BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 17, 2023 — (PRNewswire) —  ASIFA-Hollywood announced nominations today for its 50^th Annual Annie Awards™ recognizing the year's best in the field of animation. For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org/nominations. This year's ceremony is scheduled to return Live on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at UCLA's Royce Hall. Pre-reception and Red Carpet at 4:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 7 p.m., and after party immediately following the ceremony.

This year's Best Animated Feature nominations include: Disney and Pixar's Turning Red (Pixar Animation Studios ), Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Netflix presents A Double Dare You! Film/A Shadowmachine production in association with The Jim Henson Company), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (DreamWorks Animation) , The Sea Beast (Netflix) and Wendell & Wild (Netflix presents A Monkeypaw Production/A Gotham Group Production).

Best Animated Feature-Independent, spotlighting features with a much smaller distribution footprint than major studio releases include: Charlotte (January Films, Ltd., Balthazar Productions, and Walking The Dog), Inu-Oh (Science SARU). Little Nicholas, Happy As Can Be (On Classics (Mediawan) / Bidibul Productions), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Marcel the Movie LLC), and My Father's Dragon (Cartoon Saloon for Netflix)

"After two years of virtual awards, as much fun as they were, everyone is so eager to get back to a live, in-person event," remarked Frank Gladstone, Annies executive producer. "This is doubly true since this is the Annie Awards 50^th year, our Golden Anniversary! We are returning to UCLA's Royce Hall for an Annies with all the trimmings, and a few surprises. It is important for all of us to be together again, celebrating our community, our accomplishments, and our love for animation and the people who create it."

Juried Awards will be presented during the ceremony, honoring unparalleled achievement and exceptional contributions to animation. The Winsor McCay Award in recognition of lifetime or career contributions are being presented to three recipients – Pete Docter, animated feature writer/director and Pixar CEO ; Evelyn Lambart (posthumously), early National Film Board of Canada collaborator, including her significant series of short films; and Craig McCracken, prolific, influential television series creator. The June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact will be awarded to Mindy Johnson, author, historian and educator.

The Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement affecting the animation industry will be presented to Visual Effects Reference Platform, initially developed by Nick Cannon and Francois Chardavoine to eliminate incompatibilities between digital content creation software. The Certificate of Merit Award for service to the art and industry will be presented to John Omohundro.

Many thanks to the generous support from this year's sponsors and advertisers: Platinum Level – DreamWorks Animation, Netflix, Nickelodeon, and Walt Disney Animation Studios/Pixar Animation Studios; Gold Level – Disney TV Animation, Illumination Entertainment and Riot Games; Silver Level – Pixar Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Animation Studios; Bronze Level – Epic Games, GKIDS, LightBox Expo, Skydance Animation and The Gotham Group; and Education/Nonprofit Level – The Animation Guild LATSE Local 839 and Sheridan College.

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world's first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, animated film preservation, animation open source support, special events, classes and screenings.  

Created in 1972 by veteran voice talent June Foray, the Annie Awards™ have grown in scope and stature for five decades. For more information on the Annie Awards™, please visit www.annieawards.org . For ticket information, please visit www.annieawards.org/tickets.                            

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SOURCE ASIFA-Hollywood