Annie Award Nominations: Disney, Pixar Shut Out of Best Feature Category for First Time as ‘Nimona’ Leads

“Nimona” led all films in nominations for the 51st annual Annie Awards, animation awards that were announced on Thursday morning. The Netflix film received nine nominations to lead “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Suzume” and “The Boy and the Heron,” which received seven, and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which received six.

But the big news was what wasn’t included alongside those five films in the Best Feature category. For the first time in Annie Awards history, neither Disney nor Pixar scored an animation in the top category. In the 31 years that the category has been in existence, Disney/Pixar have landed 53 nominations and won 18 times, remaining a constant at the Annies even during a couple of years when the companies pulled out of the organization until voting processes were reformed.

This year, those nomination slots went to Netflix (“Nimona”), Sony Pictures Animation (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), CoMix Wave Films and STORY inc. (“Suzume”), Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) and Studio Ghibli/GKids (“The Boy and the Heron”).

To add insult to injury, “Nimona” was originally set up at the Fox-owned Blue Sky Studios, but Disney canceled the production after acquiring Fox.

The best performer from Disney and Pixar was the latter studio’s “Elemental,” which received six nominations, including best character design, production design, editorial and music, but was not Best Feature. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish” was shut out completely, although the company did receive nominations for the Disney+ TV programs “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” and “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.” Disney’s live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” was nominated for character animation in a live-action feature, where it will be going up against “Cocaine Bear,” among others.

The Annies also voted a Special Achievement Award “recognizing unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure” to “the artists of Walt Disney animation.”

In the Best Feature – Independent category, the nominees were “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia,” “Four Souls of Coyote,” “Robot Dreams,” “The Inventor” and “White Plastic Sky.” While that was the only nomination for four of those films, “Robot Dreams” picked up four additional noms, including one for directors Pablo Berger and Benoît Feroumont.

In television categories, programs with multiple nominations included “Blue Eye Samurai,” “Scavenger’s Reign” and “Star Wars: Visions.”

Winners will be announced at the Annie Awards on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

Here is the list of Annie nominees. The full list, with companies and individual nominees in each category, is available at https://annieawards.org.

BEST FEATURE
“Nimona”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Suzume”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST FEATURE-INDEPENDENT
“Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia”
“Four Souls of Coyote”
“Robot Dreams”
“The Inventor”
“White Plastic Sky”

BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
“Invincible: Atom Eve”
“Shape Island: The Winter Blues”
“Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie”
“The Smeds and The Smoos”
“The Velveteen Rabbit”

BEST SHORT SUBJECT
“Carne de Dios”
“Daffy in Wackyland”
“HUMO”
“PINA”
“WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”

BEST SPONSORED
“Video Games” by Tenacious D
Alzheimer’s Research UK ‘Change The Ending’
Laugh Track – The National (featuring Phoebe Bridgers)
Up in smoke

BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
“Batwheels,” episode: “To the Batmobile!”
“Ghee Happy,” episode: “Navagraha”
“Playdate with Winnie the Pooh,” episode: “Piglet, Tigger and the Cardboard Box”
“StoryBots: Answer Time,” episode: “Fractions”
“The Creature Cases,” episode: “The Forest Food Bandit”

BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
“CURSES!” episode: “The Baboon Temple”
“Hilda,” episode: “Chapter 8: The Fairy Isle”
“Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” episode: “The Beyonder”
“My Dad the Bounty Hunter,” episode: “Bizarre Ride”
“Shape Island,” episode: “105B Square’s Special Place”

BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE
“Big Mouth,” episode: “The International Show”
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episode: “Pilot: Hammerscale”
“Bob’s Burgers,” episode: “Amelia”
“Scavengers Reign,” episode: “The Signal”
“Tomato Kitchen,” episode: “Special Production”

BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” episode: “Enkai”
“Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection,” episode: “Yellowbird”
“Pokémon: Path to the Peak,” episode: 1

BEST STUDENT FILM
“From The Top,” National Film and Television School
“Kolaj,” Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
“La quête de l’humain,” Gobelins, l’école de l’image
“Quem Salva,” Supinfocom Rubika
“The Little Poet,” California Institute of the Arts

BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episode: “All Evil Dreams and Angry Words”
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” episode: “Moremi”
“Star Wars: Visions,” episode: “Sith”
“The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday”
“What If…? Episode 206, ‘What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?’”

