Wreck-It Ralph heads toward this year’s Academy Awards with newly added momentum. The videogame-themed Walt Disney Animation Studios pic was the bigger winner tonight at the 40th Annual Annie Awards. Ralph took Best Animated Feature plus Best Directing, Music, Voice Acting and Best Writing in an Animated Feature. Last year’s Annies Animated Feature winner Rango went on to win the Oscar for the same category in 2012.
Related: Annie Award Nominations Unveiled
Hosted by film critic Leonard Maltin and voice actors Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen, the ceremony from UCLA’s Royce Hall saw DreamWorks’ Rise Of The Guardians, LAIKA/Focus Features’ ParaNorman, and Pixar’s Brave pick up several awards as well. Robot Chicken’s DC Comic Special won the Best General Audience Animated Television Production award. Marvel’s blockbuster The Avengers took the nod for Best Animated Effects in a Live Action Production and Rhythm & Hues Studio won best Character Animation in a Live Action Production for their work on Life Of Pi. Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Paperman won the Best Animated Short Subject award. South Park’s Trey Parker scooped a best Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for the long running satire’s South Park: Jewpacabra. Check out the full list below:
Animated Feature
Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Director Rich Moore only thanked Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios CCO John Lasseter, as many people did tonight, but said he was so honored and thankful to be part of the Disney Legacy.
General Audience Television Production
Robot Chicken DC Comics Special – Stoopid Buddy Studios
“Let’s just keep making awesome stuff”, says Seth Green to the crowd on Robot Chicken’s win and the animation industry in general.
Directing in a Feature Production
Rich Moore, Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios
The Annies exploded with a roar when Ralph’s Moore name was read aloud for best Feature Directing. The director joked that he’s in trouble because he gave his speech to “the teleprompter guy” (they’ve had issues tonight). Moore then gave a seamless speech thanking a wide variety of people involved “in this fantastic film”.
Directing in a Television/Broadcast Production
John Eng, Dragons: Riders Of Berk: Animal House – DreamWorks Animation
Animated Short Subject
Paperman – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Animated Special Production
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem – Illumination Entertainment
Winsor McCay Award – There are three winners this year: Oscar Grillo, Terry Gilliam, Mark Henn
Terry Gilliam is getting his McCay Award from two men in kilts. “He requested it personally,” says Brave director Mark Andrews, one of the men in Scottish garb. “Gilliam was a cheap little thief”, says a heavily sarcastic Terry Gilliam via video accepting the award “on behalf of the deceased”. Though now well known as a feature film director, Gilliam was the main animator for Monty Python’s Flying Circus back in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
June Foray – Howard Green
The VP, Communications for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Green is a 35 year veteran of Disney’s publicity, communications and marketing team. The award is for significant or charitable effect on the animation industry. In his speech, Green thanks all those who taught him the “art of flackery and hype.” The line gets a big laugh.
Ub Iwerks – Toon Boom Animation Pipeline
In a scheduling surprise, Annies founder and the “first lady of Animation” June Foray was awarded the Tex Avery Award, presented for the first time outside Texas. Emmy-winning Foray, a voice actor, has worked on everything from Cinderella to The Simpsons. “This is an amazing award and a great surprise”, Foray tells the crowd. Foray created the Annie Awards back in 1972 and has been a constant advocate for the industry ever since.
General Audience Animated TV Production For Preschool Children
Bubble Guppies A Tooth On The Looth – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Andy Hayes, Carl Hooper, David Lipton, Rise Of The Guardians – DreamWorks Animation
Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Jerome Platteaux, John Sigurdson, Ryan Hopkins, Raul Essig, Mark Chataway, The Avengers – Industrial Light & Magic
Character Animation in a TV/Broadcast Production
Dan Driscoll, SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s A SpongeBob Christmas! – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
“I’ll definitely renew my membership this year,” jokes Driscoll as he accepts his award.
Character Animation in a Feature Production
Travis Knight, ParaNorman – LAIKA/Focus Features
Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Erik de Boer, Matt Shumway, Brian Wells, Vinayak Pawar, Michael Holzl, Life Of Pi – Tiger – Rhythm & Hues Studio
Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Robert Valley, Disney Tron: Uprising: The Renegade, Part I – Disney TV Animation
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Heidi Smith, ParaNorman – LAIKA/Focus Features
Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
John Paesano, Dragons: Riders of Berk: How To Pick Your Dragon – DreamWorks Animation
Music in an Animated Feature Production
Henry Jackman, Skrillex, Adam Young, Matthew Thiessen, Jamie Houston, Yasushi Akimoto, Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Alberto Mielgo, Tron: Uprising: The Stranger – Disney TV Animation
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Steve Pilcher. Brave – Pixar Animation Studios
Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Doug Lovelace, Dragons: Riders Of Berk: Portrait Of Hiccup As A Buff Man’ – DreamWorks Animation
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Johanne Matte, Rise Of The Guardians – DreamWorks Animation
Matte gives a shout out to her home town of Montreal, to her parents (in French) and to “the best team ever.”
Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Kristen Schaal as Mabel Pines, Gravity Falls: Tourist Trapped – Disney TV Animation
Schaal runs onstage and leaps up and down for her win. The high-pitched actress and Daily Show correspondent thanks her husband “who gets to, nay, has to listen to this voice everyday”.
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Alan Tudyk as King Candy, Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Tudyk beat out Adam Sandler, Jude Law and Kelly MacDonald in this category. Like almost everyone else tonight the Wreck-It Ralph star thanked John Lasseter.
Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Trey Parker, South Park: Jewpacabra – Central Productions
Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Johnson thanked a lot of people, “including my wife, who has nothing to do with the movie but is a good person.”
Editorial in an Animated TV Production
Hugo Morales, Adam Arnold, Davrick Waeden, Otto Ferraye, Kung Fu Panda – Enter The Dragon – Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Nicholas C. Smith, A.C.E, Robert Grahamjones, A.C.E., David Suther, Brave – Pixar Animation Studios
Animated TV Production For Children
Dragons: Riders Of Berk “How To Pick Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Animated Video Game
Journey – Sony Computer Entertainment America
Best Student Film
Head Over Heels – Timothy Reckart
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