Nominees in the 44th annual Annie Awards were some of the best in recent years. From Best Student Film to Best Animated Feature – the talent was extraordinary. The nominees for Best Animated feature included:

• Disney’s Zootopia
• Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings
• Disney’s Moana
• Pixar’s Finding Dory
• DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3

Tonight’s most prestigious award for Best Animated Feature went to Walt Disney Animation Studios for Zootopia!

But it didn’t end there. Zootopia also took home Annies for:

• Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
• Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
• Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production
• Outstanding Achievement for Direction in an Animated Feature Production
• Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
  (tie with Walt Disney Animation Studios – Moana)

Earlier this year, Zootopia won the Golden Globe for best animated feature film. February 26th, all animation eyes will be watching the 89th annual Academy Awards to find out if history repeats itself. In three of the last five years, the winner of the Annie for Best Animated Feature went on to take the Oscar for animated feature (2015’s Inside Out, 2013’s Frozen and 2011’s Rango). 

Top Honors at the 44th Annual Annie Awards

A special shout out to all of tonight’s top honor recipients including:

• Best Animated Special Production: Pear Cider and Cigarettes – Massive Swerve Studios and Passion Pictures Animation
• Best Animated Short Subject: Piper – Pixar Animation Studios
• Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production: Bob’s Burgers – Episode: Glued, Where’s My Bob? – Bento Box Entertainment
• Best Student Film: Citipati – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg
• Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production: Pearl Google – Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures – Director: Patrick Osborne
• Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production: Zootopia – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Director: Byron Howard, Director: Rich Moore

A Good Night for Laika and Disney

Both Laika and Disney had a strong showing in this year’s awards. Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings also had an outstanding evening winning Annies for:

• Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Feature Production
• Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
• Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Feature Production

Not far behind was Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana, taking home awards for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production (tie with Walt Disney Animation Studios – Zootopia) as well as Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production.

On the broadcast side, both Dreamworks Animation and Bento Box Entertainment – took home a pair of Annies. Dreamworks Animation was awarded Annies for Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production and Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Trollhunters.

Bento Box Entertainment’s Bob’s Burgers took the honors for Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production and two of the cg+new team’s favorite writers, Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux took home the honors for Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production. Kudos!

Hosted by ASIFA Hollywood, The Annual Annie Awards is the animation industry’s most prestigious event. On February 4, 2017 animators, vfx artists, writers, storyboard artists, editors and producers gathered at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus to celebrate excellence in the field of animation. Fans of animation from around the globe joined from afar, watching the live stream of 44th Annual Annie Awards. 

cg+news would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners! While the winners of the 44th Annual Annie Awards are considered the crème de la crème, it’s well worth your time enjoy all of this year’s nominees. In addition to the winners, many of the runners-up were winners in their own right. Who were your favorites? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to add you comments.

And with that, we’re proud to present, the Winners of the 44th Annual Annie Awards.

Best Animated Feature
Zootopia
Walt Disney Animation Studios

Best Animated Feature – Independent
The Red Turtle
Studio Ghibli – Wild Bunch – Why Not Productions

Best Animated Special Production
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Massive Swerve Studios and Passion Pictures Animation

Best Animated Short Subject
Piper 
Pixar Animation Studios

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
Loteria ‘Night Shift’ 
Passion Pictures Ltd

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
Tumble Leaf – Episode: Mighty Mud Movers / Having a Ball
Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Children
Adventure TIme – Episode: Bad Jubies 
Bix Pix Entertainment Cartoon Network Frederator Studios

Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Bob’s Burgers – Episode: Glued, Where’s My Bob?
Bento Box Entertainment

Best Student Film
Citipati
Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Moana
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Head of Effects Animation: Marlon West, Effects Lead: Erin V. Ramos, Effects Lead: Blair Pierpont, Foundation Effects Lead: Ian J. Coony, Effects Lead: John M. Kosnik

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Dr. Strange – Mirror Dimension
Marvel Studios – FX Supervisor: Georg Kaltenbrunner, Digital Artist : Michael Marcuzzi, Digital Artist : Thomas Bevan, Digital Artist : Andrew Graham, Digital Artist: Jihyun Yoon

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
DreamWorks Trollhunters – Episode: Becoming, Part 1
DreamWorks Animation Television, Character Animator: Mike Chaffe Character: Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production
Kubo and the Two Strings
LAIKA – Animator: Jan Maas Character: Multiple

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action Production
The Jungle Book
Walt Disney Pictures – Animation Supervisor: Andrew R. Jones, Animation Supervisor: Peta Bayley, Animation Supervisor: Gabriele Zucchelli, Character Supervisor: Benjamin Jones

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Video Game
Uncharted 4: A Thief‘s End
Naughty Dog – Lead Animator: Jeremy Yates Character: All, Lead Animator: Almudena Soria Character: All, Lead Animator: Eric Baldwin Character: All, Lead Animator: Paul Davies Character: All, Lead Animator: Tom Bland Character: All

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
DreamWorks Trollhunters – Episode: Win, Lose or Draal
DreamWorks Animation Television – Character Designer: Victor Maldonado, Character: All Characters, Character Designer: Alfredo Torres, Character: All Characters, Character Designer: Jules Rigolle Character: All Characters

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Zootopia
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Character Design : Cory Loftis Character: Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps, Flash, Chief Bogo, Clawhauser, Mr. Big, Fru Fru, Koslov, Bellwether, Yax, Finnick, Doug, Mr. and Mrs. Otterton, Duke Weaselton, Misc. Characters

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Pearl
Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures – Director: Patrick Osborne

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Zootopia
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Director: Byron Howard, Director: Rich Moore

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Pearl
Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures – Composer: Scot Stafford, Composer/Lyricist: Alexis Harte, Composer/Lyricist: JJ Wiesler

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production
The Little Prince
Netflix and On Animation Studios – Composer: Hans Zimmer, Composer: Richard Harvey, Composer/Lyricist: Camille (no last name)

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Pearl
Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures – Production Design: Tuna Bora

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Kubo and the Two Strings
LAIKA – Production Design: Nelson Lowry, Production Design: Trevor Dalmer, Production Design: August Hall, Production Design: Ean McNamara

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
DreamWorks Trollhunters – Episode: Win, Lose or Draal
DreamWorks Animation Television – Storyboard Artist: Hyunjoo Song

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Zootopia
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Dean Wellins

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show – Episode: Ponce de León
DreamWorks Animation Television – Cast: Carlos Alazaraqui Character: Ponce de León

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Moana
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Voice Actress: Auli’i Cravalho Character: Moana
Zootopia
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Voice Actor: Jason Bateman Character: Nick Wilde

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Bob’s Burgers – Episode: The Hormone-iums
Bento Box Entertainment – Writer: Lizzie Molyneux, Writer: Wendy Molyneux

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Zootopia
Walt Disney Animation Studios – Writer: Jared Bush, Writer: Phil Johnston

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Disney Mickey Mouse – Episode: Sock Burglar
Disney Television Animation – Nominee: Illya Owens

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Kubo and the Two Strings
LAIKA – Nominee: Christopher Murrie

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award (for their career contributions to the art of animation)
Dale Baer
Caroline Leaf
Mamoru Oshii

Ub Iwerks Award (for technical advancement in the art of animation)
Google Spotlight’s Virtual Reality Platform

Special Achievement Award
Life, Animated

June Foray Award (for their significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation)
Bill & Sue Kroyer

Certificate of Merit
Leslie Ezeh
Gary Perkovac