“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was the big winner at the 51st Annie Awards on Saturday, taking the prize in seven different categories at the annual ceremony that honors animated film, television and special productions.
The freewheeling sequel from Sony Pictures Animation was named Best Feature and also won in the direction, FX, character design, production design, music and editorial categories. The seven wins matched the number won by its 2018 predecessor, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” but fell well short of the record 11 won by 2017’s “Coco.”
Three of the Oscar nominees in the Best Animated Feature category besides “Spider-Verse” (incidentally, a record-breaker for the longest animated American feature of all time) also won awards: Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron” won for its character animation and storyboarding, Netflix’s “Nimona” won for writing and for Chloe Grace Moretz’s voice acting, and “Robot Dreams” won in the Best Feature – Independent category.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” won for the best character animation in a live-action film.
In the television categories, “Blue Eye Samurai” won six awards, “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” won three and “Star Wars: Visions” won two.
The Oscar nominee “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” was named the year’s best animated short.
Other winners included “Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie” (Best Special Production), Tenacious D’s “Video Games” (Best Sponsored), “Ghee Happy” (Best TV/Media – Preschool), “Hilda” (Best TV/Media – Children), “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” (Best TV/Media – Limited Series) and “The Little Poet” (Best Student Film).
In one high point of the ceremony, voice actor Eric Bauza (in character as Daffy Duck, no less) demanded that the shelved “Coyote vs. Acme” film be seen by audiences, to many cheers from the crowd.
The Annie Awards were established in 1972 by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood. The Best Animated Feature category was established in 1991 – and in the first 22 years of that category, the winner has gone on to take the Oscar for Best Animated Feature 15 times, including seven of the last 10 years.
In juried categories, the Winsor McCay Award for career achievement went to animator Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger (posthumously), composer Joe Hisaishi and producer Marcy Page; the June Foray Award went to the BRIC Foundation co-founders Alison Mann and Nicole Hendrix; the Ub Iwerks Award went to John Oxberry (posthumously) and the Special Achievement Award went to the artists of Walt Disney Animation.
That last award came on the 100th anniversary of Disney animation, and also in the first year in Annie Awards history in which Disney or Pixar were not nominated in the Annies’ top feature-film category.
The ceremony took place in Royce Hall on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.
The winners:
BEST FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Sony Pictures Animation
BEST FEATURE – INDEPENDENT
“Robot Dreams”
Arcadia Motion Pictures
BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
“Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie”
WildBrain Studios in association with Apple
BEST SHORT SUBJECT
“WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”
ElectroLeague
BEST SPONSORED
“Video Games” by Tenacious D
Pinreel Inc
BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
“Ghee Happy”
Episode: “Navagraha”
Ghee Happy Studio
BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
“Hilda”
Episode: “Chapter 8: The Fairy Isle”
Hilda Productions Limited, a Silvergate Media Company, Netflix Inc. and Mercury Filmworks
BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE
“Blue Eye Samurai”
Episode: Pilot: “Hammerscale”
A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions
BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire”
Episode: “Enkai”
Triggerfish & Blinkink
BEST STUDENT FILM
“The Little Poet”
Student director: Justine King
School: California Institute of the Arts
BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” Thomas Decaens, Karl Burtin, Laurent Bretonniere
Episode: “All Evil Dreams and Angry Words”
A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions
FX: Blue Spirit
BEST FX – FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari, Naoki Kato, Nicola Finizio, Edmond Boulet-Gilly
Sony Pictures Animation
FX: Sony Pictures Imageworks
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” Alex Bard
Episodes: 101, 104 and 106
A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
“The Boy and the Heron,” Takeshi Honda
Studio Ghibli Distributed by GKIDS
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” Fernando Herrera, Chris Hurtt, Nathan McConnel, Daniel Cabral, Chris McGaw
Marvel Studios
FX: Framestore
BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,” Insomniac Games Animation Team
Insomniac Games
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
“Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” Jose Lopez
Episode: “The Beyonder”
Disney Television Animation / Cinema Gypsy Productions
BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Jesús Alonso Iglesias
Sony Pictures Animation
BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
“Star Wars: Visions,” Paul Young
Episode: “Screecher’s Reach”
Lucasfilm Ltd. / Cartoon Saloon
BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Sony Pictures Animation
BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
“Star Wars: Visions,” Markus Wormstorm, Nadia Darries, Dineo du Toit
Episode: “Aau’s Song”
Lucasfilm Ltd. / Triggerfish
BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Daniel Pemberton, Metro Boomin
Sony Pictures Animation
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” Toby Wilson, James Wilson, Emil Mitev
Episode: “The Great Fire of 1657”
A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Production
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Patrick O’Keefe, Dean Gordon
Sony Pictures Animation
BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
“Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” Ben Juwono
Episode: “Goodnight Moon Girl”
Disney Television Animation / Cinema Gypsy Productions
BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
“The Boy and the Heron,” Hayao Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli / Distributed by GKIDS
BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA
Diamond White, “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur”
Episode: “Moon Girl Landing”
Disney Television Animation / Cinema Gypsy Productions
BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
Chloë Grace Moretz, “Nimona”
Annapurna Animation for Netflix
BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” Amber Noizumi
Episode: “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride”
A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions
BEST WRITING – FEATURE
“Nimona,” Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor
Annapurna Animation for Netflix
BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” Yuka Shirasuna
Episode: “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride”
A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions
BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” editorial team
Sony Pictures Animation
