The 44th Annual Annie Awards took place on February 4, 2017, with Pixar Animation Studios receiving 4 well-deserved nominations. The Annie Awards are presented to those who excel in the animation field and are voted upon by professionals of ASIFA Hollywood (International Animated Film Association). Last year, Pixar Animation Studios received a jaw-dropping 25 nominations (winning 11 awards) with the release of Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, and Sanjay’s Super Team being honored. This year, the teams behind Finding Dory and Piper have been recognized for their work.
Best Animated Feature
- Finding Dory – Pixar Animation Studios
- Kubo and the Two Strings – LAIKA
- Kung Fu Panda 3 – DreamWorks Animation
- Moana – Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Zootopia – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Winner
Best Animated Short Subject
- Blind Vaysha – National Film Board of Canada
- Deer Flower – Studio ZAZAC
- Path Title Sequence – Acme Filmworks
- Pearl – Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures
- Piper – Pixar Animation Studios – Winner
Producer Marc Sondheimer and Director Alan Barillaro were on hand to accept the award. The duo were gracious in their acceptance speech and thanked the many Pixar crew members who helped on the project. Alan gave a nod to John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton for not only pushing him to make Piper into a short film, but also inspired him along the way. The acceptance speech has been uploaded to the ASIFA Hollywood YouTube channel (Piper is at the 3:38 minute mark).
Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production
- Finding Dory – Pixar Animation Studios – Character Development and Animation: Erick Oh Character: All Characters
- Kubo and the Two Strings – LAIKA – Animator: Jan Maas Character: Multiple – Winner
- Kung Fu Panda 3 – DreamWorks Animation – Animation Supervisor: Ludovic Bouancheau, Character: Various
- Zootopia – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Animator : Dave Hardin Character: Judy Hopps, Stu Hopps, Bonnie Hopps, Chief Bogo, Nick Wilde
- Zootopia – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Animator : Chad Sellers Character: Mr. Big, Koslov, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Flash
Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
- Finding Dory – Pixar Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Trevor Jimenez
- Kubo and the Two Strings – LAIKA – Storyboard Artist: Mark Garcia
- Moana – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Normand Lemay
- Trolls – DreamWorks Animation – Storyboard Artist: Claire Morrissey
- Zootopia – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Storyboard Artist: Dean Wellins – Winner
Congratulations to those who were honored with nominations and those who took home awards (full list here), we continue to be impressed with the dedication and teamwork put forth on Piper and Finding Dory. Be sure to share your thoughts on this year’s award season with other Pixar fans in the Pixar Post Forum.