Katsuhiro Otomo Wins Lifetime Achievement Award at Annies

The competition was brutal during last weekend's Annie Awards, the International Animated Film Society's celebration of an uncommonly strong year in animation for film, television, commercials and games. For example, it stung to see our beloved Teen Titans Go! lose the award for Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience, but that the winner was the similarly excellent Adventure Time made the pill easier to swallow. But easier still was the master Katsuhiro Otomo taking home the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement in animation. That pill is good for health.

Disney's mega hit Frozen earned Best Animated Feature, Best Directing, Best Music and Best Production Design, beating such formidable competitors as The Wind Rises, The Croods and Monsters University.

As bizarre as it is to say in 2014, Mickey Mouse had an extremely good night. Disney's Get a Horse! short, featuring ancient recordings of Walt Disney performing as Mickey, won the Annie for Best Animated Short Subject, the crown jewel for the unexpected revival of the clever character who's languished for decades as a benign corporate mascot. The other new Mickey Mouse shorts we've spotlighted before for their fantastic art direction -- including characters by Paul Rudish -- did indeed win the award for Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production, not to mention honors for music and editing.

The most bittersweet moment of the night was very arguably Futurama's win for Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production. Created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, the groundbreaking and reliably hilarious sci-fi sitcom has been a consistent favorite among critics and has enjoyed a devoted cult following for 14 years. And yet, Futurama concluded for what is at least the third time in 2013, and there are no indications that it's coming back again. This category was also home to TRON: Uprising and Motorcity -- both very, very impressive series also gone before their time -- as well as the great Archer and Bob's Burgers.

Among the winners of the juried Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement in animation was visionary director and manga creator Katsuhiro Otomo, whose nomination clip package had numerous animation professionals in palpable awe if their remarks on Twitter are anything to go by.

The complete list of winners and nominees is as follows, courtesy of Cartoon Brew. The winners are in bold.

PRODUCTiON CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

A Letter to Momo – GKIDS
Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS
Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
The Wind Rises – The Walt Disney Studios

Best Animated Special Production

Chipotle Scarecrow – Moonbot Studios
Listening Is an Act of Love – StoryCorps
Room on the Broom – Magic Light Pictures
Toy Story OF TERROR!- Pixar Animation Studios

Best Animated Short Subject

Despicable Me 2 – Puppy – Universal Pictures
Get A Horse! – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Gloria Victoria – National Film Board of Canada
My Mom is an Airplane – Acme Filmworks
The Numberlys – Moonbot Studios

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial

Despicable Me 2 – Cinemark – Universal Pictures
Sound of the Woods – Acme Filmworks
The Polar Bears Movie – CAA Marketing

Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children

Bubble Guppies – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Disney Sofia the First – Disney Television Animation
Doc McStuffins – Disney Television Animation
Justin Time – Guru Studio
Peter Rabbit – Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience

Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios
Beware the Batman – Warner Bros. Animation
Disney Gravity Falls – Disney Television Animation
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
Scaredy Squirrel – Nelvana Ltd.
Teen Titans Go! – Warner Bros. Animation
The Legend of Korra – Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Archer – FX Networks
Bob’s Burgers – Bento Box Entertainment
Disney Tron Uprising – Disney Television Animation
Futurama – 20th Century Fox Television
Motorcity – Titmouse Inc.

Best Animated Video Game

Diggs Nightcrawler – Moonbot Studios
Tiny Thief – 5 ANTS
The Last of Us – Naughty Dog

Best Student Film

Chicken or the Egg – Ringling College of Art and Design
Kellerkind – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg
Miss Todd – Kristina Yee
Move Mountain – Kirsten Lepore
SEMÃ•FORO – University of Southern California
The Final Straw – Ringling College of Art and Design
Trusts & Estates – CalArts
Wedding Cake – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects in an Animated Production

