Comedy-folk duo Garfunkel & Oates return for a second year alongside Edward James Olmos, Rita Moreno, Tom Kenny, Laraine Newman, Alexander Garfin, Hadley Belle Miller, Kristen Schaal, Phyllis Smith, Kevin Michael Richardson and Christophe Beck.
BURBANK, CA -- Saturday, February 6 will mark the 43rd Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in animation. Returning for a second year to present Annie trophies are the comedy-folk duo Garfunkel & Oates -- actress-songwriters Riki Lindhome and Kate Mucucci. Joining the duo as presenters are actor, producer and director Edward James Olmos with actress Rita Moreno; actor and writer Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) with actress Laraine Newman (Dawn of the Croods); actors Alexander Garfin and Hadley Belle Miller (“Linus” and “Lucy” from The Peanuts Movie); actresses Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers) and Phyllis Smith (‘Sadness” from Pixar’s Inside Out); and actor Kevin Michael Richardson and composer Christophe Beck. Watch the Annie Awards live on February 6.
“Last year, we thought outside the box a little bit and tried a new ceremony format, with no specific host. Instead, our presenters acted as ‘mini hosts,’ each introducing a block of awards. Happily this proved to be a big success. The ceremony was fun, fast and fantastic, so we are going to do it again!” remarked ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “And, as we have seen over the last several years, our audience, nominees and range of films continues to grow. Exemplified by our new Best Feature-Independent award, the Annies are reaching out to a world-wide and increasingly influential filmmaking community.”
The Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 36 categories including Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The Best Animated Features nominations this year are Anomalisa (Paramount Pictures), Inside Out (Pixar Animation Studios), Shaun the Sheep Movie (Aardman Animations), The Good Dinosaur (Pixar Animation Studios) and The Peanuts Movie (Blue Sky Studios, 20th Century Fox Animation).
The Annie Awards also honor career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation with its Juried Awards. This year’s award selections include three Winsor McCay recipients -- director Isao Takahata, animator, director and producer Phil Roman, and, posthumously, Joe Ranft, head of story at Pixar. The June Foray award for significant and benevolent impact on the art and industry of animation will be presented to Producer Don Hahn.
The black tie event will kick-off at 5 p.m. with Red Carpet arrivals and a VIP champagne reception, followed by the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. and after-party immediately following the show. All events will be held at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
General Admission tickets for the ceremony-only can be purchased through the UCLA Box Office, 310.825.2101 or Ticketmaster.com. VIP tickets are sold out.
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, special events, classes and screenings.
Created in 1972 by June Foray, the Annie Awards have grown in scope and stature for the past four decades.
Source: ASIFA-Hollywood
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
