Last night was the 50th Annie Awards, the annual awards ceremony honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the art of animation. It was a big night for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and a somewhat light year for Disney wins, with just 5.
Here, we will showcase winners from all arms of The Walt Disney Company, but you can find the full list of winners from this year’s event here. To see all Disney projects that were nominated, check out our prior list.
Best TV/Media – Mature
Bob's Burgers – “Some Like it Bot Part 1: Eighth Grade Runner” – 20th Television/Bento Box Entertainment
Best FX – Feature
Avatar: The Way of Water – Production Company: 20th Century Studios / Disney Studios – FX Production Company: Wētā FX – Johnathan M. Nixon, David Moraton, Nicholas Illingworth, David Caeiro Cebrian, Alex Nowotny
Best Character Animation – Live Action
Avatar: The Way of Water – Wētā FX – Daniel Barrett, Stuart Adcock, Todd Labonte, Douglas McHale, Stephen Cullingford
Best Voice Acting – TV/Media
Zootopia+ – “The Godfather of the Bride” – Walt Disney Animation Studios – Maurice LaMarche (Mr. Big)
As shared by Deadline, three-time Oscar-winning Pixar CEO Pete Docter received the Winsor McCay Award, presented by Disney CEO Bob Iger. “[Docter] was 8 years old when he created his first flip book, which he still gives out as Christmas presents,” Iger said in his intro. “I’ve been the recipient of several.” The exec also told a story of how Disney first flirted with and then sealed the idea of buying Pixar. Docter’s Up was mentioned prominently.
Docter, a nine-time Oscar nominee who won statuettes for Up, Inside Out and Soul, noted that “the work kind of has a life of its own.” He cited a number of influences, collaborators and mentors “and hundreds of others.” “It’s moments like this that make real realize how truly wonderful it has been,” Docter added on-stage. “The only thing that would make it better was if there were other nominees so I could feel like I beat someone.”