“How to Train Your Dragon 2” named best animated film at Annie Awards

PanARMENIAN.Net - “How to Train Your Dragon 2” was the dominant feature at Saturday, Jan 31 night’s Annie Awards, the main awards show for animated films and television shows, TheWrap reports.

At awards given out by the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, the DreamWorks Animation film beat “Big Hero 6,” “The Boxtrolls” and “The Lego Movie” to be named the year’s best animated film. It also won awards for its directing, storyboarding, music, character animation and editorial.

The six wins for “Dragon” were far more than its chief competitors. “The Boxtrolls” won for production design and for Ben Kingsley’s voice work, while “Big Hero 6” won a single award, for animated effects, and “The Lego Movie” won one, for writing.

“Dragon” director Dean DeBlois’ sequel followed in the footsteps of his original 2010 movie, which won 10 Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. That win was controversial, because Disney and Pixar – which released the Oscar winner “Toy Story 3” – had withdrawn support of ASIFA-Hollywood, in a move that led to changes in the way the Annies were selected.

Under the new rules, Annies voters have typically spread the wealth among a number of films, making the sweeping victory for “Dragon” more unexpected. With “The Lego Movie” failing to land an Oscar nomination, DreamWorks Animation has an edge over Disney’s “Big Hero 6” for the animated-feature Oscar.

Disney’s Oscar-nominated short “Feast” won the award for best animated short subject.

In the television categories, “Disney Mickey Mouse” won five awards, while “Wander Over Yonder” won two. Other TV winners included “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” “Tumble Leaf,” “Gravity Falls” and “The Simpsons.”