – Feature

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna

Over the Moon

Netflix Presents a Netflix/Pearl Studio Production/A Glen Keane Productions Presentation

Steven Price, Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, Helen Park

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste

The Willoughbys

Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media

Mark Mothersbaugh, Alessia Cara, Jon Levine, Colton Fisher

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

Bruno Coulais, Kíla

Best Production Design – TV/Media

Baba Yaga

Baobab Studios

Glenn Hernandez, Matthieu Saghezchi

Shooom’s Odyssey

Picolo Pictures

Julien Bisaro

The Adventures of Paddington “Paddington And Halloween”

Blue-Zoo Animation Studio and Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Negar Bagheri

To: Gerard

DreamWorks Animation

Raymond Zibach

Trash Truck

Glen Keane Productions for Netflix

Eastwood Wong, Sylvia Liu, Elaine Lee, Tor Aunet, Lauren Zurcher

Best Production Design – Feature

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Noah Klocek, Sharon Calahan, Huy Nguyen, Bert Berry, Paul Conrad

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Steve Pilcher, Albert Lozano, Paul Abadilla, Bryn Imagire

The Willoughbys

Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media

Kyle McQueen

Trolls World Tour

DreamWorks Animation

Kendal Cronkhite Shaindlin, Timothy Lamb

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

María Pareja, Ross Stewart, Tomm Moore

Best Storyboarding – TV/Media

Archibald’s Next Big Thing “Baritone Tea Part 1”

DreamWorks Animation

Ben McLaughlin

Big City Greens “Cheap Show”

Walt Disney Television Animation

Kiana Khansmith

Looney Tunes Cartoons

Warner Bros. Animation

Andrew Dickman

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge

Warner Bros. Animation

Milo Neuman

Shooom’s Odyssey

Picolo Pictures

Julien Bisaro

Best Storyboarding – Feature

Earwig and the Witch

Studio Ghibli

Goro Miyazaki

Over the Moon

Netflix Presents a Netflix/Pearl Studio Production/A Glen Keane Productions Presentation

Glen Keane

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Trevor Jimenez

The Croods: A New Age

DreamWorks Animation

Evon Freeman

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

Guillaume Lorin

Best Voice Acting – TV/Media

Dragons Rescue Riders “Hunt for the Golden Dragon”

DreamWorks Animation

Jeff Bennett (Erik the Wretched)

It’s Pony “Episode 107”

Blue-Zoo Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Jessica DiCicco (Annie)

Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe

Walt Disney Television Animation & Disney+

Ashley Tisdale (Candace)

Tales of Arcadia: Wizards “Our Final Act”

DreamWorks Animation

David Bradley (Merlin)

ThunderCats Roar! “ThunderSlobs”

Warner Bros. Animation

Patrick Seitz (Mumm-Ra, Tygra)

Best Voice Acting – Feature

Earwig and the Witch

Studio Ghibli

Vanessa Marshall (Bella Yaga)

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Tom Holland (Ian Lightfoot)

Over the Moon

Netflix Presents a Netflix/Pearl Studio Production/A Glen Keane Productions Presentation

Robert G. Chiu (Chin)

The Croods: A New Age

DreamWorks Animation

Nicolas Cage (Grug)

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

Eva Whittaker (Mebh Óg MacTíre)

Best Writing – TV/Media

Big Mouth “The New Me”

Netflix

Andrew Goldberg, Patti Harrison, Andrew Goldberg

Craig of the Creek

Cartoon Network Studios

Jeff Trammell, Tiffany Ford, Dashawn Mahone, Najja Porter

Fancy Nancy “Nancy’s New Friend”

Disney Television Animation

Krista Tucker, Andy Guerdat, Matt Hoverman, Laurie Israel, Marisa Evans-Sanden

Harley Quinn “Something Borrowed, Something Green”

Eshugadee Productions in association with Warner Bros. Animation

Sarah Peters

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power “Heart Part 2”

DreamWorks Animation

Noelle Stevenson

Best Writing – Feature

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Studiocanal and Aardman present in association with Anton Capital Entertainment an Aardman Production for Netflix

Mark Burton, Jon Brown

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Keith Bunin

Over the Moon

Netflix Presents a Netflix/Pearl Studio Production/A Glen Keane Productions Presentation

Audrey Wells

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers

Wolfwalkers

Apple Original Films/GKIDS

Will Collins

Best Editorial – TV/Media

Cops and Robbers

Lawrence Bender Productions for Netflix

Brandon Terry, Ezra Dweck, Del Spiva

Hilda “Chapter 9: The Deerfox”

Silvergate Media for Netflix

John McKinnon

If Anything Happens I Love You

Gilbert Films/Oh Good Productions for Netflix

Peter Ettinger, Michael Babcock

Lamp Life

Pixar Animation Studios

Serena Warner

To: Gerard

DreamWorks Animation

James Ryan

Best Editorial – Feature

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Studiocanal and Aardman present in association with Anton Capital Entertainment an Aardman Production for Netflix

Sim Evan-Jones, ACE, Adrian Rhodes

Calamity Jane

Maybe Movies

Benjamin Massoubre

Onward

Pixar Animation Studios

Catherine Apple, Anna Wolitzky, Dave Suther

Soul

Pixar Animation Studios

Kevin Nolting, Gregory Amundson, Robert Grahamjones, Amera Rizk

The Willoughbys

Netflix Presents A Bron Animation Production in association with Creative Wealth Media

Fiona Toth, Ken Schretzmann, ACE