BEST FX – FEATURE
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”
“Elemental”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Suzume”
“The Peasants”

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV/MEDIA
“Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake,” episode: “The Winter King”
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episodes 101, 104 and 106
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” episodes: “Moremi,” “Surf Sangoma,” “Stardust”
“Star Wars: Visions,” episode: “I Am Your Mother”
“THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS”: pilot

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
“Elemental”
“Nimona”
“Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”
“Suzume”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
“Ahsoka”
“Cocaine Bear”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
“The Little Mermaid”
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
“Atomic Heart”
“Hogwarts Legacy”
“Let’s! Revolution!”
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”
“Teslagrad 2”

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
“Clone High,” episode: “Let’s Try This Again”
“Jessica’s Big Little World,” episode: “Bedtime Routine”
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” episode: “You Give Me Heart”
“Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” episode: 515M-106 (“The Beyonder”)
“Spirit Rangers,” episode: “Water Protectors”

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
“Elemental”
“Merry Little Batman”
“Nimona”
“Robot Dreams”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” episode: “Moremi”
“My Dad the Bounty Hunter,” episode: “Bizarre Ride”
“Pokémon Concierge,” episode: #2 “What’s on Your Mind, Psyduck?”
“Scavengers Reign,” episode: “The Fall”
“Star Wars: Visions,” episode: “Screecher’s Reach”

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
“Nimona”
“Robot Dreams”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
“Animaniacs,” episode: “Talladega Mice”
“Babylon 5: The Road Home”
“Pacemaker”
“Star Wars: Visions,” episode: “Aau’s Song”
“The Smeds and The Smoos”

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
“Elemental”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Suzume”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episode: “Hammerscale”
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episode: “The Great Fire of 1657”
“Scavengers Reign,” episode: “The Storm”
“Star Wars: Visions,” episode: “Sith”
“What If…?” episode: “What if… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
“Elemental”
“Nimona”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
“Craig Before The Creek,” episode: “Craig Before The Creek”
“Fright Krewe,” episode: “The Blood Awakening, Part 1”
“Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” episode: “Never Give Up”
“Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight,” episode: “Apok-ta-pokalypse Now, Part II”
“Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” episode: 515M-107 “Run the Rink”

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”
“Nimona”
“Robot Dreams”
“Suzume”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA
Aisha Tyler, “Archer,” episode: “Keys Open Doors”
Vico Ortiz, “Craig Before The Creek,” episode: “Craig Before The Creek”
Diamond White, “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” episode: “Moon Girl Landing”
Dan Stevens, “Solar Opposites,” episode: “The Re-Visibility Bouillabaisse”
Alex Lawther, “The Velveteen Rabbit”

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
David Hornsby, “Merry Little Batman”
Tresi Gazal, “Migration”
Chloë Grace Moretz, “Nimona”
Hokuto Matsumura, “Suzume”
Jack Black, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episode 105: “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride”
“Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection,” episode: “Yellowbird”
“Rock Paper Scissors,” episode: “Birthday Police”
“Rosie’s Rules,” episode: “Time Trouble”
“Scavengers Reign,” episode: “The Reunion”

BEST WRITING – FEATURE
“Nimona”
“Robot Dreams”
“Suzume”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
“The Boy and the Heron”

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
“Blue Eye Samurai,” episode 105: “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride”
“Hilda,” episode: “Chapter 6: The Forgotten Lake”
“I Am Groot,” episode: “Groot’s Snow Day”
“Star Wars: Visions,” episode: “Screecher’s Reach”
“The Legend of Vox Machina,” episode: “The Sunken Tomb”

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
“Elemental”
“Leo”
“Nimona”
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”

JURIED AWARDS

The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions are being presented to three recipients: Legendary animator and director Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger (posthumous); prolific Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi; and National Film Board animator and producer Marcy Page.

The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact will be presented to the BRIC Foundation, Alison Mann and Nicole Hendrix, co-founders.

The Ub lwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry will be presented to John Oxberry (posthumous).

The Special Achievement Award recognizing unique and outstanding achievement not recognized within the existing award category structure will be presented to The Artists of Walt Disney Animation.

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