Pixar Wins Big at The 43rd Annual Annie Awards (Updated with Video)

With this year marking the first time Pixar Animation Studios has released two feature films within the same calendar year, it will certainly make for an exciting upcoming award season. Pixar Animation Studios has received 25 well-deserved nominations across multiple categories (nominations announced December 1, 2015) — Sanjay’s Super Team (1 nomination), The Good Dinosaur (10 nominations), and Inside Out (14 nominations).

In addition to the film nominations, late Pixarian Joe Ranft was honored with the Winsor McCay award recognizing his career contributions to the animation industry – previous Winsor McCay honorees have included Walt Disney, Mary Blair, and John Lasseter. Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera gave a beautiful heartfelt introduction to their late mentor and friend and accepting the award were Joe’s brother Jerome Ranft (Pixar sculptor) and Joe’s daughter Sophia.

Updated – our wrap-up video summarizing all of the acceptance speeches, as well as the honoring of Joe Ranft, can be seen below (or direct on YouTube – be sure to subscribe).

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production 

• Extraordinary Tales – Melusine Productions and R&R Communications – Storyboard Artist: Antonio Sanataria
• Hotel Transylvania 2 – Sony Pictures Animation – Storyboard Artist: Mike Smukavic
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Tony Rosenast – Winner
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Domee Shi
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Storyboard Artist: Habib Louati
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Bill Presing
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Rosana Sullivan
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: J.P. Vine, Storyboard Artist: Tony Rosenast, Storyboard and Enrico Casarosa

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Production

• Anomalisa – Paramount Pictures – Nominee: Garret Elkins 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Nominee: Kevin Nolting – Winner
• Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet – Ventanarosa – Nominee: Jennifer Dolce 
• Shaun the Sheep The Movie – Aardman Animations – Nominee: Sim Evan-Jones

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Feature Production

• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Writer: Pete Docter, Writer: Meg LeFauve, Writer: Josh Cooley – Winner
• Shaun the Sheep The Movie – Aardman Animations – Writer: Mark Burton, Writer: Richard Stark 
• When Marnie Was There – Studio Ghibli – Writer: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

• Anomalisa – Paramount Pictures – Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh Character: Lisa Hesselman 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Cast: Amy Poehler Character: Joy 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Cast: Phyllis Smith Character: Sadness – Winner
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Cast: Pierre Coffin Character: The Minions 
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Cast: Jon Hamm Character: Herb Overkill 
• The Peanuts Movie – Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation – Linus: Alex Garfin Character: Linus 
• The Peanuts Movie – Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation – Lucy: Hadley Belle Miller Character: Lucy 
• The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paramount Animation – Cast: Tom Kenny Character: SpongeBob

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

• Boy and the World – Filme de Papel – Production Design: Alê Abreu He Named Me Malala – Parkes-MacDonald / Little Room – Production Design: Jason Carpenter 
• Home – DreamWorks Animation – Production Design: Emil Mitev 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Production Design: Ralph Eggleston – Winner
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Production Design: Eric Guillou 
• Shaun the Sheep The Movie – Aardman Animations – Production Design: Matt Perry, Production Design: Gavin Lines 
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Production Design: Harley Jessup, Production Design: Sharon Calahan, Production Design: Bryn Imagire, Production Design: Noah Klocek, Production Design: Huy Nguyen

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production

• Anomalisa – Paramount Pictures – Composer: Carter Burwell 
• Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem – Warner Bros. Animation – Composer: Kevin Riepl 
• Boy and the World – Filme de Papel – Composer: Ruben Feffer, Composer: Gustavo Kurlat, Composer: GEM Grupo Experimental de Música, Composer/Lyricist: Emicida (No last name)
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Composer: Michael Giacchino – Winner
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Composer: Mychael Danna, Composer: Jeff Danna

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production

• Anomalisa – Paramount Pictures – Director: Charlie Kaufman, Director: Duke Johnson
• Extaordinary Tales – Melusine Productions and R&R Communications – Director: Raul Garcia
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Director: Pete Docter – Winner
• Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet – Ventanarosa – Director: Roger Allers 
• Shaun the Sheep The Movie – Aardman Animations – Director: Mark Burton, Director: Richard Stark 
• The Peanut s Movie – Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation – Director: Steve Martino 
• When Marnie Was There – Studio Ghibli – Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

• Hotel Transylvania 2 – Sony Pictures Animation – Character Designer: Craig Kellman, Character: Dennis, Dennis Bat, Vlad, Wuzzlelumplebum, Brandon, Linda, Mike, Johnny’s sister, Character Design: Stephen DeStefano, Character: Kelsey, Cronies 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Character Art Director: Albert Lozano, Character: All Characters, Character Artist: Chris Sasaki Character: All Characters – Winner
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Character Designer: Eric Guillon Character: Herb Overkill, Scarlet Overkill, Minions, Yeti 
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Character Art Director: Matt Nolte Character: All Characters

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production

• Home – DreamWorks Animation – Animation Supervisor: Mark Donald, Character: Various
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Animator: Allison Rutland, Character: All Characters – Winner
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Animator: Travis Hathaway, Character: All Characters
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Animator: Hichem Arfaoui, Character: Herb & Scarlet Overkill, Kevin, Stuart & Bob 
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Animator: Mark C. Harris, Character: All Characters 
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Animator: K.C. Roeyer, Character: All Characters 
• The Peanut s Movie – Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation – Lead Animator: BJ Crawford, Character: Multiple Characters

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production

• Home – DreamWorks Animation – Effects Lead: Greg Gladstone, Effects Lead: Tim Hoff, Effects Lead: Mark Newport, Effects Lead: Jason Rickwald, Effects Lead: Stephen Wood 
• Hotel Transylvania 2 – Sony Pictures Animation – Character Effects Supervisor: Chris Logan, Character Effects Supervisor: Brian Casper, Character Effects Lead: Gavin Baxter, Character Effects Lead: William Eckroat 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Effects Artist: Amit Baadkar, Effects Artist: Dave Hale, Effects Artist: Vincent Serritella, Second Unit & Crowds Animation, Supervisor: Paul Mendoza 
• Minions – Illumination Entertainment – Computer Graphic Supervisor: Frank Baradat, Computer Graphic Supervisor: Antonin Seydoux, Effects Supervisor: Milo Riccarand, Lighting & Composite Supervisor: Nicolas Brack 
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios – Effects Supervisor: Jon Reisch, Effects Lead: Stephen Marshall Volumetric Clouds Architect: Magnus Wrenninge, Development & Effects Artist: Michael Hall, Effects Technical Lead: Michael K. O’Brien  – Winner
• The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paramount Animation – Effects Animation Supervisor: Brice Mallier, FX Animation Supervisor: Paul Buckley, FX Animator: Brent Droog, FX Animator: Alex Whyte, Lead FX Animator: Jonothan Freisler

Best Animated Short Subject

• Carface – National Film Board of Canada 
• DISSONANCE – frameboX 
• If I was God – National Film Board of Canada 
• On Ice – Google/Evil Eye Pictures 
• Sanjay’s Super Team – Pixar Animation Studios 
• World of Tomorrow – Don Hertzfeld – Winner

Best Animated Feature

• Anomalisa – Paramount Pictures 
• Inside Out – Pixar Animation Studios – Winner
• Shaun the Sheep The Movie – Aardman Animations 
• The Good Dinosaur – Pixar Animation Studios 
• The Peanuts Movie – Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Animation