The Annie Award nominations were announced today. Generally meaningless, but they announce early and it’s something to talk about before Oscar season is in full swing.
Plus, with the Animated Feature category so bizarre this year (owing to a very weak field), maybe this will be able to give us some insight? Doubtful, but it can’t hurt, right?
Here are your Annie Award nominations for this year:
Best Animated Feature
Early Man
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Well, that seems to be the category we’re trending toward at the moment. Maybe it’ll end up being just that simple.
The only other major contenders I’m seeing are Smallfoot and The Grinch, owing to their opening up of the category. But hey, maybe we’ll get one of those foreign contenders like we got used to a few years ago. That would make it fun.
No idea what wins this. I’m assuming one of the Disney/Pixar ones. Though sometimes they take themselves out of contention. I could see them going Spider-Man just because of the unique animation. My vote would be Isle of Dogs, but I also know nothing about how these things are properly animated, so maybe there’s some criteria the guild has that I don’t. (And by maybe I mean definitely.)
Best Animated Independent Feature
Ce Magnifique Gâteau!
MFKZ
Mirai
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Tito and the Birds
There’s a movie called This Magnificent Cake? Awesome.
I’ve only seen Mirai, which was solid. Holding out hope the other three eligibles are good.
P.S. I’m eliminating the categories that don’t mean anything for the Oscars. If I cared more about this other stuff, I’d go into detail, but I barely know anything, and everything I’m looking at is viewed through the lens of the Oscars. I sincerely hope you don’t come to me for in depth Annie Award analysis.
Best Animated Short Subject
Grandpa Walrus
Lost & Found
SOLAR WALK
Untravel
Weekends
Wasn’t Lost & Found last year?
I don’t know the Animated Short shortlist yet, so some of these may be on there. Worth keeping just to see.
Best Student Film
A Blink of An Eye
Best Friend
Facing It
Hors Piste
Sister
Maybe one of these gets shortlisted too? Who knows.
Animated Effects in an an Animated Feature Production
Early Man
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Incredibles 2
Next Gen
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Gee, I wonder what’s gonna win this…
Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
Early Man
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
So the same five at the top. Okay, then.
Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
Mary Poppins Returns
Paddington 2
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Some of this may help us for Visual Effects. And by that I mean… Avengers or Mary Poppins. Not a chance on any of the others.
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Incredibles 2
Mary Poppins Returns
Next Gen
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
So more of the same.
Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Early Man
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Incredibles 2
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Hotel Transylvania always seems to make it on this list, doesn’t it?
Music in an Animated Feature Production
The Grinch
Early Man
Incredibles 2
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Smallfoot
Sure.
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Early Man
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Objectively, one of the last three is winning this, right? Two of them are sight unseen by me, and still one of those three is winning, right?
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
The Grinch
Incredibles 2
Mary Poppins Returns
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Sure.
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Early Man (Eddie Redmayne as Dug)
Incredibles 2 (Holly Hunter as Elastigirl)
Isle of Dogs (Bryan Cranston as Chief)
Next Gen (Charlyne Yi as Mai)
Ralph Breaks The Internet (Sarah Silverman asVanellope)
Did Sarah Silverman win last time? Because she probably should this time.
Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Incredibles 2
Mirai
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Teen Titans Go! to the Movies
Sure. I wouldn’t have put Ralph on there, but that’s just me.
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
The Grinch
Incredibles 2
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
And we’re done.
So yeah, what this tells me is that the top five seem to be the big favorites, and the next month should only make Spider-Man even more of a slam dunk contender.
I feel like the big question we’re gonna have going into Oscar nominations, which no one’s gonna want to try to split, is whether or not they leave one of the Disney/Pixar choices off. And in that scenario, which one, and what goes on instead. So I’m sure that’ll leave all of us with the same five choices and at the mercy of whatever gets voted in.
Fun.
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