Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY won top honors at the 30th Annual Annie Awards ceremony, taking home awards for best feature film, writing, music and direction. SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON also ran off with major awards in the categories of character design, effects animation, production design and storyboarding. In television, character design, music, production design and storyboarding awards all went to Cartoon Network's SAMURAI JACK, while Fox Television's THE SIMPSONS took away the honors for Outstanding Animated Television Production. Nelvana's CG-animated preschooler series ROLIE POLIE OLIE took the award for Outstanding Achievement in a Video Production for its full-length movie, ROLIE POLIE OLIE: THE GREAT DEFENDER OF FUN, and the award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced for Children. The Annie Awards are presented each year by ASIFA-Hollywood to honor outstanding animation in film, television commercials, home videos and special projects. Normally held in November, this year the awards were moved to February to make them a more closely watched prelude to the Oscars. SPIRITED AWAY has been garnering accolades from the major critics' groups and this Annie win poises the film to be a major contender for the 2002 Animated Feature Oscar.
30TH ANNUAL ANNIE AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production
ROLIE POLIE OLIE: THE GREAT DEFENDER OF FUN A Nelvana Limited/Sparkling* Co-Production
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short Subject
THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE Ray Harryhausen & Screen Novelties International
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Commercial
"Courage" Cartoon Network - Cartoon Network
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production
THE SIMPSONS Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced forChildren
ROLIE POLIE OLIE A Nelvana Limited/Sparkling* Co-Production
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature
MIYAZAKI'S SPIRITED AWAY Studio Ghibli
Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation
Doug Sweetland - MONSTERS, INC.
Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Carlos Grangel - SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON
Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Television Production
Lynne Naylor-Reccardi - SAMURAI JACK "Episode VI"
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Hayao Miyazaki - MIYAZAKI'S SPIRITED AWAY
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production
Rich Moore - FUTURAMA "Roswell That Ends Well"
Outstanding Achievement for Effects Animation
Yancy Lindquist - SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON
Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production
Joe Hisaishi - MIYAZAKI'S SPIRITED AWAY
Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production
James L. Venable - SAMURAI JACK "Episode I"
Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Luc Desmarchelier - SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production
Dan Krall and Scott Wills - SAMURAI JACK "Episode I"
Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Ronnie Del Carmen - SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production
Bryan Andrews - SAMURAI JACK "Episode VII"
Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Daveigh Chase as the voice of Lilo, LILO AND STITCH
Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
Corey Burton as the voice of Ludwig Von Drake, DISNEY'S HOUSE OF MOUSE
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Hayao Miyazaki - MIYAZAKI'S SPIRITED AWAY
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production
Norm Hiscock - KING OF THE HILL "Bobby Goes Nuts"
The Annie's also presented Juried Awards to outstanding individuals in animation. The recipients this year were:
June Foray Award (Significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation): Girard R. Miller
Winsor McCay Award (Recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation):
Gene Hazelton - Character designer and storyboard artist whose career began in 1939 with Walt Disney. He went on to work for Warner Bros., MGM, Tex Avery and Hanna-Barbera.
Floyd Norman - Longtime Disney storyboard artist and owner of Vignette Films. Recent work includes Disney hits such as MULAN and THE TIGGER MOVIE as well as storyboards for Pixar Animation Studios' films MONSTERS, INC. and TOY STORY 2.
Robert and Richard Sherman - Oscar-winning songwriters/lyricists/composers known for their animated feature work on MARY POPPINS, BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS, WINNIE THE POOH and THE JUNGLE BOOK, as well as CHARLOTTE'S WEB, SNOOPY COME HOME and LITTLE NEMO.
Special Achievement Annie - (Service to the American animation industry):
Lou Scheimer - Animated film producer
