Annie Awards Nominations
- Leslie
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
Client: Lil Rel Howery – Talent
Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” and Pixar’s “Elio” lead the 53rd Annie Awards for animation with 10 nominations each.
Both are nominated for best feature, alongside “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” “The Bad Guys 2” and “Zootopia 2.” All of the above were also nominated in the Best Character Animation – Feature category.
The writers behind “Elio,” “KPop Demon Hunters” (editorial team), “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” “Scarlet” and “Zootopia 2” were also recognized.
On the TV side, Pixar’s “Win or Lose” scored six nominations, including Best TV/Media – Limited Series, and Nickelodeon’s “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” landed three noms.
“KPop Demon Hunters” has become a massive phenomenon on Netflix. Co-director Maggie Kang was committed to grounding the story in authenticity and presenting Korean culture in a bold, fresh way. Creating Korean female lead characters was particularly meaningful for Kang, who worked to make them “both appealing and aspirational and unique, but most importantly, Korean.”
Disney Pixar’s “Elio” centers on a young orphan boy who is desperate to be abducted by aliens. Directors Domee Shi (“Turning Red”) and Madeline Sharafian (“Burrow”) used classic sci-fi movies, including 1977’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” as inspiration. “We reference that movie a lot because it’s also about a guy who’s in love with space,” says Shi.
DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys 2” scored five nominations. Director Pierre Perifel wanted to go bigger with the film’s sequel, embracing and expanding on the heist genre. So, he crafted a globetrotting adventure and fun action comedy. For the cold open, Perifel was inspired by the likes of James Bond and “Mission Impossible” films, he told Variety. “It also sets up that we are an international movie now, and it’s a big adventure that ends up in space. It was really about playing with the tropes as much as we could, exploiting them, and giving it our own little twist.”
As far as being a precursor for the Oscars animated feature race, last year’s best independent feature winner, “Flow,” went on to win best animated feature.
The 53rd Annual Annie Awards are set for Saturday, Feb. 21. See the nominations below:
BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
“Dog Man”DreamWorks AnimationLil Rey Howery (Character: Chief)