Alen Lai, David Quirus, Diego Garzon Sanchez, Ilan Gabai – Epic – Blue Sky Studios
David Jones – Dragons: Defenders of Berk – DreamWorks Animation
Joshua Jenny, Jason Johnston, Matthew Wong, Eric Froemling, Enrique Vila – Monsters University  – Pixar Animation Studios
Jeff Budsberg, Andre Le Blanc, Louis Flores, Jason Mayer – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
Greg Gladstone, Nikita Pavlov, Allen Ruilova, Matt Titus, Can Yuksel – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation

Animated Effects in a Live Action Production

Jonathan Paquin, Brian Goodwin, Gray Horsfield, Mathieu Chardonnet, Adrien Toupet – Man Of Steel – Weta Digital
Ben O’Brien, Karin Cooper, Lee Uren, Chris Root – Star Trek: Into Darkness – Industrial Light & Magic
Dan Pearson, Jay Cooper, Jeff Grebe, Amelia Chenoweth – Star Trek: Into Darkness – Industrial Light & Magic
Michael Balog, Ryan Hopkins, Patrick Conran, Florian Witzel – Pacific Rim – Industrial Light & Magic

Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production

Brad Schaffer – Friendship All-Stars of Friendship: Wrong Number – Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
Eric Urban – Ubermansion – Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
JC Tran Quang Thieu – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios
David DeVan – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios Character
Kureha Yokoo – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios Character
Keith Kellogg – Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lucasfilm Animation

Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production

Thom Roberts – Epic – Blue Sky Studios
Jonathan Del Val – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Jakob Jensen – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
John Chun Chiu Lee – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Kitaro Kosaka – The Wind Rises – The Walt Disney Studios
Tony Smeed – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Patrick Imbert – Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS

Character Animation in a Live Action Production

Jeff Capogreco, Jedrzej Wojtowicz, Kevin Estey, Alessandro Bonora, Gino Acevedo – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Gollum – Weta Digital
Dave Clayton, Simeon Duncombe, Jung Min Chan, Matthew Cioffi, Guillame Francois – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Goblin King – Weta Digital
Hal Hickel, Chris Lentz, Derrick Carlin, Steve Rawlins, Kyle Winkelman – Pacific Rim – Industrial Light & Magic

Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Craig McCracken – Disney Wander Over Yonder – Disney Television Animation
Paul Rudish – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Andy Bialk – The Awesomes – Bento Box Entertainment
Ben Adams – Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
Danny Hynes, Howard Colin – Steven Universe – Cartoon Network Studios

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

Carter Goodrich, Takao Noguchi, Shane Prigmore – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
Sylvain Deboissy, Shannon Tindle – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation
Craig Kellman – Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 – Sony Pictures Animation
Chris Sasaki – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Christophe Lourdelet – A Monster in Paris – Shout! Factory
Eric Guillon – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Bill Schwab – Frozen  – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Colin Heck – The Legend of Korra – Nickelodeon Animation
Elaine Bogan – Dragons: Defenders of Berk – DreamWorks Animation
Stephan Franck – The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow – Sony Pictures Animation
John Aoshima – Disney Gravity Falls – Disney Television Animation
Aaron Springer – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Angus MacLane – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios
Harold Harris – Justin Time – Guru Studio

Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
David Soren – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation
Chris Wedge – Epic – Blue Sky Studios
Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier – Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS
Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Alan Williams – Estefan – Silverscreen Music
Guy Moon – T.U.F.F. Puppy – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Peter Luyre, Stuart Kollmorgen, Peter Zizzo – Peter Rabbit – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Kevin Kliesch, Craig Gerber, John Kavanaugh – Disney Sofia the First – Disney Television Animation
Christopher Willis – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Andy Bean – Disney Wander Over Yonder – Disney Television Animation

Music in an Animated Feature Production

Alan Silvestri – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
Henry Jackman – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation
Mark Mothersbaugh – Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 – Sony Pictures Animation
Heitor Pereira, Pharrell Williams – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Danny Elfman – Epic – Blue Sky Studios
Randy Newman – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Christophe Beck – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dominic Lewis – Free Birds – Reel FX

Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Angela Sung, William Niu, Christine Bian, Emily Tetri, Frederic Stewart – The Legend of Korra – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Liz Artinian, Ray Feldman, Chris Fisher, George Fort – The Venture Bros. “What Color is Your Cleansuit?” – Titmouse Inc.
Steven Sugar, Emily Walus, Sam Bosma, Elle Michalka, Amanda Winterstein – Steven Universe “Gem Glow” – Cartoon Network Studios
Lynna Blankenship, Dima Malanitchev, Debbie Peterson, Charles Ragins, Jefferson R. Weekley – The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV
Christophe Vacher – Transformers Prime ‘Beast Hunters’ – Hasbro Studios
Nick Jenings, Sandra Calleros, Teri Shikasho, Ron Russell – Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production

Christophe Lautrette, Paul Duncan, Dominique R. Louis – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
Yarrow Cheney, Eric Guillon – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Michael Knapp, Greg Couch, William Joyce – Epic – Blue Sky Studios
Zaza, Zyk – Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS
Ricky Nierva, Robert Kondo, Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi – Monsters University  – Pixar Animation Studios
Michael Giaimo, Lisa Keene, David Womersley – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Piero Piluso – Monsters vs. Aliens – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Douglas Lovelace – Dragons: Riders of Berk – DreamWorks Animation
Adam Ford, Deke Wightman, Kevin Mellon, Justin Wagner, Benji Williams – Archer – FX Networks
Alonso Ramos-Ramirez – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Daniel Chong – Toy Story of TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios
Alonso Ramos-Ramirez – Gravity Falls – Disney Television Animation
Guillermo Del Toro, Guy Davis, Ralph Sosa – The Simpsons — “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” — Gracie Films in Association with 20th Century Fox TV
Paul Watling – Justin Time – Guru Studio

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production

Steven MacLeod – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
Eric Favela – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Dean Kelly – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Jason Hand – Planes – Disneytoon Studios
John Ripa – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Eric Bauza as the voice of Foop – Fairly Odd Parents – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Bill Farmer as the voice of Goofy – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Chris Diamantopoulos as the voice of Mickey Mouse – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Mark Hamill as the voice of Skips and Walks – Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
Tom Kenny as the voice of Ice King – Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

Paul Giamatti as the voice of Chet – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation
Terry Crews as the voice of Earl – Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 – Sony Pictures Animation
Kristen Wiig as the voice of Lucy – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Steve Carell as the voice of Gru – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Pierre Coffin as the voice of Minions – Despicable Me 2 – Universal Pictures
Billy Crystal as the voice of Mike – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Josh Gad as the voice of Olaf – Frozen  – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Katie Matila – Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness  – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Ian Maxtone-Graham, Billy Kimball – The Simpsons – Trocadero Holdings
Lewis Morton – Futurama – 20th Century Fox Television
Matt Price, John Infantino, Mike Roth, Michele Cavin, Sean Szeles – Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
Michael Price – The Simpsons – The Simpsons

Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Daniel Pennac – Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS
Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird, Dan Scanlon – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Miyazaki Hayao – The Wind Rises – The Walt Disney Studios
Jennifer Lee – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production

Adam Arnold, Hugo Morales, Davrick Waltjen – Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Myra Lopez, Ana Adams, Justin Baker – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Lynn Hobson – Dragons: Defenders of Berk – DreamWorks Animation
Illya Owens – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Axel Geddes, Kathy Graves, Chloe Kloezeman – Toy Story OF TERROR! – Pixar Animation Studios
Paul D. Calder – Futurama – 20th Century Fox Television
Paul Douglas – Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios
Jason W.A. Tucker – Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lucasfilm Animation

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production

Darren Holmes – The Croods – DreamWorks Animation
James Ryan – Turbo – DreamWorks Animation
Fabienne Alvarez-Giro – Ernest & Celestine – GKIDS
Greg Snyder, Gregory Amundson, Steve Bloom – Monsters University – Pixar Animation Studios
Jeff Draheim – Frozen – Walt Disney Animation Studios

JURIED AWARDS