Last year, the industry-voted Annie Awards appeared to have entered a peculiar grudge match with Pixar Studios, as eventual Oscar-winner “WALL-E” came away empty-handed, while “Kung Fu Panda” swept the board.
Whether that curious outcome was the result of peer envy or professional preference, the Annies appear to be back on board with Pixar, as “Up” took Best Feature and Best Director honors at last night’s ceremony. (Ironic, given that in this banner year for animation, a deviation from the expected would have been arguably better-received than last year’s shocker.)
Still, the Annie voters spread the wealth, with “Coraline” and “The Princess and the Frog” dominating the technical categories. Interestingly, “Coraline” composer Bruno Coulais beat out Oscar frontrunner Michael Giacchino — nice to see that undervalued score getting a moment in the sun.
Finally, the many devotees of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” will be comforted that it took writing honors for Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Full list of feature winners after the cut.
Best Animated Feature: “Up”
Best Director: Pete Docter, “Up”
Best Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Best Voice Acting: Jen Cody as Charlotte, “The Princess and the Frog”
Best Production Design: Tadahiro Uesugi, “Coraline”
Best Music: Bruno Coulais, “Coraline”
Best Character Design: Shane Prigmore, “Coraline”
Best Character Animation: Eric Goldberg, “The Princess and the Frog”
Best Animated Effects: James Mansfield, “The Princess and the Frog”
Best Storyboarding: Tom Owens, “Monsters vs. Aliens”
Comments
19 responses to “‘Up’ triumphs at Annie Awards”
Why was Ed Asner not nominated for his voice performance? It was spectacular!
YES to Jennifer Cody! She was hilarious in “The Princess and the Frog”.
Just like the article above says, The Annie Awards are irrelevant. Kung Fu Panda sweeping vs. Wall-E
while we know this year that Secret of the Kells as taken everyone by storm so how the hell does UP win @ the Annie’s.
Up for feature/directing and Fantastic Mr. Fox for writing? I’m happy.
i thought Kung Fu Panda was the better film
@Will: seconded.
Yeah, Wall-E is definitely Pixar’s most overrated movie (not that it’s bad, just overrated), so the whole Kung Fu Panda thing isn’t that upsetting to me. I like it better, personally.
What an amazing year for animation. Kudos all around.
Fuck yes, Bruno Coulais for Coraline. At least one awards body actually realized Coraline had a score, and that it was a great achievement. It’s actually my Score winner right now.
Panda deserved some wins but not to the extent of it running away with everything last year. It won on categories wherein Wall-E and even Waltz with Bashir was clearly superior to it. Kung Fu Panda was great, but sorry, it can’t carry Wall-E’s cooler. Matter of fact, none of 2009’s bumper crop of great animation can do so as well.
Last Year? Peer Envy?
Hammer meet nail.
Kung Fu Panda was fun and awesome, but in no way is it better than Wall-E. The best way to describe both is this: Kung Fu Panda may be the better animated film, but Wall-E is the superior film.
Wall-E will be far more remembered by film buffs and will come up in film school discussions for the rest of time, which is something that can’t be said for Kung Fu Panda
Instead of hating on Pixar like what transpired last year, here’s a thought to the other animation houses: Work harder, think outside the box, be audacious, give people the benefit of the doubt that they can handle animation that actually dares to be more than kiddie fare, and simply get the hell better at your craft.
Then again, I guess it’s much easier to hate on the successful ones instead.
Yeah, this was one year that I WANTED someone else to win (Fox or Coraline), but there ya go. At least Fox won for the writing and Coraline won a few.
Good. Up was great, I have no qualms with it winning and all the kudos it is receiving this awards season. Princess and the Frog, Coraline, and Fox also were great and adds to what was a stellar year in animation.
I do agree though with what an earlier poster stated, that as great as 2009’s animated films were, Wall-E trumps them all. And I’m not even going to bother and address the sham that was last year’s Annies.
DreamWorks bought and paid for the “Kung Fu Panda” wins last year.
Nice to hear that “Coraline” won for Musical Score… It was really great..
Last year completely exemplified why it is absurd to allow Pixar films to compete against only animated films.
I mean just think Wall-E, which won several Best Picture/Director/Screenplay awards from critics, was by far the most critically acclaimed film of the year, literally present on every Top 10 list of 2008, very likely near the top, and which now has also made a bumper showing in many best of decade polls, is expected to compete against Kung Fu Panda and Bolt??? How ridiculous is that?
In a way its almost humiliating for Wall-E. Its like Federer competing against 5 year olds. Is it supposed to be a contest? The bias against animation is perplexing(unless you have James Cameron behind it). Its been rectified to some degree with Up getting a deserved best Picture slot but that only happened after doubling the no. of nominees. Its been too late coming though, several Pixar films have become classics, much more valued and acclaimed than even the Best Picture winners in their respective years but what gives?
This year pound for pound, the animated line-up packs in more goods than the mundane best pic line-up. I’ve seen only Up, Fox & Coraline which are all solidly crafted entertainments. So I can say that atleast 60% of the animated line-up is quite magnificent. I can’t say the same about the best pic line-up.
@Red_Wine
I agree. Wall-E actually won it’s share of actual “Best Picture” awards and not just “Best Animated Picture” awards from critics groups and film groups last year. All those and it still wasn’t enough to crack the top 5 last year. Had it been live action, it would’ve definitely made it.
Oh and the Annies mean nothing after what transpired last year. I’m normally one who doesn’t buy into backstage politics and conspiracies that supposedly exists to hold someone or something down, but there was definitely something shady last year.