Soul and Wolfwalkers were the big winners at the 48th annual Annie Awards for animation, which were doled out in a virtual ceremony tonight. The Disney/Pixar juggernaut strutted away with seven trophies, including Best Feature, while the “relatively small European movie” — as the filmmakers described it — snagged five wins, including Indie Feature.
After they battled it out all night, both will square off for the Academy Award next weekend against Onward, Over the Moon and A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon — all three of which went home empty-handed tonight.
On the TV side, big winners included Hilda, which picked up three awards, and Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, which scooped a pair. Big Mouth took the writing prize, and — from a galaxy far, far away — The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Clone Wars picked up one prize apiece.
So just how will tonight’s wins for Soul and/or Wolfwalkers factor into a certain widely watched trophy show happening on April 25? Well, since the Academy Awards’ Best Animated Feature category was launched in 2002, 13 of the 19 winners of the Annies’ top feature prize – and six of the past nine – went on to claim Oscar gold. But last year was an anomaly, as Netflix’s Klaus all but swept the Annies, beating out the eventual Oscar winner, Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4.
Soul has been the darling of guild awards this season, winning animation prizes from the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and PGA, among others. But Wolfwalkers — a co-pro among Ireland, the UK and France — has held its own by winning more than a dozen awards from critics groups and from likes of AFI Fest and National Board of Review.
The Winsor McCay Award for career contributions to the art of animation was presented to animator Willie Ito, designer Sue Nichols (posthumously) and animator/director Bruce Smith. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation went to animator and art director Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi.
The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art and industry of animation was presented to Epic Games for its Unreal Engine, and the Special Achievement Award recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation went to Stone Circle Pictures’ documentary Howard.
Presenters tonight included actors Josh Gad, Matthew Rhys, Philippa Soo, Eva Whittaker and Patrick Warburton; composer Michael Giacchino; directors Sergio Pablos and Jill Culton; producer-director Nora Twomey; producer-director Matthew A. Cherry; and the cast of the web series Critical Role.
In all, trophies were handed out tonight in 36 categories spanning film, TV, and video games. Entries submitted for consideration were from productions that originally aired or were exhibited in an animation festival, or commercially released between January 1 and December 31, 2020.
Here is the full list of winners at the 48th annual Annie Awards:
BEST FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
BEST INDIE FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
The Snail and the Whale
Magic Light Pictures
BEST SHORT SUBJECT
Souvenir Souvenir
Blast Production
BEST SPONSORED
There’s a Monster in my Kitchen
Cartoon Saloon, Mother
BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
The Adventures of Paddington
Episode: Paddington Digs a Tunnel to Peru
Blue-Zoo Animation Studio and Nickelodeon Animation Studio
BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
Hilda
Episode: Chapter 9: The Deerfox
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
BEST TV/MEDIA – GENERAL AUDIENCE
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Episode: Coven Of The Damned Cartoon Network Studios
BEST STUDENT FILM
La Bestia
School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image
Student directors: Marlijn Van Nuenen, Ram Tamez, Alfredo Gerard Kuttikatt
BEST EFFECTS FOR TV/MEDIA
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Episode: Welcome to Jurassic World Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
FX Production Company: Dreamworks Animation and CGCG Inc.
Emad Khalili, Ivan Wang, Chris Wombold, Kyle Goertz, Kathy D. Tran
BEST EFFECTS FOR FEATURE
Soul
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
FX Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios
Tolga Göktekin, Carl Kaphan, Hiroaki Narita, Enrique Vila, Kylie Wijsmuller
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA
Hilda
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
David Laliberté
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Michal Makarewicz
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
The Mandalorian
Production Company: Lucasfilm
FX Production Company: Image Engine
Nathan Fitzgerald, Leo Ito, Chris Rogers, Eung Ho Lo, Emily Luk
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales
Insomniac Games
Brian Wyser, Michael Yosh, Danny Garnett, David Hancock
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Amphibia
Episode: The Shut-In! Disney TV Animation Joe Sparrow
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
Federico Pirovano
BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal Episode: Plague Of Madness Cartoon Network Studios Genndy Tartakovsky
BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Episode: Victory and Death Lucasfilm Animation
Kevin Kiner
BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Shooom’s Odyssey Picolo Pictures Julien Bisaro
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
María Pareja, Ross Stewart, Tomm Moore
BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
Looney Tunes Cartoons
Episode: Big League Beast / Firehouse Frenzy Warner Bros. Animation
Andrew Dickman
BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Trevor Jimenez
BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA
Tales of Arcadia: Wizards Episode: Our Final Act DreamWorks Animation David Bradley (Merlin)
BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon/Melusine Productions for Apple/Gkids
Eva Whittaker (Mebh Óg MacTíre)
BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA
Big Mouth
Episode: The New Me Netflix
Andrew Goldberg, Patti Harrison
BEST WRITING – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
Hilda
Episode: Chapter 9: The Deerfox
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
John McKinnon
BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
Soul
Pixar Animation Studios
Kevin Nolting, Gregory Amundson, Robert Grahamjones, Amera Rizk
JURIED AWARDS
Winsor McCay Award
Willie Ito, Sue Nichols (posthumously), Bruce Smith
June Foray Award
Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi
Ub Iwerks Award
Epic Games for its Unreal Engine
Special Achievement Award
Howard (Stone Circle Pictures)
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.