Pixar’s “Inside Out” nabs top prize at Annie Awards

PanARMENIAN.Net - Joy was the primary emotion felt by Pixar after “Inside Out”, its heart-tugging journey through the mind of an 11-year-old girl, took home the top prize at the 43rd Annie Awards on Saturday, January 6 night, Variety said.

In all, the film picked up 10 trophies, including prizes for best animated feature, director Pete Docter, writing (Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley) and voice acting for Phyllis Smith, who played Sadness.

Pixar also picked up an Annie for its second film of 2015, “The Good Dinosaur.” The award for achievement in animated effects in an animated production went to “Dinosaur’s” Jon Reisch and Stephen Marshall, giving Pixar a total of 11 awards for the night.

Ale Abreu’s “Boy and the World” took home the first ever best animated feature — international award. ASIFA-Hollywood, the organization behind the Annies, decided to split the best animated feature category in two this year to give less seen films a chance at a prize. “Boy and the World” will square off with “Inside Out” for animated feature at the Academy Awards on Feb. 28.

The Annie Awards can be a predictor of who’ll take home the gold in at the Academy Awards. The Annies have had a history of matching Oscar winners every other year since 2006. Before that, the Annies matched all the Oscar winners since the Academy added the animated feature category in 2001 until “Happy Feet” beat Annie winner “Cars” for the Oscar. Last year, DreamWorks’ Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” won the Annie Award, but Disney’s “Big Hero 6” took home the Oscar. In addition to “Boy and the World,” “Inside Out” will compete for the animated feature Oscar with “Anomalisa,” “Shaun the Sheep Movie” and “When Marnie Was There.”

The animated short subject award went to Don Hertzfeldt’s exuberantly twisted tale of a little girl’s glimpse at her future, “World of Tomorrow.” “World of Tomorrow” is also up for animated short at the Academy Awards. Other Oscar nominees for animated short are “Bear Story,” “Prologue,” “Sanjay’s Super Team” and “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos.”

Disney Television Animation was the other big winner at the Annies, taking home five, three for “Disney Mickey Mouse,” and one each for “Wander Over Yonder” and “Gravity Falls.”

In the TV categories, “The Simpsons,” which has won numerous Annies since 1992, felt the love once again, taking home the animated television/broadcast production for a general audience prize for its “Halloween of Horror” episode. DVTA’s “Wander Over Yonder” episode “The Breakfast” was named best animated television/broadcast production for children. Amazon Studios and Bix Pix Entertainment’s “Tumble Leaf” won the best animated television/broadcast production for preschool children prize for its “Mirror” episode.

Matt Braly won the award for directing in an animated TV/broadcast production for his work on the “Northwest Mansion Mystery” episode of DVTA’s “Gravity Falls.” And Kristen Schaal won an Annie for her voice work in the “Hawk & Chick” episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”

Veteran animators Phil Roman and Isao Takahata, and the late Joe Ranft were honored with the Winsor McCay Award for the career contributions to the art of animation.

Don Hahn was hailed for his benevolent impact on the art and industry of animation with the June Foray Award. For the first time, Foray, 98, who came up with the idea for the Annie Awards in 1972, didn’t attend the ceremony, but gave her congratulations via video.