53rd ANNIE AWARD™ NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED JAN 6！

Jan. 6, ASIFA-Hollywood announced nominations for its 53rd Annie Awards™ recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org/nominations.

The 53rd Annie Awards™ will return to UCLA’s Royce Hall on Saturday, February 21, 2026. Pre-reception and Red Carpet will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 7:00 p.m., and after party immediately following the ceremony. All events will take place at UCLA.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include Elio – Pixar Animation Studios; KPop Demon Hunters – Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix; Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maybe Movies, Ikki Films, Distributed by GKIDS; The Bad Guys 2 – DreamWorks Animation; and Zootopia 2 – Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Best Animated Feature-Independent, spotlighting features with a much smaller distribution footprint than major studio releases include A Magnificent Life – Mediawan, What the Prod and Bidibul productions; Arco – Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma; I’m Frankela – Cinema Fantasma, Warner Bros. Discovery, Woo Films, Cine Vendaval; Lost In Starlight – Netflix/Climax Studio; and Scarlet – Studio CHIZU.

The Annie Awards™ cover 37 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent, Special Productions, Sponsored Films, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as significant lifetime achievement and the honorary Juried Awards.

Juried Awards also will be presented during the ceremony, honoring unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions are being awarded to three recipients: Internationally lauded Annie Award and Academy Award-winning animator, writer and director Michaël Dudok de Wit; prolific and influential filmmakers and Annie Award and Academy Award winners Chirstopher Miller and Phil Lord; and Annie Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer/director Chris Sanders.

The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent impact to the animation community will be awarded to Sandy Rabins, animation and live action producer and the founding guiding light for the AnimAID effort to assist and support those in the animation industry who were affected by the L.A. Wildfires.

The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry will be awarded to Wacom, manufacturer of the Cintiq graphics tablet and other products that have become an integral part of animation production worldwide.

The Special Achievement Award acknowledging unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure will be awarded to LightBox Expo, the annual event that brings the creative animation community of filmmakers together with animation students and fans.

Many thanks to the generous support from this year’s Sponsors and Advertisers – Platinum – DreamWorks Animation, Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation; Gold – Disney TV Animation; Silver – Sony Pictures Animation and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation; Bronze – GKIDS, Paper Animation/Infold Games Co., Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Skydance Animation; and Industry – Animation is Film (AIF), Animation Magazine, Backstage, Bento Box Entertainment, Motion Pictures Editors Guild, The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) and Variety. Nominee Reception Sponsors – Toon Boom and Wacom.

Created in 1972 by veteran voice actor June Foray, the Annie Awards™ have long recognized the animation industry’s most talented artists and storytellers. ASIFA-Hollywood is the largest chapter of the international organization Association Internationale du Film D’Animation (ASIFA). Operating independently through member support and revenue from its events and initiatives, this nonprofit organization continues to unite the global animation community celebrating excellence, preserving history, and fostering education and innovation.

For up-to-the minute details and information on the 53rd Annie Awards™, please visit www.annieawards.org. For information on ASIFA-Hollywood, please visit www.asifa-hollywood.org.

Source: ASIFA